Question about soldering iron tip

P

Peabody

Guest
I have a plain 30-watt pencil iron. It's this one:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00KXX6RLA/

The tip is almost 3 inches long, and when fully inserted only about 3/4 inch
protrudes out of the barrel. The 3 inches also corresponds to the portion of
the barrel that has become darkened over time, which I assume indicates
that's where it heats up.

Would it be possible to pull the tip out a bit and lock it in place, then
create a new tip with a file? And would it be possible to do that several
times as the old tip deteriorates? Or does it have to remain fully inserted
to heat properly?

I'm not aware of any replacement tipsfor this iron, so if I can file a new
tip a few times, it would extend its life.

Has anyone here actually done this?

Thanks
 
On 1/23/2017 7:48 PM, Peabody wrote:
I have a plain 30-watt pencil iron. It's this one:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00KXX6RLA/

The tip is almost 3 inches long, and when fully inserted only about 3/4 inch
protrudes out of the barrel. The 3 inches also corresponds to the portion of
the barrel that has become darkened over time, which I assume indicates
that's where it heats up.

Would it be possible to pull the tip out a bit and lock it in place, then
create a new tip with a file? And would it be possible to do that several
times as the old tip deteriorates? Or does it have to remain fully inserted
to heat properly?

I'm not aware of any replacement tipsfor this iron, so if I can file a new
tip a few times, it would extend its life.

Has anyone here actually done this?

Thanks
Click to expand...
The tip does not have to be all the way in. If you file it you may have
difficulty getting proper flow when you solder. The new tip is plated. I
have had some luck tinning the filed tip with silver tinning paste.
Those tips are readily available.
 
In article <20170124-004805.624.0@Peabody.ssl.astraweb.com>,
waybackNO584SPAM44@yahoo.com says...
I have a plain 30-watt pencil iron. It's this one:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00KXX6RLA/

The tip is almost 3 inches long, and when fully inserted only about 3/4 inch
protrudes out of the barrel. The 3 inches also corresponds to the portion of
the barrel that has become darkened over time, which I assume indicates
that's where it heats up.

Would it be possible to pull the tip out a bit and lock it in place, then
create a new tip with a file? And would it be possible to do that several
times as the old tip deteriorates? Or does it have to remain fully inserted
to heat properly?

I'm not aware of any replacement tipsfor this iron, so if I can file a new
tip a few times, it would extend its life.

Has anyone here actually done this?

Thanks
Click to expand...

I doubt you could pull the tip out very much and it still work.

Try this for the new tips.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B008LTIIB0/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00
_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
 
Tom Biasi says...

The tip does not have to be all the way in. If you file
it you may have difficulty getting proper flow when you
solder. The new tip is plated. I have had some luck
tinning the filed tip with silver tinning paste.
Click to expand...

Thanks very much.

Testing with a magnet, I don't detect any sign of magnetism,
so apparently the plating isn't iron. What would it be?
Maybe nickel? Nickel could be replaced through
electroplating. But that may be overkill.

> Those tips are readily available.

I haven't found any on Ebay. Maybe the manufacturer of the
iron has them.
 
On 1/23/2017 9:24 PM, Peabody wrote:
Tom Biasi says...

The tip does not have to be all the way in. If you file
it you may have difficulty getting proper flow when you
solder. The new tip is plated. I have had some luck
tinning the filed tip with silver tinning paste.

Thanks very much.

Testing with a magnet, I don't detect any sign of magnetism,
so apparently the plating isn't iron. What would it be?
Maybe nickel? Nickel could be replaced through
electroplating. But that may be overkill.

Those tips are readily available.

I haven't found any on Ebay. Maybe the manufacturer of the
iron has them.
Click to expand...
Depends on the tip. Some were brass, zinc plated.
I have made them from copper wire and tinning them with silver solder.
 
On Mon, 23 Jan 2017 20:24:11 -0600, Peabody wrote:

Tom Biasi says...

