[Boatanchors] SOLDER TIPS

[Gary Schafer]

The "trick" is not to let the tip get too hot. You have to work the trigger
a lot to control the temperature. In order to be able to keep the heat down
you must always make sure that the tip is properly wetted with fresh solder
or you will not have proper heat transfer to the item you are trying to
solder/unsolder.

When unsoldering a connection for example, wet the tip as soon as it will
melt the new solder. Place it against the connection that you are trying to
heat up and feed in a small amount of new solder to the junction of the gun
tip and work. This will be a big help in getting the heat transfer junction
good and it will keep the solder gun tip from overheating.

Never let the solder gun tip get red hot. That will shorten its life
quickly.

When I got my first solder gun at age 12 or so I was going thru tips almost
weekly. Once I learned how to control the tip temperature the tips last for
many years. I still have that original solder gun. I think it is a wen with
the long skinny tip that connects right into the plastic housing. 100 watts.
It is still my favorite soldering tool. 
I do have some 250 watt weller guns too for heavier work. 
I don't think that I have replaced a gun tip in over 10 years and they have
gotten a fair amount of work.

The 100 watt weller unit with the long tip has copper rods going to the gun
but the tip is another material. Part iron?

Never had too much success with home made tips.

73
Gary  K4FMX


> -----Original Message-----
> From: boatanchors-bounces at mailman.qth.net [mailto:boatanchors-
> bounces at mailman.qth.net] On Behalf Of David C. Hallam
> Sent: Monday, September 06, 2010 6:38 AM
> To: john fitzsimmons
> Cc: boatanchors at mailman.qth.net
> Subject: Re: [Boatanchors] SOLDER TIPS
> 
>   You must know a secret about Wen gun tips I don't know.  When I was
> using a solder gun, I used a Wen because of the quicker heating but tip
> life was miserable.  After Wen went out of business and tips were no
> longer available, I tossed the guns out.
> 
> David
> KW4DH
> 
> On 9/6/2010 12:56 AM, john fitzsimmons wrote:
> > Get an old Wen soldering gun.  Almost instant heat and the tips are
> indestructible.
> >
> > I've been using the same Wen gun my dad bought in the late 50s...
> >
> 
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