What am I doing wrong?

[bassmannate]

So, I just got a new soldering iron because I needed a new tip and my iron is so old that they don't make tips that fit it anymore (trust me, I tried EVERYWHERE)

Anyway, it's a 45w craftsman iron I got on sale for about $8.50 and I did about 1.5 hours worth of soldering tonight with it. I used the smallest tip I had. By the end, the tip was more or less flattened out like it had melted/burned away. I tinned the tip like you're supposed to and kept it tinned.

Why is this happening? Is it just a crappy tip?

Just found the iron online. It's this one: http://www.craftsman.com/shc/s/p_10155_12602_00954042000P?keyword=soldering+iron&prdNo=6&blockNo=6&blockType=L6

[maarten]

Never had this experience my self, so I am just guessing..... Maybe your smallest tip (you gave no clue how small that really was) was too small for a 45 W iron? Try a larger tip.

Or get your old iron a new tip by cutting a piece from a thick copper thread, filing it down to size, if needed (it has to fit well, as it has to conduct the heat from the heater element to the end of the tip).
Maarten

[jewellworks]

hes right.  45watts is way too hot for a thin tip.  the thinner the tip, the less heat you need.  the thicker the tip, the more heat.  i use an iron with a temprature control.  depending on the tip, you can have a temprature shift of several hundred degrees.  -i dont know how that equates to watts (if you want to use an iron, and not a soldering station) but 45 seems hot to me anyway.  25watts seems like what id use to solder electronics.  hotter than that can burn up components.  hotter is not allways better.  you can even burn solder.  ive seen it...

[bassmannate]

Never had this experience my self, so I am just guessing..... Maybe your smallest tip (you gave no clue how small that really was) was too small for a 45 W iron? Try a larger tip.

Or get your old iron a new tip by cutting a piece from a thick copper thread, filing it down to size, if needed (it has to fit well, as it has to conduct the heat from the heater element to the end of the tip).
Maarten

It's hard to say. The tip I used came with the iron. I would think that it would have been tested to make sure it didn't disintegrate. It's still usable, it just doesn't have a nice tip on it anymore. My last tip did the same thing but I had used it for several years before it disintegrated in a couple hours 2 weeks ago.

The iron I was using was 55w so I didn't want to go too much lower than what I was used to.

Edit: They had a 30w for about $8. should I take the 45w back and get the 30w instead?