The tip does not have to be all the way in. If you file it you may
have difficulty getting proper flow when you solder. The new tip is
plated. I have had some luck tinning the filed tip with silver
tinning paste.

Thanks very much.

Testing with a magnet, I don't detect any sign of magnetism,
so apparently the plating isn't iron. What would it be? Maybe nickel?
Nickel could be replaced through electroplating. But that may be
overkill.

Those tips are readily available.

I haven't found any on Ebay. Maybe the manufacturer of the iron has
them.
Click to expand...

You may find something close enough to work though. I'm using one from
Hexagon (a pricey production grade tool) in an el-cheapo 30 watt pencil
iron with excellent results. (and it is advertised as being iron plated
and is attracted to a magnet)

A thick piece of copper wire, and file will work too, but they don't last
long. Turning the heat down with a light dimmer when not actually
soldering is a good policy...
 
On Mon, 23 Jan 2017 20:24:11 -0600, Peabody wrote:

Tom Biasi says...

The tip does not have to be all the way in. If you file it you may
have difficulty getting proper flow when you solder. The new tip is
plated. I have had some luck tinning the filed tip with silver
tinning paste.

Thanks very much.

Testing with a magnet, I don't detect any sign of magnetism,
so apparently the plating isn't iron. What would it be? Maybe nickel?
Nickel could be replaced through electroplating. But that may be
overkill.

Those tips are readily available.

I haven't found any on Ebay. Maybe the manufacturer of the iron has
them.
Click to expand...

PS I just looked at my tip and it is 1/8" diameter ~2" long (total)

Found this on-line:
Hexacon CT302X Specifications:

Tip Diameter: 1/8"
Tip Width: 1/32"
Tip Length: 9/16"
Tip Style: Conical Chisel

and it sells for $17 each (gasp)
 
On Mon, 23 Jan 2017 20:13:54 -0500, Tom Biasi wrote:

On 1/23/2017 7:48 PM, Peabody wrote:
I have a plain 30-watt pencil iron. It's this one:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00KXX6RLA/

The tip is almost 3 inches long, and when fully inserted only about 3/4
inch protrudes out of the barrel. The 3 inches also corresponds to the
portion of the barrel that has become darkened over time, which I
assume indicates that's where it heats up.

Would it be possible to pull the tip out a bit and lock it in place,
then create a new tip with a file? And would it be possible to do that
several times as the old tip deteriorates? Or does it have to remain
fully inserted to heat properly?

I'm not aware of any replacement tipsfor this iron, so if I can file a
new tip a few times, it would extend its life.

Has anyone here actually done this?

Thanks

The tip does not have to be all the way in. If you file it you may have
difficulty getting proper flow when you solder. The new tip is plated. I
have had some luck tinning the filed tip with silver tinning paste.
Those tips are readily available.
Click to expand...

If the tip is copper underneath the iron plating then I've never had too
much problem with the solder flowing -- just with the fact that the
solder will dissolve the copper.

--
Tim Wescott
Control systems, embedded software and circuit design
I'm looking for work! See my website if you're interested
http://www.wescottdesign.com
 
Ralph Mowery says...

I doubt you could pull the tip out very much and it
still work.

Try this for the new tips.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B008LTIIB0/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00
_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Click to expand...

The diameter is right, but the tip on my iron is 3 inches long, which is
significantly longer than those tips. I guess I could sacrifice one of the
new ones and cut a section off of it and stick that in first. But not sure
how well that would work.
 
default says...

A thick piece of copper wire, and file will work too,
but they don't last long. Turning the heat down with a
light dimmer when not actually soldering is a good
policy...
Click to expand...

Yes, I have the lamp dimmer box for my iron. I don't know
why more people don't use them. The pencil iron is just a
resistive load, which I assume looks to the dimmer a lot
like an incandescent filament does. And sometimes 30 watts
is just too much. Plus, as you say, when idle, you can turn
it down without turning it all the way off.

