I’m a beginner (just practicing welds at this point) so take this all for what it’s worth (nothing) but I picked up the Aviation Art sealing iron from Stewart Systems. Looks like they are selling it for use on full size aircraft, so a bit more money than a model aircraft iron, but still pretty reasonable to me. I think it’s basically a U.S. version of a Prolux sealing iron.
Positives:
- Precise temperature control (+-5C). They are very confident in their calibration, which should take some guesswork out of things, and the box even explains that the center point will be 20-30 degrees hotter than the measurement point. I think this is one case where “do not rely on your iron’s temperature scale” does not apply.
- Sturdy – you can push down with a reasonable amount of force while heating.
Negatives:
- Big – as has been mentioned elsewhere, it’s wider than you really want. The sides of the iron are usable but awkwardly angled upwards. I’ve mostly been using the slight upward slope at the front tip of the iron, but it’s easy to catch and curl other parts of the fabric with the back while doing that, so it might be a good idea to tape things down before you start.
I think I’ve settled on 210 celsius for the 210D nylon. I tried as low as 200C, and it would seal (slowly) but when I tore it apart all the TPU stayed on one side – I think only one side really melted. At 210C I seem to get a nice strong weld, it kind of frays the nylon on both sides if I can manage to get it pulled apart. I think higher temperatures would work (it maxes out at 220) but I felt rushed when I tried it – I want to go slowly and carefully, at least for now.
I’ll have to see how manageable it is in tight corners, but irons seem hard to find so I hope this proves a reasonable option.
