[Elecraft] Soldering Iron Temp.

[Haines Brown]

Phil,

> Lots of us use a Weller station with 700 deg (F) tips -- for xtals, too. 
>  I've built the K1, K2 and all accessories to both (KAT100 in process) 
> using this and no problems.
> 
> I would not go higher than 700 deg.

I would more or less agree (I normally run at 750, but tastes will
naturally vary). I'd just add two points.

First, the danger of running too low a temperature is perhaps greater
than running too high. You want the solder to flow fairly quickly,
without heating up the whole device excessively. I suspect there's a
lot of subjective judgement here, and that as skill increases, you may
raise or lower temperature to suit circumstances. A quick
responsiveness is one of the nice things about the Weller.

Second, I find that when it comes to burning enamel off the wire for
toroids, the highest possible temperature works best. I also tend to
run higher when I'm soldering on connectors, etc.

Haines Brown KB1GRM