[sdiy] Soldering iron... what temperature? (and soldering problems)

[Sam Ecoff]

O.k.

So I broke down and got the Weller WES-51 soldering station. It seems  
cool (although I do wish the case was the manly navy as it appears on  
the box rather than 50's turquoise it actually is). So... the  
question is, what should I set the temp dial to for SDIY work?

Second question: I'm still having some of the problems with the  
Weller that I was having with my old Rat Shack iron: The solder  
doesn't seem to flow correctly onto the joint the way it used to. It  
frequently adheres more to the tip of the iron than to the PCB pad or  
component, and I have to use tricks like running the tip of the iron  
up the leg of the component as I pull the iron away from a joint, or  
all of the solder will stick to the tip of the iron and leave the  
joint bare. Also, in order to get the solder to flow all the way  
around the leg of a component, I have to rotate the PCB in my hand;  
the solder doesn't flow around the leg the way it always used to. I  
just don't get why this is happening. I *never* used to have this  
problem at all. At first, I thought it was because Rat Shack changed  
the composition of their tips, but now I'm beginning to wonder if  
there's something screwy with the reel of solder I have. FWIW, I'm  
using Kester 331 63/37 solder, 0.031 diameter. I purchased it from  
Mouser only a month ago. I've also been noticing a strange yellowish  
buildup on the iron tip that I never saw before. I clean the tip  
regularly while I'm using the iron. I'd really like to figure out  
what's going on, because it's taking me 2-3 times as long as it  
should to solder each joint. It's extremely frustrating.

Thanks,

Sam E.
_______________________________
Sam Ecoff
Secret Society Productions
5307 S. 92nd St. Suite 105
Hales Corners, WI 53130
(414) 427-0615
www.samecoff.com