Improve Your Soldering Iron 70% !

[Ken S. Tucker]

My soldering was running a bit cool, slow to heat up, then slow to heat
up splices. I tightened and filed it, not much improvement.
So I rectified the 117VAC with a full wave bridge and a 17 microfarad
200VDC cap on it's output to get 154 VDC across the iron.

That's 30% greater Voltage and Current, Watts increases by Current X
Voltage (1.3^2) or more than 70!. So now it runs good and hot.
Ken

[Jeroen]

Plumber.

Jeroen Belleman

[Syd Rumpo]

Nah, lead free solder. He's a tinker.

Years ago, before temperature controlled irons, I put a switch in the
power cord with a single rectifier across the contacts. That way I
could turn the iron down but still have it ready to heat up quickly.

Cheers
--
Syd

[John Larkin]

We used to use Variacs.


--

John Larkin Highland Technology Inc
www.highlandtechnology.com jlarkin at highlandtechnology dot com

Precision electronic instrumentation

[k...@attt.bizz]

On Sat, 01 Feb 2014 09:17:18 -0800, John Larkin
<jjla...@highNOTlandTHIStechnologyPART.com> wrote:

>On Sat, 01 Feb 2014 17:01:59 +0000, Syd Rumpo <use...@nononono.co.uk> wrote:
>
>>On 01/02/2014 13:38, Jeroen wrote:
>>> On 2014-02-01 14:07, Ken S. Tucker wrote:
>>>> My soldering was running a bit cool, slow to heat up, then slow to heat
>>>> up splices. I tightened and filed it, not much improvement.
>>>> So I rectified the 117VAC with a full wave bridge and a 17 microfarad
>>>> 200VDC cap on it's output to get 154 VDC across the iron.
>>>>
>>>> That's 30% greater Voltage and Current, Watts increases by Current X
>>>> Voltage (1.3^2) or more than 70!. So now it runs good and hot.
>>>> Ken
>>>
>>> Plumber.
>>>
>>> Jeroen Belleman
>>
>>Nah, lead free solder. He's a tinker.
>>
>>Years ago, before temperature controlled irons, I put a switch in the
>>power cord with a single rectifier across the contacts. That way I
>>could turn the iron down but still have it ready to heat up quickly.
>>
>>Cheers
>
>We used to use Variacs.

Yep. In college (I was a tech, working for the university) we built
Variacs into the base of our irons.

[Tim Williams]

I don't think my Hakko would appreciate that though. :)

Tim

--
Seven Transistor Labs
Electrical Engineering Consultation
Website: http://seventransistorlabs.com

"Ken S. Tucker" <dyna...@rocketmail.com> wrote in message
news:lcirja$1sp$1...@dont-email.me...

[Michael A. Terrell]

Idiot. Never file a tip. A fullwave bridge will have about a 1V drop.
116 *1.414 = 164 V, so your 154 V has a lot of ripple. That makes the
rest of your calculation wrong.

[haitic...@gmail.com]

Recently I looked into what metal the iron tips used. For the Aoyue I use, it is iron. For the weller I have, it is copper.
Iron of course does not conduct heat as well as copper. I think they avoid copper because it is hard to machine, weak, and dissolves in the solder slowly. This may be part of the problem with these irons. I machine lead-free brass, but don't know if solder wets it well.
jb

[Robert Roland]

On Sun, 2 Feb 2014 01:42:09 -0800 (PST), haitic...@gmail.com
wrote:

>Recently I looked into what metal the iron tips used. For the Aoyue I use, it is iron. For the weller I have, it is copper.

Soldering tips are iron plated copper.

Solder metal reacts with copper, causing the tip to be slowly eroded
away if the iron plating comes off.

