Likewise, I have a 12V Antex MLXS iron for use on my boat.
I don't think the "availability of affordable gas irons has reduced the need for this trick." is a valid statement, since gas fired irons are seldom temperature controlled, whereas electric ones can be. I have both and prefer the electric version wherever possible.
In this section, should there be be a section on solder pumps and solder wick for cleaning off old solder before resoldering?
Should there be info about removing old solder from electrical joints, using wick or a solder pump?
Peter Scott
For a serious electronics hobbyist vacuum desolder sets are very much cheaper than once - and also cheaper secondhand - since rework stations have become the norm. I wouldn't be without mine.
Thanks for the post. I recently bought a replacement soldering iron kit and failed miserably to get any joint to stick. This is fixing old valve radios. I thought I'd lost the skill but I tried some old multicore solder I'd kept from
30 years ago and everything worked fine again.Another Dave
Valve radios are likely to need a beefy iron due to the components being somewhat larger than today with more of a 'heatsink' effect. For example an old resistor to tag strip will need a lot more heat than a new miniature one to a PCB. But it's nothing a reasonable 50 watt temperature controlled station couldn't cope with. Loads on Ebay starting at under 20 quid.
A 15 watt electronics iron might cope if you fit a larger tip and give it time to heat up - remove from the stand if a metal type which will conduct away some heat.
In message , "Dave Plowman (News)" writes
You've never seen a Weller iron? I'd swear by them, I've used W60D and TCP irons for over 20 years now and they're excellent
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I do it with new or old fittings just to be sure.
You probably have, they look like
They aren't even slightly comparable, you should try one if you get the chance. They can deliver a huge amount of power to even a fine tip if needed, without overheating it.
I suppose its the soldering equivalent of a microwave oven.
But as I said I can't see the purpose of one apart from on a production line - used by semi-skilled personnel. A repair operation will always want the option of altering the temperature.
Does it used some form of special element?
So it doesn't use a heating element?
What you do is choose the bits to suit the work and when you fit one it sets the optimum temp.
8<
No they use a wave guide and radio power (or at least that's how I think they work).
You can also get oxy-hydrogen minature blowlamps, which electrolyise water to produce the gasses and mix in a bit of ethyl methyl keytone to moderate the flame. They are very useful for very fine high temperature work, such as jewelery repairs.
...
They are still readily available brand new, if you know where to buy them. I was brought up on that type of iron, heated in a blow-lamp flame, rather than on a gass-ring, and prefer them to electric irons for many jobs. They are ideal for doing lead work on a roof.
Colin Bignell
My Weller TCP1 doesn't. It has a standard, replaceable resistive element inside the tube. Inside this is a soft-iron plunger that is attracted to a magnet on the end of the replaceable tip. The other end of the plunger is a microswitch that switches on the power when the magnet is stuck to the bit. When the bit heats up, the curie point is reached and a spring pulls off the plunger opening the microswitch. The bits have different numbers (degrees F/100, apparently...) on the end defining the temperature range of the curie point.
If the microswitch fails, the tip quickly reaches red heat...
The bits are more than just plain copper, being plated. They seem to last forever, providing they are kept clean using the wet sponge on the transformer/holder. Like anyone who has ever used a Weller TCP, I wouldn't be without mine - it's in my toolbox.
My first electronics iron as a lad was a Solon 25watt - which I still have kicking around somewhere. But it was too big for some stuff so I got an Antex. And have stuck to them since. My present set is home made - two Antex 50 watt with individual control and a desolder unit using a Pace handset.
Come to think of it, my Weller TCP is almost 30 years old now. I bought it when I was a student, and it was really expensive then. It's done lots of service since then.
They are also useful if a wire comes unsoldered in your soldering iron, as I discovered. I actually used an old screwdriver heated on the gas stove.
Mines about 20 years old, I may buy a new one, if it breaks.
You may struggle as I think that Cooper might be phasing out the Magnastat controlled irons for electronically controlled ones. Last time I tried to get any parts for my Magnastat iron-based DS900 desoldering station, no one had any stock of the desoldering head set, which contains the Curie point magnet for temperature control. When I took this up with the Cooper Tools rep, he said it was because they were no longer manufacturing parts for this station. I finished up having to replace the station with a Pace from eBay, which really galled me, as otherwise, the DS900 was in pristine condition and had been a good reliable workhorse over many years of commercial use. May be just the desoldering side of things, but I wouldn't bank on it.
Arfa
I have a set of IC desoldering heads somewhere but found them not very good for casual component replacement, compared with solder wick. For production, where you could put a spring puller on the chip. they were much quicker.
I must find where I've put my spares for my 40 year old Weller, just in case I ever need them :-)
Mines about 30 years old but it's had a new element, new switch, new cable, and new handle over the years. Still got the same ceramic scruits though :)
My father was a plumber/tinsmith. Retired 1966. He taught me to light a paraffin blow lamp and use a soldering iron when I was 8 years old. His tool cupboard at the colliery had soldering irons from about a couple of ounces up to about 3 pounds in weight. All hand made. The big one was a hatched shaped lump of copper.
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