Weller magnastat soldering iron problem

[N_Cook]

Intermittant failure to heat.
Not due to failing switch, but original plastic stress-relief sheathing
at the blue body gone hard with age and causing stress to cable and then
a conductor break. Makes you wonder where all that plasticiser migrates
to, presumably us , quite a bit.

 

[Terry Schwartz]

On Tuesday, July 31, 2018 at 8:26:55 AM UTC-5, N_Cook wrote:

Intermittant failure to heat.
Not due to failing switch, but original plastic stress-relief sheathing
at the blue body gone hard with age and causing stress to cable and then
a conductor break. Makes you wonder where all that plasticiser migrates
to, presumably us , quite a bit.

It outgasses..... to atmosphere. Just like the buildup of haze on the inside of your windshield after a hot summer. That's your dashboard, vinyl, carpeting, wire insulation, powder coated parts, upholstery, foam, virtually everything in your car's interior except the metal itself, condensing on the glass and every other surface. Good reason to keep the air flowing thru the vehicle as you drive, minimize the inhalation of those compounds. Gotta love that new car smell.

 

[N_Cook]

On 31/07/2018 16:34, Terry Schwartz wrote:

On Tuesday, July 31, 2018 at 8:26:55 AM UTC-5, N_Cook wrote:
Intermittant failure to heat.
Not due to failing switch, but original plastic stress-relief sheathing
at the blue body gone hard with age and causing stress to cable and then
a conductor break. Makes you wonder where all that plasticiser migrates
to, presumably us , quite a bit.

It outgasses..... to atmosphere. Just like the buildup of haze on the inside of your windshield after a hot summer. That's your dashboard, vinyl, carpeting, wire insulation, powder coated parts, upholstery, foam, virtually everything in your car's interior except the metal itself, condensing on the glass and every other surface. Good reason to keep the air flowing thru the vehicle as you drive, minimize the inhalation of those compounds. Gotta love that new car smell.

Do you happen to know what the oily or slimy stuff is, that coats old
very flexible cables such as telephone movable extension cables, a
bio-film or plasticiser like chemical ?

 

[Terry Schwartz]

My assumption has always been household cooking grease. Any hard surface that doesn't purposefully get cleaned regularly in a house where actual cooking takes place seems to accumulate airborne cooking grease. It soaks into soft surfaces, but creates an oily film on everything else.

Used to make a lot of service calls into houses in certain ethnic neighborhoods. Bring TV sets back to the shop... first thing we did was wipe them down with glass cleaner. The ammonia in it worked much better than the "409" type cleaners of the day against cooking grease. Some sets were so greasy there was a real risk of dropping them on the way out of the house. Sometimes the line cords were literally furry with grease and accumulated dust. And the high voltage sections, even worse.

You may be referring to something else... that was just my observation.

Do you happen to know what the oily or slimy stuff is, that coats old
very flexible cables such as telephone movable extension cables, a
bio-film or plasticiser like chemical ?

 

[The Real Bev]

On 07/31/2018 10:31 AM, N_Cook wrote:

On 31/07/2018 16:34, Terry Schwartz wrote:
On Tuesday, July 31, 2018 at 8:26:55 AM UTC-5, N_Cook wrote:
Intermittant failure to heat.
Not due to failing switch, but original plastic stress-relief sheathing
at the blue body gone hard with age and causing stress to cable and then
a conductor break. Makes you wonder where all that plasticiser migrates
to, presumably us , quite a bit.

It outgasses..... to atmosphere. Just like the buildup of haze on the inside of your windshield after a hot summer. That's your dashboard, vinyl, carpeting, wire insulation, powder coated parts, upholstery, foam, virtually everything in your car's interior except the metal itself, condensing on the glass and every other surface. Good reason to keep the air flowing thru the vehicle as you drive, minimize the inhalation of those compounds. Gotta love that new car smell.


Do you happen to know what the oily or slimy stuff is, that coats old
very flexible cables such as telephone movable extension cables, a
bio-film or plasticiser like chemical ?

We used to see a lot of icky goo back when we were digging through stuff
at electronic surplus stores. The military used "cosmoline" on a lot of
stuff it wanted to protect (or maybe still does). Core dump complete.

--
Cheers, Bev
Red ship crashes into blue ship - sailors marooned.

