I need a “∑´¬≤%*¡ timer for my soldering iron.

[David King]

I keep forgetting to turn my Hakko iron off at night etc and I keep burning through tips and it's driving me batty at $14 per tip. Can anyone suggest a cheap 1-2 hour timer I can plug the iron into so I can take care of this problem once and for all?

[Jazz P Bass]

Here is a timer that I have used. I set it up in a 4"x4" outlet box with a dual receptical.
Link:Commercial Spring Wound Timers | Intermatic, Inc.

[automan]

You can get a cheaper dial timer from walmart. Set it to come on at 10am and then off at 6pm or whatever your shop hours are. I have to do that. I've lost 2 irons in the last 4 months due to leaving it on when I leave the shop for the night. One Weller and one Radio shack. The one I'm using now is the super cheap 25 watt Radio Shack model sitting in the cheap radio shack solder station that I burned the iron out on and just cut the chord off.

I'm dying to get a Weller again with heat control. I have to get base plates so hot with this thing applying the 4 solder spots I use in humbuckers.

[David Schwab]

...it's driving me batty at $14 per tip.

Ouch! I pay $5.

Hakko Solder Tips. Plato Soldering Tips for Hakko.

[David King]

Well actually I just got 7 tips for $20 off the bay but you know what I'm saying.
I want that simple, twist knob, spring timer I think, that way I can tell if a 15 minute job is taking me way too long and I know to charge more for it the next time.. Heck the iron heats up in 30 seconds so I certainly don't plan on running it all day. It's just that I get distracted with testing the repair or answering the phone etc and suddenly it's two days later...

Ideally I could build it into the Hakko box. Even if I had an audible alert that when along with the blinking LED on the front, that would be fine.

[David King]

The "decorator" version of that intermatic wall mounted timer is only $19.

[Joe Gwinn]

I keep forgetting to turn my Hakko iron off at night etc and I keep burning through tips and it's driving me batty at $14 per tip. Can anyone suggest a cheap 1-2 hour timer I can plug the iron into so I can take care of this problem once and for all?

Umm. I have left my Weller irons on all day and overnight from time to time over the last 30 or 40 years, and I have never had one burn out.

Production soldering irons should not burn out if left on. Many such irons are in fact never turned off. My first temperature-controlled Weller iron did not have a power switch.

Call Hakko and start asking questions, sharp questions if necessary.

[the great waldo]

I keep forgetting to turn my Hakko iron off at night etc and I keep burning through tips and it's driving me batty at $14 per tip. Can anyone suggest a cheap 1-2 hour timer I can plug the iron into so I can take care of this problem once and for all?

This must be contagious, I just came into my workshop and found the iron had been running non stop for the last three days, hope it´s not altzheimers setting in !!

Cheers

Andrew

[salvarsan]

Ditch the Hakko.
Get a Weller WES51 for $90.
They automatically shut off after 90 minutes of inactivity.


-drh

[David Schwab]

Umm. I have left my Weller irons on all day and overnight from time to time over the last 30 or 40 years, and I have never had one burn out.

Production soldering irons should not burn out if left on. Many such irons are in fact never turned off. My first temperature-controlled Weller iron did not have a power switch.

Call Hakko and start asking questions, sharp questions if necessary.

I leave my Aoyue 936 (Hakko clone) on all day when I'm working, and I'm still using the same tip since I got it.

I leave mine at 700°. David what temperature is yours set at?

[Joe Gwinn]

Get a Weller WES51 for $90.
They automatically shut off after 90 minutes of inactivity.

That's what I currently use, and it works just fine.

What I used for 30 years was a Weller WTCP, which in those days came without a power switch, so I added one.

The WTCP does not shut off, but it doesn't burn anything out if left on either.

The old WTCP still works just fine, and repair parts are still available (although I never have needed to repair the iron), but I wanted to be able to change temperature without changing tips.

[David King]

Thanks for the suggestions guys. The Hakko doesn't burn out, just the tips start sublimating on the inside and then the heat stops conducting effectively so you have to crank the temp up a little more every time. That and the fact that the plating gets oxidized on the outside so that you can't tin it without a thorough scrubbing on scotchbrite every time you pick it up.

[Possum]

Now you know why I use cheap throw away soldering irons. Get the Taiwanese ones from Ebay and buy a couple at a time, when the tips finally get down to a nub toss it and break out the next one. $8 apiece and last 9 months or more.....

[belwar]

Ditch the Hakko.
Get a Weller WES51 for $90.
They automatically shut off after 90 minutes of inactivity.


-drh

+1.

I have three of the digital version of WES51 and they are great

[David Schwab]

Thanks for the suggestions guys. The Hakko doesn't burn out, just the tips start sublimating on the inside and then the heat stops conducting effectively so you have to crank the temp up a little more every time. That and the fact that the plating gets oxidized on the outside so that you can't tin it without a thorough scrubbing on scotchbrite every time you pick it up.

I haven't had that issue with the tips from the link I posted. When I shut the iron down at night I make sure the tip has some solder on it. That was mentioned in the instruction manual.

When I turn it on, after it's up to temp, I just give it a wipe on the sponge and it's nice and shiny.

Mine came with a very thin SMP tip, but I replaced with with a wider chisel tip.

One thing I just remembered is the Hakko is 60W and the Aoyue is 30W. maybe that has something to do with it. Except for the heating element they are identical and made in the same factory in China.

[EtLa]

+1.

I have three of the digital version of WES51 and they are great

+1 WESD51 great for soldering cover to baseplate too