It looks like a metal wand with a handle frequently made of plastic and an electrical cord coming out of that handle. The metal part of the wand gets quite hot when plugged in and is used to melt things, like lead solder, gluesticks, plastic, etc. You can often find them in hardware stores and craft stores for very little money, but for some reason my nearby wallyworld doesn't seem to sell them. I was looking for one there and was directed by an employee to the clothes iron aisle.