 

[Ian Field]

"N_Cook" <diverse@tcp.co.uk> wrote in message
newsjpo2r$380$1@dont-email.me...

Intermittant failure to heat.
Not due to failing switch, but original plastic stress-relief sheathing at
the blue body gone hard with age and causing stress to cable and then a
conductor break. Makes you wonder where all that plasticiser migrates to,
presumably us , quite a bit.

If you're going to use a Cooper Tools iron - keep a cheap Antex X25 iron
ready to hand for all the times it'll need repairing.

 

[Phil Hobbs]

On 07/31/2018 03:34 PM, The Real Bev wrote:

On 07/31/2018 10:31 AM, N_Cook wrote:
On 31/07/2018 16:34, Terry Schwartz wrote:
On Tuesday, July 31, 2018 at 8:26:55 AM UTC-5, N_Cook wrote:
Intermittant failure to heat.
Not due to failing switch, but original plastic stress-relief sheathing
at the blue body gone hard with age and causing stress to cable and
then
a conductor break. Makes you wonder where all that plasticiser migrates
to, presumably us , quite a bit.

It outgasses..... to atmosphere. Just like the buildup of haze on the
inside of your windshield after a hot summer. That's your dashboard,
vinyl, carpeting, wire insulation, powder coated parts, upholstery,
foam, virtually everything in your car's interior except the metal
itself, condensing on the glass and every other surface. Good reason
to keep the air flowing thru the vehicle as you drive, minimize the
inhalation of those compounds. Gotta love that new car smell.


Do you happen to know what the oily or slimy stuff is, that coats old
very flexible cables such as telephone movable extension cables, a
bio-film or plasticiser like chemical ?

We used to see a lot of icky goo back when we were digging through stuff
at electronic surplus stores.  The military used "cosmoline" on a lot of
stuff it wanted to protect (or maybe still does).  Core dump complete.

Including surplus jeeps. (Car Talk nostalgia.)

Cheers

Phil Hobbs

--
Dr Philip C D Hobbs
Principal Consultant
ElectroOptical Innovations LLC / Hobbs ElectroOptics
Optics, Electro-optics, Photonics, Analog Electronics
Briarcliff Manor NY 10510

http://electrooptical.net
http://hobbs-eo.com

 

[Fox's Mercantile]

On 7/31/18 3:33 PM, Ian Field wrote:

If you're going to use a Cooper Tools iron - keep a cheap Antex
X25 iron ready to hand for all the times it'll need repairing.

I bought a Weller WES51 back in 2001, it's been in constant service
since then. I have a second WES51 I use occasionally (off site.)

The WES51 was a replacement for the TCP that I'd had since 1985.
It dropped dead while I was at a field service site, so I didn't
bother to "What's wrong with this?" at the time. I just bought a
new station.
After I got home, I fixed the TCP. it still works and is the "other"
back up iron that's home in the garage now rather than in the shop.



--
"I am a river to my people."
Jeff-1.0
WA6FWi
http:foxsmercantile.com

 

[N_Cook]

On 31/07/2018 23:57, Fox's Mercantile wrote:

On 7/31/18 3:33 PM, Ian Field wrote:
If you're going to use a Cooper Tools iron - keep a cheap Antex
X25 iron ready to hand for all the times it'll need repairing.

I bought a Weller WES51 back in 2001, it's been in constant service
since then. I have a second WES51 I use occasionally (off site.)

The WES51 was a replacement for the TCP that I'd had since 1985.
It dropped dead while I was at a field service site, so I didn't
bother to "What's wrong with this?" at the time. I just bought a
new station.
After I got home, I fixed the TCP. it still works and is the "other"
back up iron that's home in the garage now rather than in the shop.

My one came via auction from one-time Ferguson production line at
Gosport, England. Jane in 1986 melted here name and date on the front
plastic.
I only switch it on when required, heat-up time allows me to check I'm
to mentally check the IC is in the right wat round or whatever.
One tip that certainly avoided the barrel cracking at the hot end,
transistor tab mount insulator, one above and one below the flange of
the 3 fixing screws, may have helped such long service.
I make my own long conical tips from believed Solon ancient iron tips
cut down and salvaged magnastat fitted over a stub of copper clinker
boat clenching nail.

