Throw those bad soldering tips away !

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#22
After using a 25W dumb iron for many years, I guess I got used to soldering HOT. Now that I have a good iron I usually have it set to 680F and that still seems slightly cooler than the dumb iron used to run. Only reason I don't go higher is that the tip oxidizes too fast.
 
#25
theAnonymous1 said:
Ah good, I thought I was running hotter than most people @ 360C. Now I might have to crank it up a little more. :devilr:
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You want it as hot as necessary to get good quick heat with good flow in less than 3 seconds, but no hotter. If 360 works for you no need to go higher. Hakko has some excellent PDF guides at their website(s) that apply to any iron and solder formula. Well worth reading.

You can file the cheap tips but good tips (eg Hakko) should never be filed. Refer to your iron mfgr's instructions.
 
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#27
Ersa Icon IC1100-A 150W temp controlled.

Best money ever spent. I use it for thru-hole, large class SMD and heavy guage wire soldering - no problem.

450ºC is the way forwards! The Ersa has a 250ºc standby mode to stop oxidation, I advise you find one that does the same. Provided you have a good technique (fast and reliable), there is no problem using the hotter iron.

Ps. Low temps are for wimps 😛
 
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#29
Conrad Hoffman said:
Love my Hakko, but remember that tips are a consumable item. They last way longer if you get in the habit of reducing the heat between operations. It only takes a few seconds to come back up to temperature when you need it. Somewhere I saw a chart of tip life vs temperature, and it's a real eye opener. Something else that takes its toll is if you do a lot of service and use the tip to pry up bent over component leads. If all you do is build new boards, the Hakko tips last near to forever.
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hmmm, I usually turn the iron down if i'm going to be more than a minute too, but i've actually been told that this lessens the life of the tips due to thermal cycling/shock
 
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