Of course, if you start filing your tip, you remove the iron plating,
exposing bare copper. In other words: Filing the tip is only a last
resort if the tip is so bad that you need a new one anyway.
--
RoRo

[Boris Mohar]

On Sat, 01 Feb 2014 17:01:59 +0000, Syd Rumpo <use...@nononono.co.uk> wrote:

I added the diode across the tip activated contacts in my Weller. When the
contact was open tip would still get half of the juice. The diode lengthened
the "off" part of the duty cycle and extended the contact life. The
transformer didn't mind.
--
Boris

---
This email is free from viruses and malware because avast! Antivirus protection is active.
http://www.avast.com

[haitic...@gmail.com]

>
> wrote:
>
>
>
> >Recently I looked into what metal the iron tips used. For the Aoyue I use, it is iron. For the weller I have, it is copper.
>
>
>
> Soldering tips are iron plated copper.
>
>
>
> Solder metal reacts with copper, causing the tip to be slowly eroded
>
> away if the iron plating comes off.
>
>
>
> Of course, if you start filing your tip, you remove the iron plating,
>
> exposing bare copper. In other words: Filing the tip is only a last
>
> resort if the tip is so bad that you need a new one anyway.
>
> --
>
> RoRo

hmmm The solder tips are solid iron tinned with solder. You can't plate iron.
Either copper or iron should therefore tolerate filing.

[k...@attt.bizz]

On Sun, 2 Feb 2014 18:03:58 -0800 (PST), haitic...@gmail.com
wrote:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soldering_iron#Tips

"Older and very cheap irons typically use a bare copper tip, which
is shaped with a file or sandpaper. This dissolves gradually into
the solder, suffering pitting and erosion of the shape. Copper
tips are sometimes filed when worn down. Iron-plated copper tips
have become increasingly popular since the 1980s. Because iron is
not readily dissolved by molten solder, the plated tip is more
durable than a bare copper one, though it will eventually wear out
and need replacing. This is especially important when working at the
higher temperatures needed for modern lead-free solders. Solid iron
and steel tips are seldom used because they store less heat, and
rusting can break the heating element."

[hamilton]

On 2/2/2014 7:03 PM, haitic...@gmail.com wrote:
>
> hmmm The solder tips are solid iron tinned with solder. You can't plate iron.
> Either copper or iron should therefore tolerate filing.
>

https://www.google.com/search?q=soldering+iron+tips

Google had over 1.4 Million hits; these were on the first page.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soldering_iron

Tips

Older and very cheap irons typically use a bare copper tip, which is
shaped with a file or sandpaper. This dissolves gradually into the
solder, suffering pitting and erosion of the shape. Copper tips are
sometimes filed when worn down. Iron-plated copper tips have become
increasingly popular since the 1980s. Because iron is not readily
dissolved by molten solder, the plated tip is more durable than a bare
copper one, though it will eventually wear out and need replacing. This
is especially important when working at the higher temperatures needed
for modern lead-free solders. Solid iron and steel tips are seldom used
because they store less heat, and rusting can break the heating element.

http://www.inlandcraft.com/uguides/tipcare.htm

Most iron tips today are a copper core surrounded by iron, hence the
term 'iron clad' that is then nickel or chrome plated. Because solder
won't stick to nickel or chrome the plating on the chisel end of the tip
is removed to expose the iron cladding. Solder does stick to iron.


I'm sure you would trust Metcal:

http://www.newark.com/pdfs/techarticles/oki-metcal/extendingTipLife.pdf

[Spehro Pefhany]

On Sun, 02 Feb 2014 21:13:52 -0500, the renowned k...@attt.bizz wrote:

>
>http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soldering_iron#Tips
>
> "Older and very cheap irons typically use a bare copper tip, which
> is shaped with a file or sandpaper. This dissolves gradually into
> the solder, suffering pitting and erosion of the shape. Copper
> tips are sometimes filed when worn down. Iron-plated copper tips
> have become increasingly popular since the 1980s. Because iron is
> not readily dissolved by molten solder, the plated tip is more
> durable than a bare copper one, though it will eventually wear out
> and need replacing. This is especially important when working at the
> higher temperatures needed for modern lead-free solders. Solid iron
> and steel tips are seldom used because they store less heat, and
> rusting can break the heating element."

The Weller WTCP tips are copper, plated with iron all over, then
plated with nickel and chrome back of the tip, and the exposed iron
plating at the tip is pre-tinned with RoHS-compliant solder.

That's why they don't rust.


Best regards,
Spehro Pefhany
--
"it's the network..." "The Journey is the reward"
sp...@interlog.com Info for manufacturers: http://www.trexon.com
Embedded software/hardware/analog Info for designers: http://www.speff.com

[Rune]

I have been having this idea a while now, that when my iron plated tip
finally starts to show up those nasty black holes again, I will try file
it back in shape and then silver brasse it, hopefully to keep the coper
from oxidizing that fast. I'm not at all sure if it will work. It just
seems that brassed copper seems to oxidize less than bare kopper. Maybe
someone already tried?

