As a ham who happens to be blind, I have been soldering for
near 40 years. Yes, it certainly can be done, but it works best if
one does a few things differently.

One thing that helps a lot is if the soldering appliance such
as a soldering gun heats very fast. This lets you position everything
safely without burning either fingers or the work before applying
heat.

The first soldering I ever did was with a Weller gun. They do
heat relatively fast and let you put the tip where it needs to be just
as you pull the trigger.

My all-time favorite soldering tool for small work is the Wahl
cordless gun with the smallest tip they sell. I believe it is called
the Wahl Isotip.

This brings me to my question. Is there anything else which
has come along that heats a small tip rapidly, the faster the better?

I have even tried one of Radio Shack's butane-powered
soldering irons. They certainly work, but the experience is similar
to a continuously-on electric iron except one must be mindful of the
little flame inside the screened-in area at the tip base.

There was recently some discussion on the blind-hams mailing
list I am on about this topic and I thought I'd check to see if
anything has changed.

My only gripe about the cordless guns is that the nicads go
bad after two or three years and it is necessary to replace them.
Of course, the task of replacing them is a drag in that the challenge
is that of getting everything back in the case exactly the way it was
before. It can be done, but patience is very much in order.
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Martin McCormick WB5AGZ Stillwater, OK
Information Technology Division Network Operations Group