Solder not melting?

[spargo]

My soldering iron has always seemed to have this problem off an on, but it's gotten worse.

Sometimes after a bit of soldering, the solder will all the sudden harden on the tip like the iron has been turned off and won't melt anything more.  I'm usually able to scrape it off (which can be difficult), then it will melt solder again. It was particularly bad, so I just replaced the tip.  Worked great! For about 2 minutes... then the brand new tip started doing the same thing.

Anyone had this happen before?  Is the iron dying?  It's a pretty standard single-temperature Weller.

[Govmnt_Lacky]

Sounds like the heating element in the iron is intermittent. Possibly an internal problem.

Looks like you will need to shop for a new iron 

[R.G.]

Ditch it or get it correctly fixed. Poor soldering equipment can cost you many more hours than you'd have to work to buy a new, good one. That's true even if you work flipping burgers. It's too important to limp along.

[spargo]

I'll just pick up a new one.  I have two soldering irons (both fairly old) that were given to me and both do a similar thing.

I found this: http://www.frys.com/product/1942888

Rebate through July 31.  $30 seems like a steal!

[iccaros]

do you clean your tip, Keep a wet sponge near and after a couple of connections roll your tip on the sponge. Solder is full of impurities and this can cause your tip to not make good contact causing it not to melt. In the Army we had a requirement to clean the tip after each application, then re-tin the tip and move to the next solder joint. 

[boogietone]

I am often cleaning the iron tip more than applying solder. It is almost a habit pick up iron, clean the tip, solder joint, clean tip, repeat.

[bluesman1218]

I'll just pick up a new one.  I have two soldering irons (both fairly old) that were given to me and both do a similar thing.

I found this: http://www.frys.com/product/1942888

Rebate through July 31.  $30 seems like a steal!

This is a nice unit, too http://www.circuitspecialists.com/prod.itml/icOid/7307

[Mark Hammer]

Invest in a tin of tip-tinning paste, whether Kester or some equivalent.  Often the obstacle to solder flow is a thin layer of crud on the tip.  Same way that a simple thin layer of crud (dust+residue+oxidation) on a commercial board will impede solder reflow.

[Scruffie]

do you clean your tip, Keep a wet sponge near and after a couple of connections roll your tip on the sponge. Solder is full of impurities and this can cause your tip to not make good contact causing it not to melt. In the Army we had a requirement to clean the tip after each application, then re-tin the tip and move to the next solder joint. 

I do this as well but I think a warning should be given that this can spit a bit so keep your face a fair distance away and be prepared to get spitting on your arms.

[Mark Hammer]

Um, you can squeeze some of the water out of the sponge to avoid that. 

[Scruffie]

Um, you can squeeze some of the water out of the sponge to avoid that. 

I do  still happens on occasion though.

[rockhorst]

Never happens to me...But still, wear protection! (Heck, go full face gas mask and give the neighbours a good scare  )

[Scruffie]

Never happens to me...But still, wear protection! (Heck, go full face gas mask and give the neighbours a good scare  )

My long hair dangling in front of my eyes has saved them on many occasions, the worst culprit for spitting solder i've found to be pulling a component from an old board while desoldering it, when the leg pulls through that can definitley flick out.

Although i'm quite convinced hot substances are just attracted to my eyes, even spitting cooking seems to aim for them.

[rockhorst]

Desoldering components or fixing pedals is indeed a dangerous business...I was just referring to the sponge part...Gas mask!

[R.G.]

Always wear pants while soldering.

[Zipslack]

You're not using ROH-compliant crrap, are you?  If so, ditch it and suck lead fumes like a real man.

I agree with the intermittent diagnosis, but on the subject of maintenance, I find that grinding/filing the tip down to the copper is useful every now and then.  Weller even makes (or used to) a cleaning stone for tip-scrubbing.  Once you're back to clean copper, spiral-wrap some solder around the tip and let it heat up.  The solder will melt and tin it as it heats.

[R.G.]

You're not using ROH-compliant crrap, are you?  If so, ditch it and suck lead fumes like a real man.

I suspect that RoHS compliant lead free solder is a bit of social engineering to make people NOT do their own electronics. It's really, really bad, and just useful enough to let bureaucrats force you to do it by saying "it works OK."

I agree with the intermittent diagnosis, but on the subject of maintenance, I find that grinding/filing the tip down to the copper is useful every now and then.  Weller even makes (or used to) a cleaning stone for tip-scrubbing.  Once you're back to clean copper, spiral-wrap some solder around the tip and let it heat up.  The solder will melt and tin it as it heats.

That used to be OK, but is only OK as a last ditch, emergency measure today. Molten solder erodes copper over time. This only matters on the iron which spends so many hours with molten solder on it. To get away from that, all modern soldering iron tips are (or should be) iron-plated. The iron is solderable, but a zillion times less soluble in liquid solder than copper. So the tips last much longer. If you have to sand a tip down to copper to re-tin it, its days are numbered, so get on with it but start looking for a new tip - fast.

[Perrow]

Always wear pants while soldering.

Real men solder naked.

[boogietone]

You're not using ROH-compliant crrap, are you?  If so, ditch it and suck lead fumes like a real man.

I suspect that RoHS compliant lead free solder is a bit of social engineering to make people NOT do their own electronics. It's really, really bad, and just useful enough to let bureaucrats force you to do it by saying "it works OK."

I suspect that you are giving them a bit too much credit, as I am not so sure that they care that it works at all.

[Zipslack]

It just reminds me an awful lot of when they forced us to quit using trichlorethylene 1,1,1 as a general electronics cleaner on the grounds that it's harmful to users and the environment.  The recommended replacement products at the plant where I once worked caused lots of bronchial and eye irritation as well as skin rashes, and is undecided about the environmental benefits.