Shocked while soldering?

[Spaz Monkey]

So about 6mths ago ordered the soldering kit from Bob Roberts.  Needed to do some soldering because the person who wired my cab didn't use the common ground on the buttons, but he used the NO portion of the microswitch.  Decided to start the iron up and try to push some solder around.  While the iron was heating up for the first time, it started smoking.  Figured that it was just burning off the oil from the people who put it together.  Couldn't really move the existing solder around.  Read that I needed to "tin" the tip.  Decided to touch some solder directly to the iron tip and got a small buzz in the index finger.  Shock didn't go past the wrist.  Am I doing something wrong?

[Ken Layton]

You probably have a bottom of the line soldering iron. The better quality ($$$ more expensive) irons are what's called, "grounded tip".

[Spaz Monkey]

Great. How much more are the grounded tip ones?

[RayB]

Yikes.
I had an iron tip explode once.

[Austin.Wolff]

I'm used to the $7 Radio Shack ones.  Sure they're cheap, but I don't have to keep track of them or take very good care of them, expandable!

[ChadTower]

Happens to me sometimes in my basement.  I have a good Weller station but the outlet is not properly grounded.  If I have bare feet on the concrete floor I can feel current in certain situations while soldering.  I usually do it with my feet on a box to avoid that.  Consider making sure your outlet is properly grounded.

[BobA]

If you soldering iron plug is 2 prong make sure it is polarized and plugged into a new outlet that is polaried.  EG big and small prongs so it can only be plugged in one way.

[Q*Bert_OP]

I personally recommend a Hakko Model #936 Soldering Station...they cost $75-95, but I got mine on sale for about $60...

IMHO, that model is one of the best temperature controlled, grounded, anti ESD irons that you can buy for under a hundred bucks...

I even use mine for SMD repairs...

Link: http://www.hmcelectronics.com/cgi-bin/scripts/product/0460-0004/