Weller WTCPT tip life??

[Darwin, Keith]

Hi guys,
 
Work (ouch! I smashed my finger and it hurts to type letters like "ki,")
...... working on the KPA100 and have noticed soldering is tougher than
it was on the K2.  Heat transfer from the top to the part/board is hit &
miss.  When I clean and re-tin the tip of the iron I see it has a bit of
a golden hue and doesn't take solder well.  Switching back to the larger
(OEM) tip things get better.  I'm wondering if the tip or maybe the
sponge are just warn out and need to be replaced?
 
The Weller was new when I started the K2 and I used the small tip for
the K2.  Since then I've built a few mini-modules but not much else.
 
How long do these tips last?
 
- Keith N1AS -
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[Darwin, Keith]

My technique is to remove the iron from the holder, wipe it on the damp
sponge (2 swipes, one on each side of the tip), bring it under my circle
light / magnifier and tin the tip.  Delay from wiping to tinning is
about 5 seconds.

Maybe the oxidation isn't coming off when I clean it on the sponge?

When changing tips I've checked to see that the spring-loaded inner part
of the iron is able to move (it is).  Both tips are #7 which should be
700 degree tips IIRC.

- Keith -


-----Original Message-----
From: Tom Hammond [mailto:[hidden email]]
Sent: Monday, November 27, 2006 8:55 AM
To: Darwin, Keith
Subject: Re: [Elecraft] Weller WTCPT tip life??

Keith:

The tips'll last until the iron plating comes off... probably another
decade (or three) in the future! And I'll bet it's not your sponge.

If your tip gets golden immediately, it means one of two things...
   1) the tip's too hot, or
   2) you're not applying the light coat of solder immediately(!)
      after you clean it.

Generally, the problem is #2, unless you're using a REALLY HOT temp tip.

A #6 or #7 tip should work decently well, BUT you do have to apply the
re-tinning solder immediately after you clean the tip or it'll start to
re-oxidize (that golden coloration) as soon as it's been cleaned.

For what it's worth, it do NOT clean the tip until I'm ready to START
another soldered connection... e.g. once I finish soldering a joint and
set the iron back in the holder, it do NOT clean it until I take it out
for the next round of soldered joints.

73,

Tom   N0SS

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