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I bought a soldering iron tip that is 0.1mm, it arrived in the post and is unplated. I hadn't expected it to be unplated, it appears to be just copper. So what is the difference? I'm going to guess it won't last long but how should i get the most life out of it?
That shouldn't matter much. Just make sure you tin it regularly, as with all soldering iron tips. Keep it hot, keep it cleaned, and keep it well-tinned. Those are the three main rules for owning and using a soldering iron.
Copper will dissolve in solder, so an unplated tip will wear out much faster than a plated one. The plating usually used is iron. Additional plating of nickel, chrome, and tin is often added to improve wetting to the solder and to prevent the iron from rusting.
Most of us have experience with tips that seem to last a long time, then suddenly will develop a pit in the end that grows rapidly. This is because a small hole has opened in the iron plating, exposing the copper core. These holes are usually caused my mechanical wear that breaks through the iron plating. Moving the tip around when using solder wick can easily wear through the iron plating. And never, ever, use sand paper or a file on a soldering tip.
Please note: The use of the word "iron" in this post, refers to the element FE, not the tool used for soldering.
What are Weller tips "tinned" with? They last a long time.
I still have a ~1970 Ungar 40 Watt iron with the original optional gold tip. This tip always wets with solder most easily, better than a standard Weller. I think that one gold tip will outlive me.
What are Weller tips "tinned" with? They last a long time.
I still have a ~1970 Ungar with the original optional gold tip. This tip always wets with solder most easily, better than a standard Weller. I think that one gold tip will outlive me.
Do you mean "tinned" or "coated"? When I say "tinned" I mean covered with a thin coat of solder. "Coated" refers to the iron or steel or whatever they use around the copper.
What are Weller tips "tinned" with? They last a long time.
I still have a ~1970 Ungar 40 Watt iron with the original optional gold tip. This tip always wets with solder most easily, better than a standard Weller. I think that one gold tip will outlive me.
I'm having to solder onto 0.2mm thick electrodes that are in an awkward spot, i've spent a good few hours this week on it and finally managed it earlier today. I dont like the fine work! A 0.5mm tip did work.
In a pinch for a tip for a Weller pistol type soldering tip, I used #12 AWG solid wire and then put silvler solder on the end so it would have some mass. Turned out that it wetted good and lasted a lot longer. The silver solder had to be put on with Mapp gas or acetaline gas
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