Extending Soldering Tip Life

[Arlet]

Sorry, I just don't believe this. Every Weller magnastat soldering
iron I've used needed its tip replaced on a regular interval. After a
while the tip just won't wet properly at some locations and this gets
worse over time. If you use a big tip on big joints, this isn't a
problem because in most cases you can find a spot that will wet.
However when you use a very fine tip to solder 0.5mm SMT devices
you'll find the tip will go bad (become useless) very quickly! This is
why I throw out the Weller soldering stations whenever I can.

I don't know if this makes any difference, but the one I have is not a
magnastat. It's a WS-51 iron with a ETH tip. The point is about 0.8 mm
wide. I don't like the really thin tips such as the ETS, because they
get bent too easily, and the ETH tip works fine for 0.5 mm flat packs.
It still wets around the whole tip, without any bad spots.

 

[GregS]

Sorry, I just don't believe this. Every Weller magnastat soldering
iron I've used needed its tip replaced on a regular interval. After a
while the tip just won't wet properly at some locations and this gets
worse over time. If you use a big tip on big joints, this isn't a
problem because in most cases you can find a spot that will wet.
However when you use a very fine tip to solder 0.5mm SMT devices
you'll find the tip will go bad (become useless) very quickly! This is
why I throw out the Weller soldering stations whenever I can.

The only time i could not fix a tip, was when the steel was completely worn
off and the copper underneath had very little life left in it.

greg

 

[Nico Coesel]

I have this one, it is great, switches off automatically, was only 65 Euro,
and now is it its fifth year? Not sure.
http://www.testberichte.de/test/produkt_tests_conrad_electronic_voltcraft_ls50_p59358.html
Still OK after >3 years....

Perhaps, but can you buy special tips (like a hollow point for
mounting fine pitch SMT devices)? Ersa still carries these sort of
tips for my 15 year old Ersa soldering station. A new Ersa digitally
controlled soldering station costs about 120 euro.

 

[Jan Panteltje]

Perhaps, but can you buy special tips (like a hollow point for
mounting fine pitch SMT devices)? Ersa still carries these sort of
tips for my 15 year old Ersa soldering station. A new Ersa digitally
controlled soldering station costs about 120 euro.

Actually in case of 'must' Weller tips _do_ fit in the Voltcraft.
The Weller tips are shorter, but they fit (the Weller magnetstat has
magnets, the Voltcraft has electronic control.
ftp://panteltje.com/pub/soldering_tips.jpg
the top one (sorry for the bad picture) is a Weller eaten away because some plastic
reacted with the not protected copper I think.
The long ones are the Voltcraft ones.
You can make the Weller ones fit better by putting a one turn copper wire on front,
but I think using the Weller tips causes some parts of the Voltcraft to heat up
more, so maybe no good idea.
I do not have a hollow point, but a few very fine needle like tips.
I like the programmable 3 preset temp buttons and auto shut off.....
Auto shutoff is a great fire protection.

I also know everybody gets used or attached to their soldering iron

 

[Joerg]

Nico Coesel wrote:




I don't know if this makes any difference, but the one I have is not a
magnastat. It's a WS-51 iron with a ETH tip. The point is about 0.8 mm
wide. I don't like the really thin tips such as the ETS, because they
get bent too easily, and the ETH tip works fine for 0.5 mm flat packs.
It still wets around the whole tip, without any bad spots.

Yes, Magnastats aren't used much anymore. Here it is WECP, no need to
select tips by "heat number". I didn't have much luck with the digital
readout station. They break too often, over-engineered inside IMHO.

Try the ETS tip. I find that really useful for fine pitch SMT work.

 

[JoeBloe]

mmm last ersa I had the iron lasted a week....
But that was long ago.
Indeed I suspec ttips is big bussiness, many 'long life' tips start corroding
rather fast at the not prepared end it seems.
Yes I use them to weld plastics too ;-)

It has to do with tip temp, and the water in one's sponge, and the
oxidizing effect of the flux.

Tip temp is the biggest. A really hot tip wiped on the sponge will
corrode far worse than a cooler tip. It depends on the number of
layers that are attached to the via for thru hole and SMD can always
be soldered at proper, cooler temps. Almost every production line I
have ever walked down that had adjustable temp irons, they were set to
nearly 850 degrees F, chugging away in their stand... Corroding very
quickly.

