timelessbeing
Member
Applying solder to an iron and then taking a focused macro shot was trickier than I thought! So here you can see what I mean. The brown crust is flux from the solder I had just applied, so it can't be helped.
I find that having some solder on the tip makes transferring heat more efficient. It increases contact area with the part being soldered, as well as providing a heat "reservoir" for parts that dissipate more heat into the air. I'll confess there's a little bit too much in the first pic, but when you're de-soldering parts you need a good size blob to envelope all the leads. When space is tight, you need that solder at the tip end as much as possible.
Anyway, I've said too much about it already. Just a little niggle.
I find that having some solder on the tip makes transferring heat more efficient. It increases contact area with the part being soldered, as well as providing a heat "reservoir" for parts that dissipate more heat into the air. I'll confess there's a little bit too much in the first pic, but when you're de-soldering parts you need a good size blob to envelope all the leads. When space is tight, you need that solder at the tip end as much as possible.
Anyway, I've said too much about it already. Just a little niggle.