Fabricated soldering iron tip - rolled steel

[Belleman]

How will a bit of rolled flat-bar steel work as a soldering iron tip?


I do a job a few times a year where I need to removed a pile of D
connectors from some PCAs. I've made up tips from copper bar which works
fine but the tips dissolve very quickly, lucky to get a couple of hours
out of it.

I'm not sure thermal conductivity is a big issue as the tip probably has
a minute to reheat between connectors.

Will a tip made from a scrap of rolled steel bar do the job?

 

[Phil Allison]

"Belleman"

> How will a bit of rolled flat-bar steel work as a soldering iron tip?

** Heat one up in a gas flame and try it.

It bet it sucks big time.

I'm not sure thermal conductivity is a big issue as the tip probably has a
minute to reheat between connectors.

** Thermal capacity and conductivity ARE big issues with a soldering iron
tip.

Even the cheapest and most basic of irons all use COPPER tips.



.... Phil

 

[news13]

On Thu, 20 Mar 2014 12:45:30 +0800, Belleman wrote:

I've made up tips from copper bar which works
fine but the tips dissolve very quickly, lucky to get a couple of hours
out of it.

Change of solder?
Wrong type of copper?

 

[Chris Jones]

On 20/03/2014 23:51, Phil Allison wrote:

"Belleman"

How will a bit of rolled flat-bar steel work as a soldering iron tip?

** Heat one up in a gas flame and try it.

Above 500 deg C, lead tends to evaporate at a rate that might be better
for the OP not to breathe. This, and any wish to reuse the circuit
board, might set upper limits to the temperature to which it should be
heated before removing the gas flame.

If the connector is D-15 or smaller, then a Metcal SMTC-161 would
probably do the job, if the OP has a MX-500 to run it, but both of those
things are expensive.

Perhaps a copper bar with iron sheet silver-soldered (e.g. with
Silverflo 55) to the surface might be a way to fabricate a tip with an
iron surface and good conductivity.

Perhaps a plain copper tip would give acceptable life, if the solder
joints are first mixed with a lot of Savbit solder.

 

[Belleman]

On 21-Mar-14 8:40 AM, news13 wrote:

On Thu, 20 Mar 2014 12:45:30 +0800, Belleman wrote:

I've made up tips from copper bar which works
fine but the tips dissolve very quickly, lucky to get a couple of hours
out of it.

Change of solder?
Wrong type of copper?

I'm stuck with whatever solder is already on the boards - unknown, maybe
lead free.

Kind of stuck with the copper too. I've just been using bits of an old
buss bar.

 

[Belleman]

On 21-Mar-14 7:55 PM, Chris Jones wrote:

On 20/03/2014 23:51, Phil Allison wrote:
"Belleman"

How will a bit of rolled flat-bar steel work as a soldering iron tip?

** Heat one up in a gas flame and try it.

Above 500 deg C, lead tends to evaporate at a rate that might be better
for the OP not to breathe. This, and any wish to reuse the circuit
board, might set upper limits to the temperature to which it should be
heated before removing the gas flame.

If the connector is D-15 or smaller, then a Metcal SMTC-161 would
probably do the job, if the OP has a MX-500 to run it, but both of those
things are expensive.

Perhaps a copper bar with iron sheet silver-soldered (e.g. with
Silverflo 55) to the surface might be a way to fabricate a tip with an
iron surface and good conductivity.

Perhaps a plain copper tip would give acceptable life, if the solder
joints are first mixed with a lot of Savbit solder.

This is a job I only do a couple of times each year so I don't want to
spend up on a new iron.

I threw together a steel tip - it works ok but only just. I it's got a
hefty base that works as a thermal reservoir.

I've remade a copper tip twice, I'm quite surprised how quick it dissolves.

It's a bit thin for me to try silver soldering sheet iron to the copper
base.

I found a comment on a forum that suggested just tinning the tip with
silver solder can enhance it's life. I'll give that a go tomorrow.

It's running on a $20 el-cheapo 30W/60W iron from Bunnings.

 

[Jasen Betts]

On 2014-03-20, Belleman <dudemail@email.com> wrote:

How will a bit of rolled flat-bar steel work as a soldering iron tip?


I do a job a few times a year where I need to removed a pile of D
connectors from some PCAs. I've made up tips from copper bar which works
fine but the tips dissolve very quickly, lucky to get a couple of hours
out of it.

I'm not sure thermal conductivity is a big issue as the tip probably has
a minute to reheat between connectors.

Will a tip made from a scrap of rolled steel bar do the job?

I've used coat-hanger wire to solder with in the past, so it'll
probably work somewhat.


--
Neither the pheasant plucker, nor the pheasant plucker's son.


--- news://freenews.netfront.net/ - complaints: news@netfront.net ---

 

[Phil Allison]

"Jasen Bleats" <jasen@xnet.co.nz>

I've used coat-hanger wire to solder with in the past, so it'll
probably work somewhat.

** Hard to believe.

I knew someone who used the back end of a 30 cal rifle cartridge, held in
long nose pliers & heated on a gas stove, to solder with.

He did remove the slug and powder first ...


..... Phil

 

[F Murtz]

Phil Allison wrote:

"Jasen Bleats" <jasen@xnet.co.nz



I've used coat-hanger wire to solder with in the past, so it'll
probably work somewhat.


** Hard to believe.

I knew someone who used the back end of a 30 cal rifle cartridge, held in
long nose pliers & heated on a gas stove, to solder with.

He did remove the slug and powder first ...


.... Phil





And the primer I hope.

 

[Rheilly Phoull]

On 22/03/14 14:50, Phil Allison wrote:

"Jasen Bleats" <jasen@xnet.co.nz



I've used coat-hanger wire to solder with in the past, so it'll
probably work somewhat.


** Hard to believe.

I knew someone who used the back end of a 30 cal rifle cartridge, held in
long nose pliers & heated on a gas stove, to solder with.

He did remove the slug and powder first ...


.... Phil





Would he be called a "Gun Solderer" ??

 

[Belleman]

On 20-Mar-14 12:45 PM, Belleman wrote:

How will a bit of rolled flat-bar steel work as a soldering iron tip?


I do a job a few times a year where I need to removed a pile of D
connectors from some PCAs. I've made up tips from copper bar which works
fine but the tips dissolve very quickly, lucky to get a couple of hours
out of it.

I'm not sure thermal conductivity is a big issue as the tip probably has
a minute to reheat between connectors.

Will a tip made from a scrap of rolled steel bar do the job?

Follow up:

Plain steel worked ok - did have a bit of thermal lag.

I've made another from copper & have tinned it using silver solder. It
seems to work ok although I have only run it for a few minutes - it may
be a different story after it runs for an hour or three.