I like my Metcall, which I turn off when I am not using. The tip
heats in 6 seconds flat, and lasts for years.

For heavier work, I do like an adjustable type iron, and a real good
one, cheap tips and all, is a nice Edsyn. Great, high value
production line quality, constant duty cycle (per shift) irons and
tips. Instead of turning it off, I just reach over and turn it down,
and then back up right before I use it. Works great to extend tip
life. Big blobs of solder on it while in use doesn't do much for it
because with the big blob of solder came big gobs of flux.

Ny tip is wiped very clean. I turn off the iron, and right as it is
cooling toward 500, I add a small drop to my tip
faces/nose/whateveryouwannacallit. The temp drops even lower, the
solder solidifies, and the flux quits acting on the metal. Now that
it is cool and solid, I can wipe the excess flux off of that solder
drop, while it is still hot on the sponge, further cooling the tip for
the night's rest. My tips have always lasted for months longer than
anyone else's. It's all about chemistry and heat.

Now, get the flux out! ;-]

 

[JoeBloe]

Use "Savbit" solder, it is already saturated with copper and doesn't
cause nearly as much erosion. With Weller TCP iron-plated bits and
Savbit solder, I was getting over 200 days' use from each bit a few
years ago when I was soldering for several hours a day.

This solder also works extremely well on fine gauge magnet wire.
Some are so fine that using regular solder can actually guarantee a
fault will occur.

 

[JoeBloe]

I don't do that on purpose, but it has happened two or three times.
However, it is sometimes on continuously during the day. I know it's
not recommended, but after 2 years, the tip is still shiny and has good
wettability. In fact, when I turn it off right after using it, it will
start to accumulate black crud that is hard to remove later. When I
leave it on, it apparently burns off all the crud.


I live in the Netherlands, and our tap water isn't chlorinated, or at
least not to a level where you can detect it.

If you use water towers, you likely have some small cholination to
keep algae off the tank walls, and subsequently out of the water.

Eh... maybe you guys don't have algae up there. :-]

 

[JoeBloe]

I don't ever recall seeing an iron clean itself. If left on and above 600
drgrees, I see my tips get black and form a very hard layer.
I have a solder sucker iron that stays on about 800, and is terrible
to clean. I usually use a brass sink cleaner or a watered sponge.

Go to an auto parts store or welder's supply and buy a set of
welder's torch tip files. It is a small cassette of needle files for
cleaning blow torch tips. One of the set is perfect for keeping the
suck tube part of the tip sucking.

I hope this information sucks. :-]

 

[JoeBloe]

[...]

I live in the Netherlands, and our tap water isn't chlorinated, or at
least not to a level where you can detect it.

It doesn't need to be - it's already been filtered through three
Germans.

You are so bad... for tourism!

 

[JoeBloe]

The only time i could not fix a tip, was when the steel was completely worn
off and the copper underneath had very little life left in it.

There is a Kester product called a "Tinning Block" that is a 2" x 2"
x 2.75" block of "sal ammoniac" in a box. Cut the top 3/8 inch off
the box with your exactoblade, and you are set.

One sets ones tip temp hot, place some solder and flux on it, and
dig it into a face of this block sideways and rotate it while gouging
into the chemical. Do not breath the rising fumes as they may be
slightly caustic) It will remove any scale one thinks is erosion, and
VIOLA! the tip will look new again. Fully tinned and ready to go.

They are only a few dollars each and last for years and extend tip
life dramatically, especially in high tip temp settings.

The word for today is:

DROSS

 

[Zak]

If you use water towers, you likely have some small cholination to
keep algae off the tank walls, and subsequently out of the water.

Eh... maybe you guys don't have algae up there. :-]

No, we don't have water towers. Not to store water, in any case. Water
is just pressurized with pumps. It seems that where ground water is
used, the purified water is stored in underground tanks.

When river water is used, teh storage seems to be before the
purification stages.

Chlorine is only after contamination occurred. And there is a need to
maintain water pressure at all times. Not this 'suck water out of the
pipe' think seen in countries with a less reliable water supply.



Thomas