I hadn't thought about the copper wire, but that's an
interesting idea. Maybe 8 or 10 gauge.

But I wonder if there's a way to plate copper with iron. I
found videos on Youtube for plating copper with nickel with
stuff any pool owner would have at home. But iron may be
more difficult. It does appear that the best tips are iron
plated.
 
In article <20170124-180007.642.0@Peabody.ssl.astraweb.com>,
waybackNO584SPAM44@yahoo.com says...
Yes, I have the lamp dimmer box for my iron. I don't know
why more people don't use them. The pencil iron is just a
resistive load, which I assume looks to the dimmer a lot
like an incandescent filament does. And sometimes 30 watts
is just too much. Plus, as you say, when idle, you can turn
it down without turning it all the way off.

I hadn't thought about the copper wire, but that's an
interesting idea. Maybe 8 or 10 gauge.
Click to expand...
It might be time to let that iron go and get another one. For not much
more than the replacement tips Amazon has lots of irons for less than $
20. Ebay probably has lots of them too.
Some of them are even adjustable for the temperature.
 
On Tue, 24 Jan 2017, Peabody wrote:

default says...

A thick piece of copper wire, and file will work too,
but they don't last long. Turning the heat down with a
light dimmer when not actually soldering is a good
policy...

Yes, I have the lamp dimmer box for my iron. I don't know
why more people don't use them. The pencil iron is just a
resistive load, which I assume looks to the dimmer a lot
like an incandescent filament does. And sometimes 30 watts
is just too much. Plus, as you say, when idle, you can turn
it down without turning it all the way off.

I hadn't thought about the copper wire, but that's an
interesting idea. Maybe 8 or 10 gauge.

But I wonder if there's a way to plate copper with iron. I
found videos on Youtube for plating copper with nickel with
stuff any pool owner would have at home. But iron may be
more difficult. It does appear that the best tips are iron
plated.
Click to expand...
I think if it was easily done at home, the plating, it would be common. I
remember soldering irons without plated tips, I had a few way at the
beginning, and those tips wore down fast. But since I started using irons
with plated tips, about 1974, I've broken tips but none have worn out. So
the plating really works. But like a tooth, if the plating is damaged for
some reason (someone thinks it needs filing or something), then the tip
will have a limited life.

Michael
 
"Peabody" <waybackNO584SPAM44@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:20170124-004805.624.0@Peabody.ssl.astraweb.com...
I have a plain 30-watt pencil iron. It's this one:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00KXX6RLA/

The tip is almost 3 inches long, and when fully inserted only about 3/4
inch
protrudes out of the barrel. The 3 inches also corresponds to the portion
of
the barrel that has become darkened over time, which I assume indicates
that's where it heats up.

Would it be possible to pull the tip out a bit and lock it in place, then
create a new tip with a file? And would it be possible to do that several
times as the old tip deteriorates? Or does it have to remain fully
inserted
to heat properly?

I'm not aware of any replacement tipsfor this iron, so if I can file a new
tip a few times, it would extend its life.

Has anyone here actually done this?
Click to expand...

In most cases; filing the tip removes the iron plating - the copper core
alloys with the solder, so you leave a tiny amount of copper in every joint
you solder.

As the copper core erodes; you can end up with an empty shell of iron
plating jutting out that is usually sharp and jagged.

If you're having this problem; its either a cheapo iron with no plating on
the chisel face, or you're damaging it with heavy handed use.

Over the years I've had a few irons with insufficient contact between bit
and element barrel - a smear of heatsink paste often helps.
 
Michael Black says...

I think if it was easily done at home, the plating, it
would be common. I remember soldering irons without
plated tips, I had a few way at the beginning, and those
tips wore down fast. But since I started using irons
with plated tips, about 1974, I've broken tips but none
have worn out. So the plating really works. But like a
tooth, if the plating is damaged for some reason
(someone thinks it needs filing or something), then the
tip will have a limited life.
Click to expand...

