soldering photo-etch parts ?

15-18 watt should be plenty.

I use a soldering iron of the same wattage when soldering rails on my model railway, along with a low melt solder. Because the brass is thin it doesn't absorb as much of the heat as say a white metal casting, which often require larger irons.

Are you going to 'tin' the eares to be joined beforehand, as this might make matters easier.

Karl

kev

As karl has pointed out, the iron you are looking at will work just fine. If you purchase it, I would make the following suggestion. Take a micrometer and determine the thickness of the metal in your PE fret (if you don't own a micrometer and don't know anyone who owns one, look for a machine shop in your area - they would probably be glad to measure it for you). Once you determine the fret thickness, go to an auto supply store and buy some brass shim stock the same thickness as your fret. (I just bought a 6" x 6" x .005 shim stock and it cost me 50 cents) Take it home and cut it in to strips of various widths (1/32 to 3/16) and practice soldering them together. It's a whole lot cheaper to practice on shim stock than to screw up a 5 to 20 dollar PE set.