 

[N_Cook]

On 31/07/2018 18:56, Terry Schwartz wrote:

My assumption has always been household cooking grease. Any hard surface that doesn't purposefully get cleaned regularly in a house where actual cooking takes place seems to accumulate airborne cooking grease. It soaks into soft surfaces, but creates an oily film on everything else.

Used to make a lot of service calls into houses in certain ethnic neighborhoods. Bring TV sets back to the shop... first thing we did was wipe them down with glass cleaner. The ammonia in it worked much better than the "409" type cleaners of the day against cooking grease. Some sets were so greasy there was a real risk of dropping them on the way out of the house. Sometimes the line cords were literally furry with grease and accumulated dust. And the high voltage sections, even worse.

You may be referring to something else... that was just my observation.



Do you happen to know what the oily or slimy stuff is, that coats old
very flexible cables such as telephone movable extension cables, a
bio-film or plasticiser like chemical ?

I recently dumped a box of telephone stuff ,been in a shed for 20 years,
perfectly ok when put in there.
All the leads were this manky gooey coating, no cooking in my shed of
coarse.
I'm reminded of the black goo in tape recorders/VCRs when a rubber band
perishes to goo, and all the other bands get the same contagion and fail
, but not necessarily to sticky goo

 

[Jeff Liebermann]

On Tue, 31 Jul 2018 17:57:48 -0500, Fox's Mercantile <jdangus@att.net>
wrote:

I bought a Weller WES51 back in 2001, it's been in constant service
since then. I have a second WES51 I use occasionally (off site.)

The WES51 was a replacement for the TCP that I'd had since 1985.
It dropped dead while I was at a field service site, so I didn't
bother to "What's wrong with this?" at the time. I just bought a
new station.
After I got home, I fixed the TCP. it still works and is the "other"
back up iron that's home in the garage now rather than in the shop.

In about 1975, I bought a large box full of Weller WTCPT, WTCPL,
TC-201, etc soldering irons, bases, cords, parts, and goodies. I
think I paid about $20 for everything. I've never bothered to count,
but I think I've rebuilt about 10 irons out of the pile, and probably
have parts for 5-10 more. A big irritation is that I have buy tips
and sponges. I have at least one iron on every workbench, including
the kitchen table. These are not the best irons available, but they
seem to last forever and are fairly easy to fix when they decide its
time to break.

Along the way, I've purchased a few imported soldering irons. They're
much cheaper than Weller and do work well enough. Rather than give my
friends one of my good Weller irons, I give them the imported irons.

As for the original problem, I can't tell what's broken from here. An
ohmmeter will tell if it's a broken cable, bad switch contacts, or
blown heater. The little plastic twist locks sometimes fall apart.
Check for intermittent connectors where the cord enters the base.

My guess(tm) would be the contacts. Unwrap the yellow kapton tape.
The plastic shell will fall apart. Clean the contacts. If the
contacts are badly pitted, file down the peaks. Re-silver if
necessary. Replace the tape, reassemble, check for continuity, and
you're done.

<http://bama.edebris.com/download/weller/wtcpl/WTCPL%20Tech%20Sheet.pdf>


--
Jeff Liebermann jeffl@cruzio.com
150 Felker St #D http://www.LearnByDestroying.com
Santa Cruz CA 95060 http://802.11junk.com
Skype: JeffLiebermann AE6KS 831-336-2558

 

[Jeff Liebermann]

On Tue, 31 Jul 2018 18:31:46 +0100, N_Cook <diverse@tcp.co.uk> wrote:

Do you happen to know what the oily or slimy stuff is, that coats old
very flexible cables such as telephone movable extension cables, a
bio-film or plasticiser like chemical ?

It depends on the age. Today, most PVC and rubber cables use
phthalates or ortho-phthalates as a plasticizer to soften the plastic
and make it flexible. Before about 1930, it was castor oil or
vegetable oil. Yech.
<http://wwwcourses.sens.buffalo.edu/ce435/2001ZGu/Phthalate_Plasticizers/PhthalatePlasticizersReport.htm>
(Yes, I know the formatting sucks, but the info looks good).

There are also non-phthalate plasticizers introduced:
<https://www.eastman.com/Pages/ProductHome.aspx?product=71072819>
The SDS data says it's 98% bis(2-ethylhexyl) terephthalate which makes
me wonder why they claim it's non-phthalate.




