Is my soldering iron JUNK??!!!

[jalguitarman]

Hi all. I have a 40 watt radio shack soldering iron, bout $10.00 new. It seems like it has taken forever to do its thing since i have had it. only now it like things get hot before the solder melts on a connection (REAL HOT!!) Tried a new tip. helped very little. The thing is a bout 3 years old has not seen super heavy use. The part above the area you use to solder works better than any wher esle. Are radio shack irons not very gooD??





it takes forever to do a small job. AAARRRGHHH!!!!!:eyecrazy:

 

[RockStarNick]

Re: Is my soldering iron JUNK??!!!

Do you wipe the tip on a damp sponge before you solder?

Gotta keep the tip of the iron clean or else it just won't work well.

 

[jalguitarman]

Re: Is my soldering iron JUNK??!!!

No but thatsa good tip. I am having the same trouble with a brand new just put on an hour ago tip. If its a small solder glob its ok at best but if i have to desolder a big area I could hold the iron there for severel minutes and make a minimal dent.

 

[Koreth]

Re: Is my soldering iron JUNK??!!!

Do you tin the tip of the iron before applying it to the surface of whatever you're soldering? This helps with the heat transfer between the tip and the joint you're trying to make. I used to have the same problem, then I discovered that a tinned tip is the difference between the solder in an area melting almost instantly, and the tip in the same spot for what seems like forever. Of course the tip has to be clean as well, or it won't tin easily.

 

[Ayrton]

Re: Is my soldering iron JUNK??!!!

I have no idea if this is the "correct" way, but I clean, tin, then solder. I wipe the tip after and tin before each joint.

 

[Vasshu the humanoid typhoon]

Re: Is my soldering iron JUNK??!!!

In reality all cheap irons are junk...as said by the others, heat up, clean, put some solder on so that the tip is silvery and smooth...solder...clean again, reapply solder as in the start and turn it off.

 

[gnoj_LL]

Re: Is my soldering iron JUNK??!!!

radio shack solder irons are fine, i think i have the 30 watt version. 25-40 watts is okay for electronics soldering purposes.

i always wipe with a damp sponge and tin the the tip then wipe again after use. i do this everytime i solder a joint. if i dont, even once, my tip does not transfer heat properly as much i wanted it to.

radio shack sell tips that are recomended for different wattage. maybe the new tip you bought is not for 40 watts..?

also do you use lead-free solder? i dont like to use them and always have a hard time with them. (although they are environmentaly greener, i preffer the 60/40 solder)

 

[Lazarus1140]

Re: Is my soldering iron JUNK??!!!

Aside from learning better technique and practicing, the thing that helped me the most was purchasing a Weller soldering iron for $17 from Home Depot. I'm not saying all Radio Shack stuff is inferior. I'm just saying that the two Radio Shack irons I bought were.

 

[alba44]

Re: Is my soldering iron JUNK??!!!

Aside from learning better technique and practicing, the thing that helped me the most was purchasing a Weller soldering iron for $17 from Home Depot. I'm not saying all Radio Shack stuff is inferior. I'm just saying that the two Radio Shack irons I bought were.

That's exactly what I found out the hard way. Those Radio Shack irons(or probably the tips were junk) suck big time. As soon as I purchased a Weller everything flowed smoothly

 

[Sludgenutz]

Re: Is my soldering iron JUNK??!!!

Aside from learning better technique and practicing, the thing that helped me the most was purchasing a Weller soldering iron for $17 from Home Depot. I'm not saying all Radio Shack stuff is inferior. I'm just saying that the two Radio Shack irons I bought were.

The bold type is my handiwork...and I WILL say that Radio Shack stuff is inferior to Weller.

The Weller has a tip made with performance in mind. Radio Shack tips are flash coated with the thinnest layer of iron, over a weak copper core. I would even guess that the iron itself is not up to snuff either. < In other words, I would bet a 25-40 watt Radio Shack unit will not be as hot as a Weller rated at 25-40 watts.

Tip construction is important. Radio Shack is a negligent company (they offer nothing better than crap), although for convenience sake, I would use their tip cleaners/solders/braid for guitar work. That is something they really cannot screw up on a corporate level (except for charging a premium for the amount of product).

