Soldering mat??????????

[Scott_D]

What’s the best soldering mat / heat proof mat available?

 

[Gasmk1]

From experience they all last about 2 months before starting to fall apart

 

[ShaunCorbs]

Cheap bes ones and staple 2 together ends up around £3 lasts over a month

 

[Harvest Fields]

None. They are all useless and cost a small fortune over the year.

 

[gmartine]

Thought is was just me that went through them at a rate.

 

[Stigster]

Cheap bes ones and staple 2 together ends up around £3 lasts over a month

Absolutely the best way by far and that's why I stock the workshop with cheap BES mats as they take a hammering teaching schoolkids and apprentices to solder. £1.54 each if you buy 20+. Used in pairs like Shaun says. £3 per mat, last quite a while and nearly as long as a single posh mat costing £25 but you've got ten double mats to last you ages for £30.

 

[Spectric]

What’s the best soldering mat / heat proof mat available?

Hi there

The ones made by Rothenberger have always served me well,

 

[Mrb]

What’s a heat mat?
Just set fire to the customers wallpaper, kitchen carcass, paintwork like the rest of us.

 

[Spectric]

A heat mat is basically a protective heat shield thats flexable and can be placed behind pipe joints before you solder them. I have found the rothenberger ones, although not the cheapest have served well and protect woodwork from discolouring due to heat. Tread carefully when near wires, if you really have no options then I use steel plate behind the heat mat for added protection.

 

[centralheatking]

I don’t think I have ever bought one. Tend to use plasterboard, old tiles, quarry tile or non asbestos cement board. Having a good blow lamp with nice tight flame helps. Or make the tricky bits up away from immediate job Now I have some pull extruded glass reinforced polymer sheets which resists even map gas up to about 1600c Centralheatking

 

[Stanios]

Monument ones I find last a bit longer, the paded rathernberger ones go very fast.
Best way to save your mat is to use blue bottled gas the yellow mapp just destroys any mat.
Also because they never last long price is quite important if you can buy two for price of one mat it effectively lasts twice as long. Im getting monument ones at £9 on ebay

 

[Ric2013]

Did they last longer when they were made from asbestos?

 

[Spectric]

I can remember people using bits of roofing sheet, and never questioned what it was made from. The corrugation forming a snug shield round the pipe, just no good in really tight spaces.

 

[Mrb]

Did they last longer when they were made from asbestos?

Yes they did, you didn’t though

 

[Donametchi]

I can remember people using bits of roofing sheet, and never questioned what it was made from. The corrugation forming a snug shield round the pipe, just no good in really tight spaces.

I,ve seen me using an old saw

 

[Spectric]

Yes they did, you didn’t though

In the days of pilot lights and no PCB's in boilers we just got the job done, life was so much simpler and I am convinced that the customers were also happier, now they get error codes and think they are being taken for a ride!

 

[zzzjim]

Did they last longer when they were made from asbestos?

I remember the white heat proof mats under all the Bunsen burners in school labs ...
with fluffy/furry corners .. before we knew !
..Just need a flexible affordable version from space shuttle tech.. (or Elon !)

 

[Stanios]

I can remember people using bits of roofing sheet, and never questioned what it was made from. The corrugation forming a snug shield round the pipe, just no good in really tight spaces.

set asbestos cracks and can explode when even moderately heated though

 

[Mrb]

In the days of pilot lights and no PCB's in boilers we just got the job done, life was so much simpler and I am convinced that the customers were also happier, now they get error codes and think they are being taken for a ride!

yep, give me a Baxi Bermuda any day.

 

[centralheatking]

yep, give me a Baxi Bermuda any day.

A wet cloth hanging over the pipework is good for stopping heat transfer. Centralheatking

 

[Jaimie Hammond]

I use offcuts of 6mm No More Ply and give them a spray with water before putting behind the joint. Nice and rigid and seem to hold up pretty well.

 

[Keefy]

Piece of plywood wrapped in ptfe.

 

[bear]

Whatever you use for a heat shield DONT use a bit of sheet lead. Knew a plumber who did. Half way through heating the lead just fell to the floor and yes the flame burnt what the lead was (limited) shielding!!!

 

[moonlight]

I have used cool gel on occasions, till the top came off and it went all over the van.

 

[Stigster]

I have used cool gel on occasions, till the top came off and it went all over the van.

I like that stuff for when you are forced to solder near a valve. Put some on the pipe near the valve and slap a bit on the valve too and the heat doesn't travel and do damage.