I use Kester 951 in a Bonkote pen applicator. The 951 is on the mild side for a flux, but it's no-clean and works well for everything I use it for. Probably not the best for heavily oxidized parts or traces.
Hi Nigel,
Just measured my (no cool) soldering tip. It's 4mm. In any event, it is the largest one I could buy for that iron. The station is the OEM for many brand names, Solomon SL-30. I calibrated the temperature system. 🙂
I will soon be trying out a new station called "Quick". This one is a model 3104, bottom of the line. It came with an impossibly useless tip, so I'm waiting for an assortment of screwdriver style tips. From what I was able to figure out with this useless tip is that the station appears to work very well. The tip? A fine gauge conical thing, possibly useful for soldering one IC lead at a time in surface mount. Why they supplied that tip with the station is beyond me.
Whats interesting about these stations is that they appear to use RF energy to heat the tip. Before anyone runs out to buy one, calibrating the internal thermometer is part of using it, so make sure you have an accurate thermocouple type thermometer ready as this is the first procedure you will be doing. The one here was almost 50 °C out reading high. However, the setup is worth it as the station seemed to keep the tip within a few degrees of the set point. Once the proper tips arrive, I will report on it more completely. These tend to be inexpensive stations, so most of our members could afford one. I think it's around $75 USD at the moment. The next one up is closer to $160. Both are digital display, but there is a cheaper one available. But why go for a cheaper one at these prices??
-Chris
Just measured my (no cool) soldering tip. It's 4mm. In any event, it is the largest one I could buy for that iron. The station is the OEM for many brand names, Solomon SL-30. I calibrated the temperature system. 🙂
I will soon be trying out a new station called "Quick". This one is a model 3104, bottom of the line. It came with an impossibly useless tip, so I'm waiting for an assortment of screwdriver style tips. From what I was able to figure out with this useless tip is that the station appears to work very well. The tip? A fine gauge conical thing, possibly useful for soldering one IC lead at a time in surface mount. Why they supplied that tip with the station is beyond me.
Whats interesting about these stations is that they appear to use RF energy to heat the tip. Before anyone runs out to buy one, calibrating the internal thermometer is part of using it, so make sure you have an accurate thermocouple type thermometer ready as this is the first procedure you will be doing. The one here was almost 50 °C out reading high. However, the setup is worth it as the station seemed to keep the tip within a few degrees of the set point. Once the proper tips arrive, I will report on it more completely. These tend to be inexpensive stations, so most of our members could afford one. I think it's around $75 USD at the moment. The next one up is closer to $160. Both are digital display, but there is a cheaper one available. But why go for a cheaper one at these prices??
-Chris
Hi theAnonymous1,
The flux I use is from MG Chemicals. It's called "Rosen Flux" # 835-100ml. Other fluxes seem to be the same as this one. I'm not married to a specific make.
With this stuff, you really do have to clean up behind yourself. I use it in an old GC bottle for flux that has a brush in the cap. That works great as you can squeeze out the excess before touching the PCB. It causes the solder to wet very well, and also works with the lead free solder, SN100C. I actually like that stuff. Not bad for lead free.
-Chris
The flux I use is from MG Chemicals. It's called "Rosen Flux" # 835-100ml. Other fluxes seem to be the same as this one. I'm not married to a specific make.
With this stuff, you really do have to clean up behind yourself. I use it in an old GC bottle for flux that has a brush in the cap. That works great as you can squeeze out the excess before touching the PCB. It causes the solder to wet very well, and also works with the lead free solder, SN100C. I actually like that stuff. Not bad for lead free.
-Chris
I had to replace a tin of Soldering Bakers soldering paste that I'd used for years. Messy but effective.
Struggled to find a paste. Ended up with Kalafonia Thermopasty not realising it was solid not paste. You can dissolve in isopropyl alcohol but it's hard to keep airtight and avoid evaporation. Now I know to look for a liquid rosin flux.
1 - many modern pcbs are gold plated. If bare copper always give a rub up with wet & dry paper 'til bright.
2 - I always wipe component legs with wet & dry paper - they can tarnish in storage. Learnt the hard way. Split supply to pre-amp intermittently became 0-0-15v supply - yet every time I measured it was ok & wiggling of components would not reproduce the fault. Solder had formed a volcano shape around component lead. Very hard to spot, even under magnification.
3 - Don't dip tip in your flux tin - keep separate qty for that - avoid oxidising your whole flux supply.
Struggled to find a paste. Ended up with Kalafonia Thermopasty not realising it was solid not paste. You can dissolve in isopropyl alcohol but it's hard to keep airtight and avoid evaporation. Now I know to look for a liquid rosin flux.
1 - many modern pcbs are gold plated. If bare copper always give a rub up with wet & dry paper 'til bright.
2 - I always wipe component legs with wet & dry paper - they can tarnish in storage. Learnt the hard way. Split supply to pre-amp intermittently became 0-0-15v supply - yet every time I measured it was ok & wiggling of components would not reproduce the fault. Solder had formed a volcano shape around component lead. Very hard to spot, even under magnification.
3 - Don't dip tip in your flux tin - keep separate qty for that - avoid oxidising your whole flux supply.
Which is why I love the metcal and when an offer of one at around £100 came up I jumped. The tips are calibrated and just dump more power in as needed. I spent a decade looking with friends promising to get me from closure sales etc before I got this.
What is SmartHeat
And due to low thermal inertia changing tips is a lot quicker.
Spares are sadly pricy tho at £20 a tip.
Hi Bill,
Yes, and the life of their tips isn't great compared to normal stations. I refuse to buy heat that expensive. Great find though, I should be so lucky!
The tips for the Solomon last forever it seems with some intelligent care. Over a decade with the first tip used every day professionally. The wires in the hand unit broke before tip # 2 died, so I swapped it over and continued with a new hand unit. I killed that tip doing something stupid. Hint: What I did make a big bang and a flash. There was a large crater left in tip #2. I doubt I'll be so stupid again. Underwear was at risk during that experiment. I'm calling that an experiment, okay? 🙂
To be honest, measuring and keying in the temperature correction isn't a big deal at all. Changing tips would hopefully only generate a 5°C error at the most. That would be far better than the bulk of the stations being sold today. The idea of having two irons on the bench (plus the hot air station) is something that makes sense these days. 15 years ago I would have thought that was crazy.
-Chris
Yes, and the life of their tips isn't great compared to normal stations. I refuse to buy heat that expensive. Great find though, I should be so lucky!
The tips for the Solomon last forever it seems with some intelligent care. Over a decade with the first tip used every day professionally. The wires in the hand unit broke before tip # 2 died, so I swapped it over and continued with a new hand unit. I killed that tip doing something stupid. Hint: What I did make a big bang and a flash. There was a large crater left in tip #2. I doubt I'll be so stupid again. Underwear was at risk during that experiment. I'm calling that an experiment, okay? 🙂
That might be why the station and tips are so darned expensive. Have you insured yours for replacement cost?
To be honest, measuring and keying in the temperature correction isn't a big deal at all. Changing tips would hopefully only generate a 5°C error at the most. That would be far better than the bulk of the stations being sold today. The idea of having two irons on the bench (plus the hot air station) is something that makes sense these days. 15 years ago I would have thought that was crazy.
-Chris
I don't get enough soldering time at the moment to worry about tip life, but know what you mean.
@Nigel: When I get around to resuscitating the charred corpse of my 50W boards could I post here to keep stuff on this amp in one place, or would you rather I spawned my own?
@Nigel: When I get around to resuscitating the charred corpse of my 50W boards could I post here to keep stuff on this amp in one place, or would you rather I spawned my own?
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