[sdiy] what temp do you solder at?

[Michael Bacich]

Hello Brett,

I use the same Weller solder station that many of us use (WTPC or  
something like that) -- it's sort of the de facto professional  
utility station.  It works very well, and the one I have has served  
me since 1984 (albeit with numerous miscellaneous rebuilds along the  
way).  It doesn't have adjustable temperature or any kind of read-out  
or display, so I don't really know what the actual tip temperature  
is.  However, the replaceable tips themselves are designed in such a  
way that they regulate the unit's temperature, and you can buy them  
in various heat ratings.  The standard tip that most people use is  
the 700 degree tip, with the 600 degree tip usually used for delicate  
stuff.  I always just use the 700 tip, even on surface mount stuff,  
and I've never wrecked a part just from soldering.  I keep an 800  
degree tip handy for soldering and desoldering heavy-duty stuff, such  
as big wires that are soldered to sheet metal, and like that.    I  
don't think I could ever get by with an iron that worked at a lower  
temperature -- especially for repair work and for desoldering stuff.

Again, I don't know if the actual working temperature is 700 degrees,  
but that's what the tip package says when you buy it.

Mike B.