Tool Soldering iron recommendation

[PeterT]

The pencil style units are for soldering transistors, resistors and integrated circuits.

I humbly disagree, but maybe you mean the smaller tip workstation type? I've done all kinds of RC soldering work back in the day with the 1/4" tip 40W iron. Batteries, wires, plugs, connector bars, charging harnesses & ESC's sometimes to 8AWG (but that's pushing it). Wattage rating is kind of a funny thing in situations like this. A 40 watt teeny tip is not quite the same as 40watt with mass & surface area because you have to properly flow solder & most importantly get off it or risk damaging the important bits. Small tips require too much dwell time. Lots of guys used 60 or 80 watts but that was mostly about the 3/8" tip. On series end to end cell packs like first pic we used a 'hammer head' tip made from 0.75" dia copper but same 1/4" stem to fit the 40watt. The cell ends were lightly tinned, arranged in a V tray, insert hammerhead for oh I dunno, a second, then in one motion quickly remove iron & snap the cells together (remove solder splatter from glasses). It is the lowest resistance joint you can make & takes up less room in the stuffed sausage we called a fuselage.

 

[Susquatch]

I humbly disagree, but maybe you mean the smaller tip workstation type?

Yes and no. I was speaking generally.

If you dive down the rabbit hole of thermal mass/capacity and surface contact area (heat conduction rate) lots of things can change.

Generally speaking, the small sticks are better at soldering small stuff and the big guns are better at soldering big stuff. Yes, a high mass and a wide plate can both extend the soldering range of the pencil irons. No, its NEVER a good idea to use a big gun on small electronic parts.

 

[Tom O]

I use to use the iron that came with the wood burning set when I was about 10 I have a gun type now and a variable heat one from Dad used for stained glass.

 

[FatherWes]

Much as I like the idea of a nice Weller with digital temperature control, they're a bit pricey (I know, relative term) for my needs. I picked this up a few days ago at Princess Auto... 40W, pencil style. Directions say to use upper end of the lowest range for tin solder, midway through second range for silver. I might try calibrating with my temp gun, but I'm not sure how reliable that would be.

https://www.princessauto.com/en/40w-soldering-iron-station/product/PA0009043159

I plan to use this to replace some dried up capacitors on some old PCB's. I've dug some junk PCB's out of garbage electronics to practice on, and so far, this little $25 special from PA seems surprisingly capable.

I've got a gun-style old Weller I've had for decades that I use for automotive type work.

 

[DavidR8]

The Weller showed up this afternoon. Very nice piece of kit!

 

[DavidR8]

Got to press the soldering iron into duty tonight rewiring the limit switches.
Man it heats up fast! My old one took long enough to make a cup of tea and drink some of it to boot.
Need some guidance on temps though. I have some solder whose label fell off in the last decade or so so I have no idea it composition. Maybe I'll start with some fresh stuff.

 

[PaulL]

The Weller showed up this afternoon. Very nice piece of kit!

Oh, I'm too late to the thread. All this love, well-deserved, for Weller. But for the budget I love my Hakko FX888D-23BY. ~200$ delivered and handled a year of semi-pro prototyping work from through components down to abused 0402 parts. Heats up fast, tips easily changed, etc.

 

[whydontu]

Got to press the soldering iron into duty tonight rewiring the limit switches.
Man it heats up fast! My old one took long enough to make a cup of tea and drink some of it to boot.
Need some guidance on temps though. I have some solder whose label fell off in the last decade or so so I have no idea it composition. Maybe I'll start with some fresh stuff.

I set mine at 700* F, seems to be a good point for current lead-free boards. A touch high for older 63/37 lead solder, but as long as you‘re not holding the iron on the joint too long it works fine.

YMMV

Ultimate Guide to Electronic Soldering

Soldering is the joining of two metal surfaces mechanically and electrically, with the use of metal called solder (pronounced “sodder”). Solder secures the connection so it doesn’t break loose from vibration, other mechanical forces and provides electrical continuity, so the electronic signal...

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[PaulL]

One piece of advice I don't see enough in soldering threads is to keep your tip clean and not to hesitate to clean and re-tin. Really basic, but a decent cleaner (well, any) makes all the difference.

 

[jcdammeyer]

I think my WTCPL is older. In the background we have 18g water soluable with pen, two no-clean 22g and 28g and one rosin core 20g. The tip lying on the sponge is marked with a 7 which means the magnet goes non-magnetic above 700 and switches off current to the heater. Once it drops below the magnetism comes back and switches on the heater. I really need some new tips. These don't tin well anymore.

 

[Former Member]

Leadfree 710-725 depending on tip size. Much high than that the solder gets reactive with your tips and work, with the first noticeable issue being tip detinning, not letting the tip wet, preventing heat transfer and basically rendering the tip useless. Too much lower no flow.

Leaded solder 680-700, though withlead up to 800 is doable without to much adverse effects other than lots of cleaning on tips.

You will find with the digital/feedback control you'll get way better results as the iron compensates for the mass (heat absortion) of all the items involved during soldering to maintain the set temp.

 

[PeterT]

I've had pretty good results with the special (re)tinning paste on conventional copper tips. But not with the smaller dedicated tips for solder station type units, at least my Hakko or Weller. They must have their own coating system. I'm of the understanding the flux is reactive or acidic? over time starts to erode the coating. Maybe some fluxes are worse. But you can immediately tell the difference on a new tip.

I used the wet sponge for a while but I prefer this style for small tips at least. The tip always needs to be clean & maybe doing it often makes them last longer? The tips aren't horribly priced & sometimes I'll switch from one shape to another. I've only 'worn out' a few & who knows maybe its the temp control internals that start to drift south.

 

[DavidR8]

I've had pretty good results with the special (re)tinning paste on conventional copper tips. But not with the smaller dedicated tips for solder station type units, at least my Hakko or Weller. They must have their own coating system. I'm of the understanding the flux is reactive or acidic? over time starts to erode the coating. Maybe some fluxes are worse. But you can immediately tell the difference on a new tip.

I used the wet sponge for a while but I prefer this style for small tips at least. The tip always needs to be clean & maybe doing it often makes them last longer? The tips aren't horribly priced & sometimes I'll switch from one shape to another. I've only 'worn out' a few & who knows maybe its the temp control internals that start to drift south.

View attachment 32453

Is that just a brillo pad?

 

[PeterT]

It looks like one doesn't it. I'm pretty sure its a bit different. It feels softer, maybe thinner foil? The edges don't feel sharp like a Brillo. They have been around a long time. Now maybe there are knockoffs that feel different but I've had this one from electronics supplier for eons. You just poke the tip in a few times & it magically cleans. Every couple months shake out the bits.

 

[DPittman]

Is that just a brillo pad?

They usually use brass in that form

 

[Former Member]

I still use the wet sponge, no issues about 9lbs of solder on this tip already (and I'm none to gentle on my tip).

Here is another tip about tips.

Leaded solder protects tips as the lead fills the microscopic pores in the tip coating which protects the core.

With lead free Koki has a an additive that does the same.

Again direct from the manufacturer.

Overall the flux is not an issue for the tips unless seriously overheated. Lead free depending on the actual formulation the solder can also attack the copper traces.

 

[slow-poke]

If your solder is old it's likely 60/40 leaded, if you dial up to 700F it will work well for a short while, and then the tip will oxidize and then it will work like crap after that.

Suggest 600-650 and see how it goes.

 

[DavidR8]

Ok I was using it at 550F last night and it worked pretty well. I’ll bump it up to 600F and see how that works.