New 40w soldering iron

[edvard]

For father's day, my wife bought me an inexpensive 40-watt soldering iron, which works a ton better than my trusty Radio Shack 25-watt.
So far, I've gotten half my planned desoldering (I'm a cheapskate and a packrat, so that's how I get parts...) done in 1/10th the time.  Awesome!!

However, I'm looking at the tip and it doesn't look like something standard I can get anywhere.
It's 2-3/8" long (most of it goes in the barrel, though), and 3/8" or so in diameter (~9.525 mm).
Tips for the Weller SP40L are 9.5mm, but not so long.
Would using shorter tips affect the irons performance?
I've always just used a conical tip, are the "screwdriver" tips better?
Any suggestions as to what would be a suitable replacement tip?  I've looked up 9.5 mm dia tips, and there are many choices, but nothing that long.

Just askin' ...

[a soBer Newt]

Prefer chisel "scredriver" tips I feel that there is a better heat transfer with one than with a conical tip. 

[PRR]

> 3/8" or so in diameter

The _heater_ on my trusty old iron isn't much bigger than that.

The actual tip (where work happens) is 1/8", and sometimes that's kinda large (actually parts have gotten smaller over the decades).

I think your darling got you a tinkerer's iron, suitable for leading stained-glass, soldering belt-buckles, wood-burning.

The RadioShed low-price irons ARE poor, I wish they'd cancel that contract. It teaches too many people that soldering sucks. With a 3/4-decent iron, soldering is a pleasure. Big iron for copper flashing on the house, small iron for making ear-rings and stomps.

Conical sucks. You want good contact with the joint. Cone tip only fits cone hole. Chisel tip typically can get one flat on the PCB and the other flat on the wire. There are several variants and in the bad old days of naked copper tips I would file a blunt-slant-chisel end to really _V_ into a joint. But for more than 6 joints, you really want the clad tips that don't burn-up just sitting there, and you take the shape they make.

There's better irons than RS 25W or my antique Octal-whacker. I'm behind the times, someone please tell us what's current and good at low price.

> my planned desoldering (..that's how I get parts...) done in 1/10th the time

Slowpoke. Propane torch, set on high flame, will take all the parts off a PCB in under a minute, 15 second with practice. (Back in the 1960s we had military/space surplus/reject boards, large, cheap. I could pull $35 worth of transistors off a $10 board, so why dawdle?)

[edvard]

I think your darling got you a tinkerer's iron, suitable for leading stained-glass, soldering belt-buckles, wood-burning.

Could very well be... she is quite the darling, and so couldn't stand to hear my complaints when the old RS iron just wouldn't do what was required.  The iron she found was in the local department store for a mere $8 on sale, which is about what we can afford in these lean times (hence the imperative to salvage...)
Here's a product shot: http://www.alliedtools.com/etc/productimages/84527.jpg
It's the main body of the tip that's 3/8", and most of that is hidden away in the heater; only about 5/8" or so sticks out the end.

But for more than 6 joints, you really want the clad tips that don't burn-up just sitting there, and you take the shape they make.

Exactly what I'm looking for; the plating that came on this one burnt off after 3 sessions, and the formerly-conical tip has taken on a strange flattened shape on one side, and part of the cone won't even take a tinning.  O_o
Oh, the joys of thrift, the agony of shod!

Slowpoke. Propane torch, set on high flame, will take all the parts off a PCB in under a minute, 15 second with practice.

Ah... another tool to add to my collection.  I'd heard of such methods before, but I can't justify the expense (however small it may be) at this time.

[J0K3RX]

Hakko 936 will do bout anything you need! You can find them for $40.00 and you can get many different tips... Has great recovery time almost instantly so no sticking.. I use high heat with the 900M-T-3.2D and 900M-T-1.6D tips are all I ever use... In and out quick! I even use them for SMD fine pitch quad packs etc... Awesome iron! I also have a Metcal Smart Heat SP200 with about 8 different tips and you can replace the tips on the fly, they just plug into the handle.. And they get up to temp instantly as soon as you plug the tip in. But I still use the 936 all the time. They are also under some

http://www.ebay.com/itm/HAKKO-936-907-ESD-SAFE-SOLDERING-STATION-w-STAND-/271013174766?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item3f19a4ddee

This is the YiHUA 936 which is the same thing...
http://www.ebay.com/itm/936-Soldering-Station-adjustable-heat-60W-2nd-Hakko-replacement-tip-include-USA-/221068784072?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item3378b9f1c8

Another handy tool - I have removed many parts with one of these and I have also re-flowed BGA's and other various SMD parts as well...
http://www.harborfreight.com/1500-watt-dual-temperature-heat-gun-572-1112-96289.html

[Jdansti]

The Weller WLC-100 is another good one for under $50.



