[jhawk22]

Recently I assembled 2 cmoys and some xbox mods with a 30 watt radio shack iron. So far I went through 2 tips(the tips are rated at 30watt). They just seem to melt away. Is this normal?

After soldering each joint I reclean the tip in a wet sponge and re-tin it. I dont think I'm doing anything wrong. Are radioshack irons crap or are most this way? I was looking at buying a weller but dont want to run into the same problem.

any advise?

 

[Garbz]

not sure about the quality of your iron but a nice brand helps a LOT.

I've had a few irons in the past. Some cheap ones which i've found the handles heat up, the tips don't last long, the cables are heavy, the iron is unbalanced etc.

Currently i have a cheap 43watt soldering iron which i use for anything moderatly heavy (like soldiering parts onto a ground plane) and I also have a 12watt soldering pencil from Goot. The pencil is absolutly godly in my hand compared to the 43watt iron, but then it cost about three times as much.

I'm not sure exactly what's wrong with your iron but try using tips rated for a higher wattage, and if you buy another iron get some brand name irons along with a nice little warranty slip.

 

[Excalibur]

Cheap irons/tips do not last as long as good ones. However, yours seems to be wearing out very quickly! If you want your tip to last longer (cheap OR expensive iron) always put a small amount of solder on the tip when the iron is sitting idle. This is concidered good practise for tip care. This way, the solder burns and not the tip. When you wipe off the solder, the tip will be clean and tinned.

 

[guzzler]

that's very fast to wear through a bit. A CMoy's only about 30 solders, so that is ridiculous. I'm using an 18W Antex iron at the moment, have done for years. It's a little underpowered for big connections, like soldering onto tags and for desoldering but is great for small work. Bits are available from 3mm all the way down to 0.5mm.

In short, follow the above advise. Try a higher rated bit, and if that doesn't do any good, go and get a better iron in the 15-30W range

g

 

[jhawk22]

Thanks for the advise guys. I think I'll ditch the radioshack iron all together and try a different brand. Unfortunately, Radioshack only has one tip that will fit the iron.

 

[winston61]

Here's what to do. Take those rat shack irons out into a large field and hold them by the end of the power cord. Swing them over your head while screaming "NO MORE RAT SHACK CRAP FOR ME"!. Release the cord and watch them fly away. Then go and get yourself a good 35W Weller iron and be happy.

 

[morgan jones]

Calm down, gentlemen. It's not about brand, it's about how the iron works - you need a thermostatically controlled iron. Without a thermostat, the tip doesn't last long, and neither does anything it contacts (PCBs, ICs, etc) . Tips last almost indefinitely on decent irons.

 

[Kenny12]

what temps do you use your irons at?

i use 350C for 60/40, but i'm gonna get some 96sn and 4ag solder soon i don't know what to use for that..

the max temp is 450C

 

[morgan jones]

315C is fine for 60/40.

 

[meat01]

Quote:

If you want your tip to last longer (cheap OR expensive iron) always put a small amount of solder on the tip when the iron is sitting idle. This is concidered good practise for tip care. This way, the solder burns and not the tip. When you wipe off the solder, the tip will be clean and tinned.

This is great advice with any soldering iron. If you don't do this, the solder will no longer stick to the tip.

 

[ITZBITZ]

Quote:

Originally Posted by winston61 Here's what to do. Take those rat shack irons out into a large field and hold them by the end of the power cord. Swing them over your head while screaming "NO MORE RAT SHACK CRAP FOR ME"!. Release the cord and watch them fly away. Then go and get yourself a good 35W Weller iron and be happy.

Agreed. A simple soldering station with adjustable temp is a major advancement over the heating irons from RS.

 

[Kenny12]

ok just got the 96 tin / 4 silver solder..

omg its hard to melt......... i tried 400C and it still took ~1 second to get on the board...

i'm using fine tip, would using a medium tip be better?

 

[john0877]

i have an old radio shack i think 30watt iron but thats not my favorite one as its tethered by a cord what i do like though is my Weller butane iron instead as it heats up much quicker and is portable and dont have to fight a cord sometimes in weird angles.


which would you say are better overall though electric or gas irons?