[Boatanchors] SOLDER TIPS

[Nick England]

In my experience Weller's iron-plated tips last much longer than the
bare-copper ones - the iron-plated ones only start to go south after
you have nicked the plating somehow. Also making sure the tip mounting
nuts are tight is very important.
    I use a Weller or Metcal iron for most things, but the Weller
D-550 can't be beat for hevy-duty antenna coils, UHF connectors, and
the like. I've only had this D-550 for 50 years now....

cheers,
Nick

> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Mr Magoo" <magoo at isp.ca>
> To: <boatanchors at mailman.qth.net>
> Sent: Sunday, September 05, 2010 7:35 AM
> Subject: [Boatanchors] SOLDER TIPS
>
>
>> I'm doing a lot more building these days and I'm getting pretty frustrated
>> with the short time replacement tips last in my Weller gun.  I never had
>> tips fail this quickly way back when, but I suppose the quality is nowhere
>> near what it was decades ago.  Yes, I use an iron too but there are jobs
>> which require a gun to do effectively.  And yes-I look after the tip,
>> making
>> sure it stays tinned and is secure in the gun.
>>
>> So, does anyone know of a source of more robust tips for the small Weller
>> gun?
>>
>> Bill VE3NH
>>