Yeah, but I'm pretty sure this tip never had any iron
plating at all. It may just be copper.

Well, I've had this iron for two years, but have done very
little soldering with it. When it finally dies, I'll look
for something a bit higher end, with iron. I was just
wanting to get ready for my big upcoming project, which is
a Jyetech oscillator kit. But it turns out it only has
about 30 parts to install, so this iron should handle that
well enough.
 
On 2017-01-24, Peabody <waybackNO584SPAM44@yahoo.com> wrote:
default says...

A thick piece of copper wire, and file will work too,
but they don't last long. Turning the heat down with a
light dimmer when not actually soldering is a good
policy...

Yes, I have the lamp dimmer box for my iron. I don't know
why more people don't use them.
Click to expand...

You can get a temperature controlled soldering station for
like 30 bucks on aliexpress, that's my reason.

But I wonder if there's a way to plate copper with iron.
found videos on Youtube for plating copper with nickel with
stuff any pool owner would have at home. But iron may be
more difficult. It does appear that the best tips are iron
plated.
Click to expand...

these guys seem to know how.
http://www.finishing.com/379/18.shtml

--
This email has not been checked by half-arsed antivirus software
 
On Tue, 24 Jan 2017 13:22:21 -0500, Ralph Mowery wrote:

In article <20170124-180007.642.0@Peabody.ssl.astraweb.com>,
waybackNO584SPAM44@yahoo.com says...



Yes, I have the lamp dimmer box for my iron. I don't know why more
people don't use them. The pencil iron is just a resistive load, which
I assume looks to the dimmer a lot like an incandescent filament does.
And sometimes 30 watts is just too much. Plus, as you say, when idle,
you can turn it down without turning it all the way off.

I hadn't thought about the copper wire, but that's an interesting idea.
Maybe 8 or 10 gauge.


It might be time to let that iron go and get another one. For not much
more than the replacement tips Amazon has lots of irons for less than $
20. Ebay probably has lots of them too.
Some of them are even adjustable for the temperature.
Click to expand...

It may even pay to find a source of cheap readily available tips - then
buy the iron that matches those tips.
 
On Tue, 24 Jan 2017 12:00:07 -0600, Peabody wrote:


I hadn't thought about the copper wire, but that's an interesting idea.
Maybe 8 or 10 gauge.
Click to expand...

It does work, but you'll soon find yourself wishing for a proper tip
since pure copper goes into solution and erodes quickly and is relatively
soft. But a lot depends on how you use the iron, and how desperate you
are.
 
"default" <default@defaulter.net> wrote in message
news:5888aca4$0$41541$b1db1813$7968482@news.astraweb.com...
On Tue, 24 Jan 2017 13:22:21 -0500, Ralph Mowery wrote:

In article <20170124-180007.642.0@Peabody.ssl.astraweb.com>,
waybackNO584SPAM44@yahoo.com says...



Yes, I have the lamp dimmer box for my iron. I don't know why more
people don't use them. The pencil iron is just a resistive load, which
I assume looks to the dimmer a lot like an incandescent filament does.
And sometimes 30 watts is just too much. Plus, as you say, when idle,
you can turn it down without turning it all the way off.

I hadn't thought about the copper wire, but that's an interesting idea.
Maybe 8 or 10 gauge.


It might be time to let that iron go and get another one. For not much
more than the replacement tips Amazon has lots of irons for less than $
20. Ebay probably has lots of them too.
Some of them are even adjustable for the temperature.

It may even pay to find a source of cheap readily available tips - then
buy the iron that matches those tips.
Click to expand...

Antex are my favourite, the tips last a very long time if you don't mistreat
them. I chose Antex irons because they're cheap enough to regard as
consumables - especially as compared to anything from Cooper Tools.

Fairly sure they do both 110 & 220V, they probably do 12 and/or 24V versions
too.

The weak point is susceptibilty to mains transients - I put an MOV in the
socket strip and no more problems.
 
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