----------------------------

I am a tech by trade, and my minimal method is:

A)Heat up iron while iron is in proper/safe holder.
B)Stab hot tip into the tip cleaner compound.
C)Clean tip on damp sponge.
D)Perform solder joint(s). Re-tin and clean the tip with the tip cleaning compound and sponge...every thirty seconds until work is done.
E)Stab tip into tip cleaner after last solder joint. Don't use the sponge. Leave the layer on the tip.
F)Return iron to iron holder.
G)Pull electrical plug on iron to cool.


I like tip cleaning compound, compared to tinning with solder, as it does not smoke as rosin flux filled solder does (flux smoke = dirtier tip = waste of time), and gets the job done in a single push. It is unlikely that a person is going to clean/re-clean the hot tip every thirty seconds with rosin core solder.

What is tip cleaner?
http://www.radioshack.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2062721

 

[millsart]

Re: Is my soldering iron JUNK??!!!

Agree about Rat Shack as well, they make it much much harder than a good quality iron.

Not saying you can't use one and have good luck if you know what your doing, but its just like a guitar.

Sure someone who can really play can sound good on a $100 Samick guitar, but its sure alot easier to play and learn on a quality instrument thats got a straight neck, can hold a tune, doesn't make your fingers bleed etc, know what I mean ?

Get a good quality iron and while you'll still need to practice, life is much easier.

 

[jalguitarman]

Re: Is my soldering iron JUNK??!!!

Thanks gentlemen. I think its time for a new iron altogether!! Something else i have noticed is that it seems as if the heat varies with it. Sometimes it getrs a burst of heat and the solder melts like nothing then its back to taking forever to do its thing. I was using a brand new tip with my iron well heated and touching the tip directly to the solder on a trem claw (thick solder) and the thing would barely make a dent in it. But when i use the area well above the tip its melted like nobodys bussiness. Making me think O.K. maybe this iron is not all that.

i believe you guys ahve confirmed what i suspected. I need a new and better iron.

Thanks again.

BTW I have never heard of tinning a tip, please enlighten me.

While i most likely have more to learn I think i have enough experiance underm e that its time for a good Iron. Never knew there was such a variance in quality. Just figured and iron is an iron is an iron.

 

[Sludgenutz]

Re: Is my soldering iron JUNK??!!!

A shiny solder joint with common .031", 60/40 rosin core solder is the result of using adequate gear that is up to task...and practice. Acid core plumbing solders are a huge no-no.

Tip tinning/cleaning compound is crucial to acheiving final results. Tip cleaning is about cleanliness, and heat transfer. Fluxes from solder irons, to copper plumbing and welding are about excluding oxygen from the surface of the heated joints. Otherwise, impurities can form in and on the soldered materials, rendering a dull appearance and possible poor/intermittent performance over the lifetime of the device.

This is a great vid (I hope this is the the vid, as I cannot watch youtube because of my pc's glitches):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I_NU2ruzyc4

Without getting obsessive over soldering gear, this is about the best model for the money, brand new. By the time a person buys a couple different single wattage irons, they could have just bought one of these below. Plus, it has a nifty iron holder! Feel free to shop around for your chosen retailer/e-tailer. It's good for guitars, and the heat can be dialed back if a person wants to do a stompbox mod or build with more sensitive components.

http://www.hmcelectronics.com/cgi-bin/scripts/product/1980-0373

 

[Sludgenutz]

Re: Is my soldering iron JUNK??!!!

Wow! This is a nice price I found when I hit up Amazon tonight!

$40.45 with free shipping!

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=463383351&pf_rd_i=507846

 

[jalguitarman]

Re: Is my soldering iron JUNK??!!!

The solder i use is a solder i got at radioshack that is supposed to be for electrical soldering. thanks for the link!

 

[wanmei1]

Re: Is my soldering iron JUNK??!!!

A hot burning candle is just fine !

 

[Mononoaware]

Re: Is my soldering iron JUNK??!!!

A little late to the party, but I gotta say, the best hobby purchase I've ever made was my Weller iron -- it's the one linked at Amazon above. Works like a charm, built like a tank, and all those other cliche's. Paid for itself many times over by preventing burnt out switches and pots. Gets in there and transfers heat cleanly without lingering.