Cheers,

[John G]

Rune wrote :

Buy a new bit :-?

--
John G

[Rune]

Absolutely a valid solution, but one needs to have some fun sometimes to
;-) and the bit in my case cost U$100,- so if it works it's certainly
worth the effort.

Seems to last a long while those bits though, automatic heat reduction
when not in use and so on..

[Robert Baer]

Gee...i run mine (32 W) with a light dimmer set at 70 percent; makes
it ideal almost always.

[mike]

I'd suggest that.
Start with an iron that's too hot and cool it with a dimmer.
Lasts a lot longer than the other way around.

[josephkk]

On Sun, 2 Feb 2014 18:03:58 -0800 (PST), haitic...@gmail.com wrote:

>
>>

>> Solder metal reacts with copper, causing the tip to be slowly eroded
>>
>> away if the iron plating comes off.
>>
>>
>>
>> Of course, if you start filing your tip, you remove the iron plating,
>>
>> exposing bare copper. In other words: Filing the tip is only a last
>>
>> resort if the tip is so bad that you need a new one anyway.
>>
>> --
>>
>> RoRo
>
>hmmm The solder tips are solid iron tinned with solder. You can't plate iron.
>Either copper or iron should therefore tolerate filing.

Though i am sure others will nail you as well, you are quite incorrect.
Pre-tinned iron clad copper tips came out in the 1970s and became the norm
quickly. I had been soldering for at least a decade by then and saw it
change.

?-)

[hamilton]

Josephkk, if this comment is not from you, I apologize in advance.

I can see now that no one wanted to download the large PDF file from
Newark and Metcal.

So here is a link to just the relevant diagram that everyone wants to
ignore.

Please look it over and put this discussion to rest.

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/74667085/IronPlate.jpg

hamilton

PS: If you want the history and where the industry has been and where is
going, please look at the entire pdf file.

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/74667085/extendingTipLife.pdf

or the original site I found it via google:
http://www.newark.com/pdfs/techarticles/oki-metcal/extendingTipLife.pdf

The figure above is from page 2 (sheet 3) of that pdf file.

hamilton

[jockoma...@gmail.com]

The only idiot here is the one who opens his mouth to insult rather than politely share the little knowledge you have.

[tabb...@gmail.com]

Of course 'never file a tip' is wrong advice, but why reply 2.5 years later?


NT

[Winfield Hill]

jockoma...@gmail.com wrote...

>
> On February 1, 2014, Michael Terrell wrote:
>> "Ken S. Tucker" wrote:
>>>
>>> My soldering was running a bit cool, slow to heat up, then slow
>>> to heat up splices. I tightened and filed it, not much improvement.

>>> So I rectified the 117VAC with a full wave bridge and a 17 uF

>>> 200VDC cap on it's output to get 154 VDC across the iron.

A few years ago my wife purchased newfangled LED light
strings for a big Christmas wreath we hang over our
front door. They were colorful enough, but rather dim.
So I made a little enhancement box to increase the
voltage and light intensity to a satisfying level.
She was pleased. For a few days, that is, until all
the LED strings burned out.


--
Thanks,
- Win

[Reinhard Zwirner]

Winfield Hill schrieb:

[...]

> A few years ago my wife purchased newfangled LED light
> strings for a big Christmas wreath we hang over our
> front door. They were colorful enough, but rather dim.
> So I made a little enhancement box to increase the
> voltage and light intensity to a satisfying level.
> She was pleased. For a few days, that is, until all
> the LED strings burned out.

;-))

Best regards

Reinhard

[Gunther Heiko Hagen]

On Fri, 23 Sep 2016 19:28:35 -0700, Winfield Hill wrote:

> A few years ago my wife purchased newfangled LED light strings for a
> big Christmas wreath we hang over our front door. They were colorful
> enough, but rather dim.
> So I made a little enhancement box to increase the voltage and light
> intensity to a satisfying level.
> She was pleased. For a few days, that is, until all the LED strings
> burned out.

That'll teach you to meddle with things you know nothing about.