Solder iron questions.

[mike_mccue]

Hi,
I've asked before but I need to ask again.

I just had an experience where my old Weller 30watt stick broke in half from metal fatigue.

I was able to buy a new 35 watt Weller at a local supply house. While I was there I asked about solder stations and the owner of the shop suggested that they were unnecessary which I interpreted as he didn't care to know anything about them.

I really don't know much about solder stations but I think the idea is that you get better temperature control and you run you tip cooler in between solder operations.


One thing I immediately noticed about the 35watt iron is that it seemed much hotter than my old 30 watt model and it makes me think I would appreciate using a nice solder station.

The other thing I noticed is that it was very difficult to keep the new solder tip "tinned" it seemed like it got too hot and had a matte finish even after a fresh cleaning. It only seems "tinned" as it comes up to temperature when I first plug it in.


I have so much difficulty seeing what I'm soldering these days that I am willing to buy any tool that makes soldering easier.

Should I shop for a better solder tool than the 35watt pencil style that I just bought?


Thanks for any advice you can share.


best regards,
mike

[big_teee]

Hi Mike:
Much of your questions has just been covered in another thread.
http://music-electronics-forum.com/t28903/
Some of the guys build a switch box with a receptacle and switch with a diode.
You flip the switch to the diode when It is sitting there, and that runs it on reduced power.
It would also allow you to solder on small devices in the diode mode!
I for one, have not tried it yet, but it's on my to do list!
Good Luck,
Terry

[Jecarroll7]

Tinning a new tip can be a bit tricky.

A trick I learned when installing a new tip is to wrap it in solder before turning the iron on for the first time. As the tip heats up I rotate it as it melts the solder, immediately tinning the tip.

[Chuck H]

I use an inexpensive Rat Shack station. I've been using it for about five years. If you do go with a station you will enjoy the temp control. Mine is small. Sometimes I need to break out my old weller gun. Which is overkill for some things. If you solder a lot of cables and male jacks or heavy wire you'll want to be sure and get one up to the task. But I do find the temp control an enormous improvement over the sticks. Which always seem too hot.

[Prairie Dawg]

I've got a Hakko 936 soldering station that I replaced my ancient Weller station with and I think it's fine, good temperature control. I liked it so much I bought another for fine work and a separate wand for lead free soldering. It is best to buy original Hakko tips for them as the noname Chinese ones do not last nearly as long. My total investment in all this stuff is under $100.

[Gtr_tech]

The blue handled WP series Wellers are the ones you want....avoid the cheaper orange ones. I have used the WP irons for many years and they never fail to deliver. Different tips is the key to getting the most out of the iron. I'll use a medium width chisel tip (ST3) for general stuff and a smaller tip (ST6) for finer work. The smaller tips don't retain heat like the larger tips do, so it acts similar to a temp control.

http://g-ecx.images-amazon.com/image...S28UC-3-lg.jpg

Then I have a WP100 for soldering directly to a chassis. That thing means business boy....

[mike_mccue]

Thank you every one.

best regards,
mike

[diagrammatiks]

a xytronic 168 or a hakko 936 are probably the best irons you can get right now.

they are so much better then the standard cheap pencil irons you'll wonder how you even managed to solder before.

[Sowhat]

The blue handled WP series Wellers are the ones you want....avoid the cheaper orange ones. I have used the WP irons for many years and they never fail to deliver. Different tips is the key to getting the most out of the iron. I'll use a medium width chisel tip (ST3) for general stuff and a smaller tip (ST6) for finer work. The smaller tips don't retain heat like the larger tips do, so it acts similar to a temp control.

http://g-ecx.images-amazon.com/image...S28UC-3-lg.jpg
Then I have a WP100 for soldering directly to a chassis. That thing means business boy....

I second the blue WP iron. I've been using it since I don't know when... seems like forever. I just use the standard tip for everything and I find it's all in the attack and dwell that makes a good solder joint be it on a PtoP terminal or an SMD. It's not powerful enough to make a chassis solder, for that I use an ancient Weller 150/250W gun. Never had much use for a temp control iron, too fiddley. Of course a good damp sponge is invaluable.

[Gtr_tech]

I don't use the sponge....I use a toothbrush sized brass brush to clean the schmutz off the tip.

[Sowhat]

I don't use the sponge....I use a toothbrush sized brass brush to clean the schmutz off the tip.

However you keep a shiny well tinned tip is up to the individual, as for me, I usually have one hand holding the iron, one hand holding the solder and I don't seem to have a third hand for a brush, just a quick swipe of the iron tip on the sponge as I solder keeps it clean and shiny for me.

Schmutz? is that one of those technical terms, I love it!

[Enzo]

My denim pantsleg works too.

[Sowhat]

My denim pantsleg works too.

I'm with you on that, now your talking!

[Chuck H]

My denim pantsleg works too.

So does the cat. Oh... Did I write that out loud?!? Seriously though, I don't burn my cat with the soldering iron. I'm just kidding. I DO burn my cat with the soldering iron.

[km6xz]

I have a few Weller stations back in storage but they are all 120V so I do not bring them to Russia. Some of them are over 30 years old and never miss a beat, however the thermal switch assembly gets changed occasionally. The access of replacement parts allow them to be used for decades.
In my shop in Russia, I use fairly cheap digital readout solder stations which are a bargain but are no Weller's. When a tip wears out the whole station has to be replaced because no one stocks parts. I am in the US now but when I get back, if I have any money left from this expensive trip, I am going to get a new Chinese model of rework station that only costs $140 but has vacuum pump with gauge, hot air wand and variable temp digital readout iron. That is what those simple but rugged Weller irons cost 30 years ago in real money.

This trip has turned out to be expensive so even getting the new re-work station will be a stretch. I wanted to buy a new pro level camera but it is in such demand that there are 100,000 ordered in the US alone and Nikon can only make 30,000 per month for the entire world. So I gave up on finding one until my next visit in September. So as to not go home empty handed I bought a lens for my current main camera to update one of similar focal length range. That was $1950. The day that was purchased I was contacted by a photo forum buddy who said his studio had ordered two of the new model camera and would sell one for what she paid for it. If I did not take it, she would eBay it for a $1000 more than it costs. So there went another $3500, plus the lens.
Then I visit the Apple store to see the screen of the new iPad that is 2.5 times the res of LED or LCD monitors. I was not interested in any Apple products, just wanted to see what all the fuss was about. Ended up buying two for my office(using the company credit card, I had no cash money left) and plans if the plan works out, to get 5 more. That was another $1500, and fulling working on next 1 or 2 months living expenses, wondering what to eat when I get back, at least that will be good incentive to sell some of the stack of LunchBox amps sitting in my shop. No test gear this trip, the first time in 3 years that I did not fill up my suitcases with test gear to bring back. I did however, buy 5 Chip Kwik kits. Anyway, at least I'll have the highest res 35mm camera in the country for a while, and something to view 36mpx images on. And I will have the camera for use on my side trip to London and a week in Scotland on my way back to St Petersburg.