I Repaired My Soldering Iron With Super Glue

My Hakko FX-888 soldering iron arrived with a broken connector on the soldering iron base. The iron is able to plug in but the plug itself pushes into the housing and twists. I bought this fancy soldering iron to fix things. As an experiment, I wanted to repair the soldering iron instead of returning it for a new one. It seemed like the right thing to do. Do. It. Yourself.

The soldering iron is easy to take apart. The four screws holding the cover to the base are hidden under the rubber feet. The Hakko felt like it was made to be repaired. The transformer had easy-to-access screws and everything used standard screws. My issue was with the connector. The front of the connector was snapped off and even cracked into the soldering iron base. I choose Super Glue for the job. All I needed was a good layer of glue around the front and back of the connector. The repair worked perfectly.

Hakko Connector Repaired With Super Glue

Super Tips for Super Glue

Now, before you go out and start super gluing everything, you need some practice and the right tools. I also have some tips from my years of Super Glue use. Welcome to my TED Talk.

Buy lots of small tubes of Super Glue. Dollar stores in the United States sell tiny tubes for pennies. Don’t be a hero. After you use a tube, throw it away.

Get Insta-Set accelerator spray. Super Glue is made of cyanoacrylate and is referred to as CA. Even though it sets fast it still takes time if you use a lot. A quick blast of Insta-Set spray and the glue will set… instantly.

Get a silicone mat. One of the best purchases of my maker life was buying a bunch of silicone mats. Super Glue gets on everything and it will damage desk surfaces. A silicone mat is handy for Super Glue and hot glue. And, for projects with your kids. Get a bunch of them in different sizes. Thank me later.

Get silicone stir sticks and brushes. Another great accessory for any type of gluing is getting a set of silicone stir sticks and brushes. I pool up my super glue on the mat and use the stir sticks to apply the glue. These tools are useful for other types of gluing as well.

Get silicone finger protectors. I make a lot of things with hot glue and super glue and silicone fingertips save me every time. I have burned my fingers and super glued them together many, many times. Super glue sets instantly on your skin and you will not like trying to pull them apart.

Some Super Tips For Super Glue

If you know if any tips, please share them in the comments. I am always learning little things here and there.

5 comments

  1. I just ordered some silicone finger protectors. I HAVE glued my fingers together and it’s no fun. Thanks for the great idea!

    1. You’re welcome! I hope that they work for you. There are different sizes so you might have to try some out to find the ones that work for you.

  2. Bottles of superglue can be kept in the fridge to make them last year’s. I sometimes use the outside of the bottle to hold things I’m gluing, or one of those applicator nozzles that they come with. Superglue tends not to stick to the plastic the bottle/applicator is made of (someone once said to me – “superglue doesn’t stick to the inside of the bottle :-)”. I have a bottle of thin and bottle of thick superglue to hand. Kicker/accelerator is a must but doesn’t need to be used all the time. Thick superglue usually doesn’t “craze” when applying accelerator, is usually odorless and foam safe. But for my best tip: if you are repairing something that you can wrap sewing cotton around, wind it round and then soak in superglue. If you have accelerator, use it. If not, the superglue will go off quickly. The repair becomes rock solid. Superglue was invented to glue human skin, around wounds. I’ve seen it used by a hobbyist in the field BUT don’t apply accelerator – it burns like hell.

      1. Been using it for 20 years, originally for RC plane building. No need to use pins and balsa cement or pva glue. You can make a balsa plane in an evening with superglue 😀

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