Alt-BEAM Archive

Message #01588



To: TurtleTek@aol.com
From: Bruce Robinson Bruce_Robinson@bc.sympatico.ca
Date: Wed, 17 Mar 1999 20:08:20 -0800
Subject: [alt-beam] Re: Soldering Iron Quality


TurtleTek@aol.com wrote (in part):

> ... I'm begining to wonder if this has something to do with my soldering
> iron, solder, or soldering method. ...

OK, now that everyone has told you what you already knew about
soldering, here's a couple of more obscure points.

I've got a cheap RS 30 watt iron -- probably a lot order than yours, so
possibly different construction -- and a 25 watt Weller, which I prefer
for electrical/electronic work.

Both irons have removable tips that unscrew. If the tip is loose, or the
threads are oxidized, you won't get a lot of the heat to where you want
it. Whenever the tip of my iron shows signs of getting even a little
loose, I grip it tightly (cold!) and twist it in. I generally use a
couple of bits of rubber to improve my grip. I noticed the RS one tended
to loosen easily, and the threads were often oxidized afterwards -- so I
would periodically use a plastic brush (never steel!) to clean them up a
bit.

Tinning means a THIN film of solder -- my soldering improved a lot when
I started to regularly clean off the accumulated blob on the tip. You
can get soldering stands with sponge trays in them -- I just use a wet
paper towel (Warning -- paper lights up easier than sponge).

I've got a big (very old) iron that has a copper tip. This thing gets
pitted from oxidation (and copper dissolving in solder), so I have to
periodically file it smooth and re-tin it. Never been a problem with the
smaller (and newer) tips.

Steve suggested a pointed tip instead of a flat "screwdriver" tip, and I
agree, but ... that works OK for circuit boards, joining leads & wire,
etc. If you're soldering something big with lots of surface area, the
heat will get drawn away from the joint faster than the iron can supply
it. All I did was file a small flat on one side of my pointy tipped
Weller. For small joins I keep the flat up. For bigger stuff where heat
loss is a problem, I press the flat against the biggest piece I'm
joining.

And as Steve suggested, I use the smallest diameter rosin core solder I
can get my hands on. I don't know about other people, but I consume
solder by length, not by volume.

Regards,
Bruce

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