--
Jeff Liebermann jeffl@cruzio.com
150 Felker St #D http://www.LearnByDestroying.com
Santa Cruz CA 95060 http://802.11junk.com
Skype: JeffLiebermann AE6KS 831-336-2558

 

On Tuesday, July 31, 2018 at 11:34:07 AM UTC-4, Terry Schwartz wrote:

On Tuesday, July 31, 2018 at 8:26:55 AM UTC-5, N_Cook wrote:
Intermittant failure to heat.
Not due to failing switch, but original plastic stress-relief sheathing
at the blue body gone hard with age and causing stress to cable and then
a conductor break. Makes you wonder where all that plasticiser migrates
to, presumably us , quite a bit.

It outgasses..... to atmosphere. Just like the buildup of haze on the inside of your windshield after a hot summer. That's your dashboard, vinyl, carpeting, wire insulation, powder coated parts, upholstery, foam, virtually everything in your car's interior except the metal itself, condensing on the glass and every other surface. Good reason to keep the air flowing thru the vehicle as you drive, minimize the inhalation of those compounds. Gotta love that new car smell.

Huh, I always wondered where the 'haze' on the inside of my car window
came from. Thanks.

George H.

 

On Wednesday, 1 August 2018 16:55:03 UTC+1, Jeff Liebermann wrote:

On Tue, 31 Jul 2018 17:57:48 -0500, Fox's Mercantile <jdangus@att.net
wrote:
I bought a Weller WES51 back in 2001, it's been in constant service
since then. I have a second WES51 I use occasionally (off site.)

The WES51 was a replacement for the TCP that I'd had since 1985.
It dropped dead while I was at a field service site, so I didn't
bother to "What's wrong with this?" at the time. I just bought a
new station.
After I got home, I fixed the TCP. it still works and is the "other"
back up iron that's home in the garage now rather than in the shop.

In about 1975, I bought a large box full of Weller WTCPT, WTCPL,
TC-201, etc soldering irons, bases, cords, parts, and goodies. I
think I paid about $20 for everything. I've never bothered to count,
but I think I've rebuilt about 10 irons out of the pile, and probably
have parts for 5-10 more. A big irritation is that I have buy tips
and sponges. I have at least one iron on every workbench, including
the kitchen table. These are not the best irons available, but they
seem to last forever and are fairly easy to fix when they decide its
time to break.

Along the way, I've purchased a few imported soldering irons. They're
much cheaper than Weller and do work well enough. Rather than give my
friends one of my good Weller irons, I give them the imported irons.

As for the original problem, I can't tell what's broken from here. An
ohmmeter will tell if it's a broken cable, bad switch contacts, or
blown heater. The little plastic twist locks sometimes fall apart.
Check for intermittent connectors where the cord enters the base.

My guess(tm) would be the contacts. Unwrap the yellow kapton tape.
The plastic shell will fall apart. Clean the contacts. If the
contacts are badly pitted, file down the peaks. Re-silver if
necessary. Replace the tape, reassemble, check for continuity, and
you're done.

http://bama.edebris.com/download/weller/wtcpl/WTCPL%20Tech%20Sheet.pdf

Soldering iron cleaning sponges cost about nothing. I can go to the kitchenware department & pick up a pack of 3 cellulose sponges (packed damp to keep them soft until sold) for less than a buck. They cut up into I forget but maybe 20 soldering iron cleaning pads. The one trivial difference is the colours.

If even that's too much, wet denim also makes a good iron cleaner.


NT

 

[pfjw@aol.com]

Just make sure they are the cellulose sponges, not the plastic ones - the latter melt rather spectacularly and will foul the tip.

Note that the ones with the Scotch Brite surface are good for tip cleaning at the beginning of a session - but use with care and only when very wet as the material also will melt if exposed until dry.

Peter Wieck
Melrose Park, PA

 

[Fox's Mercantile]

What is the fascination everyone has with insisting on NOT
using original parts on anything?

Over the years I have built up a stock pile of original
parts and accessories for everything I own.


--
"I am a river to my people."
Jeff-1.0
WA6FWi
http:foxsmercantile.com

 

[N_Cook]

On 01/08/2018 17:23, ggherold@gmail.com wrote:

On Tuesday, July 31, 2018 at 11:34:07 AM UTC-4, Terry Schwartz wrote:
On Tuesday, July 31, 2018 at 8:26:55 AM UTC-5, N_Cook wrote:
Intermittant failure to heat.
Not due to failing switch, but original plastic stress-relief sheathing
at the blue body gone hard with age and causing stress to cable and then
a conductor break. Makes you wonder where all that plasticiser migrates
to, presumably us , quite a bit.