Maybe one of our DIY buddies has an extra iron that needs a home for a reasonable price.

[edvard]

Thanks for the suggestions folks, but I'm looking for tips that will fit my iron, not a whole new one.

EDIT: Oh, wait...

...
There's better irons than RS 25W or my antique Octal-whacker. I'm behind the times, someone please tell us what's current and good at low price.
...

Never mind; carry on, I'll find them somewhere...

[HOTTUBES]

I really like mine ..... its a few bucks more , but worth it IMO .
I got in on sale for 89 $  !!


Hakko 936

[J0K3RX]

I really like mine ..... its a few bucks more , but worth it IMO .
I got in on sale for 89 $  !!


Hakko 936

BTW - You can get those for $40.00 or so on ebay... I have an old Hakko 700c solder station (which I love) and a Metcal SP200... But, all I ever use is the 936, best overall unit ever in my opinion!

If you are into reclaiming parts off old/scrap boards and what not you might look into getting a Hakko solder sucker! They will make a 10 minute job into a 30 second job and less chance of heat damage... I see them on ebay going for real cheap also! They were big bucks about 10 years ago...

Hot air pencils are real nice if you do a lot of SMD stuff but if you don't know what you are doing they can start blowing parts off the board.. But I still love my trusty old 936!

[HOTTUBES]

Yep , i could not agree with you more an the 936 ..... Top Shelf unit imo !!

But i see the OP just wants to replace the tips on his existing one ...

[Jdansti]

Thanks for the suggestions folks, but I'm looking for tips that will fit my iron, not a whole new one.

EDIT: Oh, wait...

...
There's better irons than RS 25W or my antique Octal-whacker. I'm behind the times, someone please tell us what's current and good at low price.
...

Never mind; carry on, I'll find them somewhere...

I've run into this problem with budget irons before I was able to swing a better model.  I think that any tip that is the same diameter and close to the same length would work. I've seen quite a few online with a casual search. The problem is that you'll end up spending more for the replacement tip than the iron cost.

Also- you might already know this but be sure to leave a nice coat of solder on the tip when you turn it off. It will help slow down the corrosion process.

BTW- You're a lucky man if your wife buys you tools for your hobby.

[Ronan]

+1 on leaving the tip tinned when the iron is off.

edvard, try a search on ebay "40W soldering iron tip". I see one for $1.42 shipped. If the tip is made of copper, just file it up with a mill file (a fine file) and tin it, as required. You can make whatever shaped tip you want. With use, flat sides will become concave, so you file it flat again and tin it. Years ago, I used to use an incandescent lamp dimmer to stop my copper -tipped iron getting too hot. That increases the life of the tip many times.

These days I have a Jaycar Duratech temp-controlled iron, it takes Hakko tips, but the build quality is much better.

[swinginguitar]

Also will mention that for starting out the cheap orange Wellers (like the 25 and 40 watt units at Lowes/Home Depot) will run circles around RadShack irons (BT,DT), and at <$20 you will certainly get ur money's worth...

[edvard]

Thanks for the tips all (pardon the pun), but for now I'm just going to file the tip I have and see how that goes, until I can get a good deal on plated tips.
I originally asked because I had never seen a tip the dimensions of this one before, and wondered if it was actually a standard part that could be gotten in different configurations.
I like the look of the Weller CT6F tips, but they're a bit spendy.

+1 for tinning when shutting down, but for the life of me, I can't get certain areas of the tip to tin.
I put solder on and it just rolls off instead of coating, even with flux.  I have a big blob of solder I got from melting down what I collected from my solder sucker, maybe I should just let it rest in that, and cool around the tip...

[PRR]

> $40  $50 $89 <$20

Gentlemen....

Edvard is at that point of life (or this economic cycle) when $8 is "big money". I remember those days. Still have to think before blowing $12 for a shovel. Even when I was paid to solder, it took a decade to accumulate $80 worth of soldering tools. Eating is important also.

