This is probably obvious to other brains than mine but maybe someone can help. My double third hand GRS solder station is a mess and needs new jaws and springs in the third hand. Also the ball joints etc. need lubricant. Also not sure how to clean the solder board. Thanks for any info.
I appreciate your reply! I know how to purchase but what I need is a tutorial on “how to replace these things“…. I’m dyslexic (or whatever but left right / north south mean nothing o me without thinking a lot) so the obvious does not usually make sense. Thank you though.
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Hi,
for the “jaw points”, there are little black “set screws” on the heads…screw the set screws out a bit, using the appropriate sized tiny hex key, to release the jaw points…insert new jaw points, and screw the hex screws back in, hand tight…be sure to orient the jaws correctly, so that the serrated sides are opposing each orther.
as for replacing the springs, i dunno
as for replacing the soldering board, it is clamped down, using Phillips screws…loosen the screws to loosen the clamping action, and slide the old board out, and a new board in
as for the ball joints…the ball joint is held in place by 2 discs and a philips screw…the tighter the screw, the more clamping pressure is placed on the ball joint, hindering its ability to rotate easily…loosening or tightening the Phillips screw will affect how easily the ball joint rotates
perhaps the best thing to do would be to call GRS tech support…they are awesome
julie
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This helps so much!!! Thank you, sincerely. I’ll loosen the ball joints and now I know about that little black hex thing for points. Serious progress, sincere thanks.
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Maybe more than you imagine!
I got a phone call this morning from an unknown number and let it go to voicemail. The voicemail said it was from a GRS account manager. ?!?
Then I got a follow-up email with an attachment, which these days makes me very cautious. I saved it to a plain text file so the attachment couldn’t open and possibly cause problems, and it turned out to be legitimate.
While I do own a good number of GRS products, as best I can remember I contacted them only once or twice for help several years ago.
I’m still quite surprised. That GRS has my phone number, and someone from GRS called me.
Neil A
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I did email support for a manual so I will near from them I’m sure. All of my Grs tools are treasures.
Ok … is there any reason not to flip the solder board over and use that instead of a new one? Budget stuff.
Also, libricating those ball joints? I hesitate to use any petroleum based stuff.
Also … Julie …you use a Solderite n the station?
Hi,
oh, for sure you can turn it over and use the other side…
mine has not gotten all flux coated…yet…but for my solderite boards i taken and rub them on cement…or use a pocket plane hand plane rasp and rub it over the bumpy flux to remove it
julie
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Ty!!! I need and love a flat board without fluXyness. Thank you!!!
Hi,
right now i am still using the same 6”x6” non-asbestos board it came with…(max temp 600F…interesting…)…
i am usually soldering items being held up in the air when i am using this contraption…versus on the heat reflective board
i have 6”x6” solderite boards that i can change it out with…
julie
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Hi,
me too! so! i have a few different boards
one is nice, flat and clean and not fluxey, that i use when i need a flat flat surface…
one is totally a flux covered disaster, that i use when i am gonna spray on Prips barrier flux…especially for repeated annealing
one is a disaster that has been scraped sort of clean and flat that i use for the rest of the soldering jobs
and i have a few new boards waiting in the wings for emergencies
julie
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Thank you Julie! Everything in the world seems so expensive lately and rather than add to cart I’m trying. This feels like an old time orchid post, thank you for that!!
I love my GRS solder station. It’s one of my favorite tools that I don’t ever want to live without. But one thing that I never do, is that I never heat up the gray GRS solder board. I put a (disposable) solderite board on top of it and that’s what I heat up. I like the way the solderite boards interact with heat better than the GRS gray board (I think the GRS boards are transite). My set up works like a smart phone screen saver. The gray board never gets messes up. (I’m not sure if that’s what Julie is saying as well?)
I don’t know if you have an ultra sonic, but when my third hands get messed up I put them in the ultra sonic. That cleans them up easily.
Others are explaining how to change out the tips and springs. That’s super easy.
If all else fails, you can replace just the third hand mechanisms, not the whole unit.
There’s lots of great advice in all of these posts. You’re on your way to a happily refreshed solder station!!
Jeff
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Hi Jeff,
could you tell us how to replace the springs on the clamp heads…?…i dont see any screws…just three rivet-like yhings…?…
julie
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Thank you! Will try the ultrasonic and ty on dont solder on that board!
I am still trying to figure this out! Thank you for helping.
It’s pretty simple. It’s spring that sits in a top and bottom hole. Thin serrated pliers are best. Grab and pull the spring. It will come out.
When putting it back in, it’s best to make sure that both holes are clean, (no old flux, etc). Put the spring in one hole. Compress the spring as best as you can with pliers and push. You might have to wrestle with it a bit, but it will go back in. You don’t need (or even can) take the clamp apart.
I always oil the clamp lightly with 3 in One oil or similar, so the clamp moves freely. I recently read that avocado oil has a 500 F flash point. That will probably work too, if you don’t want use a petroleum based oil.
Let me know if I didn’t explain it well enough.
Jeff
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Thank you Jeff! !!!
I have two GRS third hands.They are the best that I have ever had. I clean old flux off by just leaving them in a small pan of water, just like you do flux that remains after soldering. While I have never had to do it, the springs can probably be compressed with a pair of small flat nosed pliers. Although the only reason that you would be doing this is if the spring was broken, in which case it would easily come out. Installing a new spring might take a bit of effort. I would likely follow Jeff’s suggestion using a pair of flat nosed pliers. The only thing that I can add is to lubricate springs with a small amount of oil once in a while…Rob
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