It outgasses..... to atmosphere. Just like the buildup of haze on the inside of your windshield after a hot summer. That's your dashboard, vinyl, carpeting, wire insulation, powder coated parts, upholstery, foam, virtually everything in your car's interior except the metal itself, condensing on the glass and every other surface. Good reason to keep the air flowing thru the vehicle as you drive, minimize the inhalation of those compounds. Gotta love that new car smell.

Huh, I always wondered where the 'haze' on the inside of my car window
came from. Thanks.

George H.

I worked out the source of periodic greasy grime on the outside of our
cars parked over night, well balance of probability.
By logging wind direction, seems it was a local hospital half a mile
away, incinerating human body parts at night so people don't see the
black smoke from the chimney.

 

[Jeff Liebermann]

On Wed, 1 Aug 2018 11:55:26 -0700 (PDT), tabbypurr@gmail.com wrote:

Soldering iron cleaning sponges cost about nothing. I can go
to the kitchenware department & pick up a pack of 3 cellulose
sponges (packed damp to keep them soft until sold) for less
than a buck. They cut up into I forget but maybe 20 soldering
iron cleaning pads. The one trivial difference is the colours.

Thanks. I wasn't certain that the sponge was made from cellulose.
<https://patents.google.com/patent/US4118821>
<https://patents.google.com/patent/US7870990B2>
I've tried that a few times, and the sponge usually just melted and
charred. I probably was using plastic sponges.

If I can find some melamine sponge, it should work without water:
<https://patents.google.com/patent/US8109430>
Same with a brass or stainless scrubber.

A wet folded paper towel sorta works, but not very well.

>If even that's too much, wet denim also makes a good iron cleaner.

Good idea. I'll give it a try. Anything to avoid paying $5 for a
TC205 sponge.
<https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_nkw=tc205+sponge>

Do it thyself tip cleaner:
<https://pcbsmoke.wordpress.com/2015/05/11/diy-soldering-iron-tip-cleaning-sponge/>

--
Jeff Liebermann jeffl@cruzio.com
150 Felker St #D http://www.LearnByDestroying.com
Santa Cruz CA 95060 http://802.11junk.com
Skype: JeffLiebermann AE6KS 831-336-2558

 

[Ralph Mowery]

In article <a6fd63d9-c094-4896-91b2-5aaa4c60033a@googlegroups.com>,
tabbypurr@gmail.com says...

Soldering iron cleaning sponges cost about nothing. I can go to the kitchenware department & pick up a pack of 3 cellulose sponges (packed damp to keep them soft until sold) for less than a buck. They cut up into I forget but maybe 20 soldering iron cleaning pads. The one trivial difference is the colours.

I quit the wet sponge years ago and went with the dry 'pot cleaner'
thing. They can be had for about $ 3.50 from china. That is holder and
the insert.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Welding-Soldering-Solder-Iron-Tip-Cleaner-
Cleaning-Steel-Wire-With-Stand-Set-HX/112673113703?epid=1970698966
&hash=item1a3bd74667%3Ag%3ArJYAAOSwvApaHhYw&_sacat=0
&_nkw=soldering+iron+tip+cleaner&_from=R40
&rt=nc&_trksid=p2499334.m570.l1311.R8.TR12.TRC2.A0.H0.Xsoldering+iron+.T
RS0.TSS0

 

[Andy Burns]

Ralph Mowery wrote:

I quit the wet sponge years ago and went with the dry 'pot cleaner'
thing. They can be had for about $ 3.50 from china. That is holder and
the insert.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Welding-Soldering-Solder-Iron-Tip-Cleaner-
Cleaning-Steel-Wire-With-Stand-Set-HX/112673113703?epid=1970698966
&hash=item1a3bd74667%3Ag%3ArJYAAOSwvApaHhYw&_sacat=0
&_nkw=soldering+iron+tip+cleaner&_from=R40
&rt=nc&_trksid=p2499334.m570.l1311.R8.TR12.TRC2.A0.H0.Xsoldering+iron+.T
RS0.TSS0

And this is a sensible URL for that item

<https://www.ebay.com/itm/112673113703>