> the plating that came on this one burnt off after 3 sessions, and the formerly-conical tip has taken on a strange flattened shape on one side, and part of the cone won't even take a tinning

Back when I was a boy, tips were just copper. Sometimes solder-dipped so the copper didn't turn green in the store. Sometimes "chrome" but they always sucked.

In the 1980s I saw "plated" tips which are apparently coated with iron or nickle. They don't take solder as well as bare copper, but they don't burn away in normal use. I've had the same tip for 30 years.

Since I used to pay $7 for one plated tip, I bet an $8 iron is "copper", albeit flashed with something shiny to look good in the store.

So go old-school. A copper tip is great BUT it is like a wood pencil. You have to keep re-shaping it as you use it.

Flux won't cut heavy oxide.

You need a medium file. A nail-file won't do. A brick pounds grit into the copper and that's no good. Rusty files often turn up in yard-sales 25-50 cents.

Start filing a V-chisel on the end. You want about 1/8" of bare copper surface on two planes.

Plug in the iron, hold some flux-core solder. The instant the bare copper will take solder, coat the raw copper. Wait 30 seconds, shake-off that blob, and apply more flux-solder. At this point a heavy shake should NOT expose copper, tin should cling and coat the working end.

This should solder PCB very well. You may need a bigger working surface for SwitchCraft jacks, but don't over-do it yet.

NEVER lose the solder-coat on the working end. If you keep working it will be fine. If you idle more than a few minutes, the solder is lost around the edges and the copper burns. Keep re-tinning or else un-plug it. While I always tin at shut-down, months of storage isn't the problem, it is HOT-idle which does the damage.

I suspect this iron runs hot. Up to a point that's good, you get in and out quickly. However a hot idle will oxidize much faster. Screw a soup-can to a heavy board. Keep the iron in the can when idling. The can pulls heat out of the iron, cooler idle. If you feel clever, use a 45 degree wedge so the convected heat does not heat the handle so much.

Another old trick is a microswitch and a diode under the stand/can. When idling, the diode reduces the power to the iron; lift, and the switch shorts the diode for full power.

Even so, the working end will crater. Hot solder dissolves copper. When you feel the working end go from a plane to a cup, file it again. With practice you can touch-up while the iron is hot. Obviously this can go very wrong: solder in the eye, burns on your hand, or in your crotch. Be Careful!! Or let it cool before re-filing.

If you have a friend with serious tools, and can find copper rod the right diameter (old toilet float rods?), you can whack and thread your own replacement copper tips.

[edvard]

Thanks for the tips (again with the pun... >_<) PRR, really, I do appreciate guidance from any and all "old hands", and I've come to respect the wisdom I have thus far gleaned from your posts.

Edvard is at that point of life (or this economic cycle) when $8 is "big money".

Truth be known, it is the present economy that has me, errr... economizing.  I'll spare the details.

A copper tip is great BUT it is like a wood pencil...You need a medium file.

Got a set of smallish wood-handled jobs from harbor freight tools a while back, the flat one works very well for shaping.

If you idle more than a few minutes, the solder is lost around the edges and the copper burns. Keep re-tinning or else un-plug it. While I always tin at shut-down, months of storage isn't the problem, it is HOT-idle which does the damage.
I suspect this iron runs hot.

Yes, yes it does.  Blister pack it came in says 950 degrees Fahrenheit  so it's no mystery that everything burned off.  I can solder Switchcraft jacks like butter...
I took my own advice and let it cool in a wad-of-chewing-gum size solder blob last time I was done.  Maybe I could rig an apparatus for doing that while it's in the stand, like a small cup at the bottom of the holder spring with a pool of solder in it, so the tip can sink itself in while idling.

... and can find copper rod the right diameter

I'd considered copper rod stock, and found it is available in 9.5mm, but a bit spendy. I'll keep looking though, hadn't considered toilet bowl float rods, even those are getting scarce nowadays.  Also, no need to thread; the tip is held in place with a screw on the side.

I've also considered filing and shining the thing and attempt to do my own plating, but I figure you'd need real industrial plating, not the home-brew "train transformer, a nickel and a penny, and a beaker of water" sort of experimental stuff.  'Sides, nickels aren't made of nickel anymore 

[AudioEcstasy]

I think the tip absolutely affects the job. I like a pencil tip for circuit work and a more flat tip for doing cabling.