Soldering iron questions

[liveintheglory]

Hi,

Just trying to get myself set up so i can make some stuff and had a question about what types of tips to get for my iron.  The iron is a weller soldering station with a tc 201 pencil iron i got used off ebay.  I have 5 x 1/8" single flat tips for the iron and they are all 800 degree tips.  I have a feeling that these may be too hot and too big for this kind of work?  Also are conical shaped tips better to use, particularly when it comes to modding commercial pedals?  Where is a cheap place to get these tips.  Also where can I get good hookup wire?  Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks

[Peter Snowberg]

Welcome to the forum.

Yeah.... 800 is pretty hot. I use 650 for production soldering and 550 for most stuff while messing around. I don't know what temps those tips come in but that what I dial up. 800 would be good for production soldering of brass grounding strips inside tube amps though.

Depending on how often you go through tips and given the cost of those tips, you might want to consider getting an adjustable soldering station instead. http://www.circuitspecialists.com/ has one for $39 that several people here have and love. If you can keep the temp where you need it and you don't clean with a wet sponge, you can make tips last years. Check out their tip cleaner that looks like a brass scouring pad in a cheap ashtray.... works like magic. They may have decent wire too... I don't know. I buy lots of resistors and caps from them.

When it comes to shape, I like a small chisel tip. Something that's about 1/2 way between cone and chisel is ideal.

[Fret Wire]

The sharp pointed tips will work the best for most fine work, like pedals. Your 1/8" tips will come in handy for some of those big switch pads. The temp rating is the max the tips will give good service life. You control the temp on your iron. 320-380 is normal. Stay on the 320 side, as long as your solder flows nice and quick at that temp.

For solder, try to get the 63/37 solder instead of the usual 60/40. It makes soldering noticeably smoother. No BS!

Also, make sure you get some desoldering braid, and a desoldering pump (solder sucker). If you're modding factory pedals, you'll do alot of removing components, and they both come in handy. Depending on the situation, sometimes one works better than the other. Don't forget  heatsinks, they hold components as well as protect against heat. Go to Radio Shack and get their $5 clippers. They work great, and get real close. Poor clippers or large ones don't work because you end up twisting and tearing instead of cutting cleanly. That is a major cause of cracked solder joints and lifted pcb traces.

For hook up wire,  stranded 22-26 awg is the usual choice. Solid core can be a pain, I'd avoid it. Small Bear in Brooklyn has most of the components you'll need, including hook up wire. His is 24ga., stranded, and pre-tinned, which helps soldering even more. I think you have to contact him if you want to pick up direct. He doesn't do walk-ins daily.

http://www.smallbearelec.com/Ordering/Stocklist.htm

[Fret Wire]

Peter, you answered while I was typing my reply! No problem, You are the solder-master!  Maybe I typed too quick: is your Weller a fixed temp unit or an adjustable station? If it's fixed and you upgrade, go with the unit Peter recommended. I have it and it works great.

BTW, it was Peter's tip on the solder station and 63/37 solder that most of us use now.

[Fret Wire]

If you or anyone else is thinking about the soldering station from Circuit Specialists, don't forget the solder:
http://www.circuitspecialists.com/prod.itml/icOid/6262

That will put you up to $48. You get a free DMM if you go over $50 on an order. You have to put the special code on the order. The model they give away free changes alot, but most are good.

[Brunetto Latini]

How do you know when it's time to replace the tips?

[niftydog]

when solder doesn't stick to them anymore and no amount of "proper" cleaning helps.

Or, you just get a feel eventually for when the tips isn't performing as it should be.

[liveintheglory]

Hey thanks alot to everybody,

this info is great.  My soldering station is a fixed temp one - i don't know if i can upgrade right now as i just got this (oops!) and you know how it goes when you have a family and play music!  I think the lowest temp tips i have seen for this are 600 - is that still too hot or could i get away with it?  Will definitely check out the 63/37 solder though - is that with a flux core or rosin or are they the same?  Thanks for the tip about the heatsink.

With gratitude,
Andrew

[ErikMiller]

Hi,
I have 5 x 1/8" single flat tips for the iron and they are all 800 degree tips.  I have a feeling that these may be too hot and too big for this kind of work?  Also are conical shaped tips better to use, particularly when it comes to modding commercial pedals?  Where is a cheap place to get these tips?

I have a similar iron, and I get my tips from Mouser Electronics.

Here's their catalog page with the tips: http://www.mouser.com/catalog/619/1316.pdf

What you need is a "PT" series tip. The tips for that iron actually set the temperature, which you probably already know. They come in 800, 700, and 600 degrees Fahrenheit. For amp work, I use 800 and for printed circuit work I use 700.

My favorite tip is the PTL7, which they carry, but do not list in the catalog for some odd reason. It's the long, skinny screwdriver tip. Also good is the PTS7, which is the long pointy conical. I like a long tip for getting in amongst point-to-point wiring.

Congratulations, that's a great iron, production workhorse at many an electronics company (including mine).

[liveintheglory]

thanks Erik - BTW nice site!!

[liveintheglory]

Hey niftydog,

just saw you are from Canberra - that is my old home town - no kidding!  I grew up in Duffy.  Ain't that something!

[dolhop]

From what I understand, it is best to try to keep the temperature as low as possible for health reasons - something to do with the way the flux cooks at higher temperatures.  Typically 550-650 is sufficient - only crank it up when you're soldering big lugs.

[Athin]

how is it with keeping it tinned - how often R U supposed to flood it with solder? I mean I do it every time I clean it, and I clean it a lot, because the tip gets all black (from flux in the solder) and most of the time the solder gets all dull and has burnt flux all over. I keep it as low as 270deg Celsius... which still gives me lovely gray smoke. Can't get 63/27 solder :x

[dolhop]

63/37 - it has to add up to 100!

[Athin]

yeat, yeath, typo  :oops:

[Paul Perry (Frostwave)]

Athin, I wipe my soldering iron tip several times a minute when i'm soldering, so there is no way that any black gunk can build up. I prefer a sponge, but my assistant made me switch to one of those things full of wire coils.