Help: Removing cap cans heavily soldered to chassis on Traynor YGM-3

[R.G.]

*Carve* the solder away with a sharp pocketknife or other handy, sturdy blade.

Solder carves away in thin flakes almost as easily as pine, easier than some hardwoods. You can't go too deep, the chassis prevents it. When it gets thin enough, use heat.

S'much easier and faster than using portable fusion torches.

[Gtr_tech]

Most of the time a gun won't cut it. I don't care how many watts... I have 240watter. The tip does not really have enough mass to get the job done.
A big ass, black American Beauty with a 1/2oz tip will heat it up enough to loosen the tabs, (most of us full timers probably have at least a 150 watter-300 watter).

YouTube- American Beauty 300 Watt Soldering Iron Demonstration

Dang son...that thare thang is eeuge! Good ol' Detroit muscle there. Wonder if that company is still around....

Yep....American Beauty Tools

[Alex R]

Dang son...that thare thang is eeuge! Good ol' Detroit muscle there. Wonder if that company is still around....

Yep....American Beauty Tools

I found this company quite fascinating. They give every impression that their goods are manufactured in the USA. But are they? The wording in this ad is suggestive yet ambiguous:

http://i603.photobucket.com/albums/t...beautycopy.jpg

[R.G.]

I found this company quite fascinating. They give every impression that their goods are manufactured in the USA. But are they? The wording in this ad is suggestive yet ambiguous:

It's an unfortunate truism that there are two main kinds of companies in the manufacturing biz today. These are (1) those that manufacture outside the USA - and to a large extent Europe, Canada, etc., and (2) those that are going broke more or less quickly.

It's simple economics. There may have once been a reason for "made in the USA" to have meant "better". However, the USA (and Europe, etc.) is no longer the only place where workers were educated, trained, devoted to good products, and so on. More and more these are not the places with the only access to capital and good equipment to work with. Given that, products *will* be made where it's most cost effective to make them. The entire planet is rapidly becoming competitive for manufacturing jobs.

The rest - as you note - is advertising.

[52 Bill]

On the first page of the link:

"Continuing a Tradition of Excellence - Manufactured in the USA, American Beauty solves challenging soldering and thermal management applications with a diverse line of soldering irons and stations, solder pots, resistance soldering systems and accessories. Whether a handy, light-weight 20 watt pencil iron or a 550 watt robust heavy-duty iron, all American Beauty products are produced to the high-quality standards trusted by customers for more than a century."

Seems like they still make them in the US, or in the town called USA.

[Alex R]

...that's where the ambiguity is. "Manufactured in the USA, American Beauty solves..." I do not question that the brand was manufactured in the USA, but how about the soldering irons?

Maybe I'm cynical.

[Alex R]

R.G., I agree with every word. But the marketing response is what fascinates me.