[sdiy] soldering iron problem

[Ingo Debus]

Am 20.12.2007 um 00:56 schrieb Barry Klein:

> Then.  The most dreaded moment in electronics history of all. ROHS.
> Again, all our irons are crap.  Not hot enough.

Hm. At work I've got a shiny new Weller soldering station. I'm using  
both leaded and lead-free solder (depending on the PCB I'm working  
on), with different tips. Weller has different tips for leaded and  
lead-free solder.
Frankly, when soldering I do not notice much difference between  
leaded and lead-free. I even dial in the same temperature, 350°C, for  
both types of solder. Is it just me? I'm using lead-free solder with  
some amount of silver in it.

> The tips
> last 2 days

I'm using the steel wool thing too now. It's said that this is better  
for the tips when using leadfree solder. I used to use a wet sponge  
for many years, but the steel wool cleans the tips just as well.
There's indeed a problem with one of the tips, an ultra-fine one. It  
doesn't wet well. But this is one of the tips for leaded solder. I've  
also got a "tip activator" from Weller, but I still have to try it.

Ingo