Soldering tips

[Bellyheart]

what do you guys use?

I have a weller wes51 and it's great. I bought a 1/32" tip per Beavis' suggestion. It lasted a year. I figured I ruined it. I ordered two "workalikes" and they lasted collectively as long as the weller brand.

Now the tips are getting hard to find and expensive. Wondering where everyone sources and what you use.

[cloudscapes]

mouser has all of em, it's where I get mine (also the wes/pes51)

[Jwar]

Hey man at least you got a year out them! I bought a digital soldering station (not name brand) and the tip went to shit in like two months.

How do you find them out Mouser? God that site is a nightmare sometimes. LOL

[Jwar]

Whoops! Didn't realize the names you listed were the tip names! Awesome!

[Gigahearts_FX]

I use a Xytronic LF-1680 solder station
Its digital and you can set the temperature. The internal heat element went just short of a year, but I got a new one under warranty (if not, its like a $15 part so no dig deal)
Kept the tip cleaned and they will last a year or so. But as with any tool there are consumable parts; you dont expect drill bits to not wear out, when drilling metals I guess.

Before this I used a simpler Xytronic pencil type iron and that was also very good.
I think in the US weller or other brands are more accessible and you probably cant go far wrong with one of those.

[Jwar]

See the problem is I bought a digital Radio Shack brand station. I have this problem with patience, you know, like waiting and needed to do some soldering that day. SO I just dropped the cash on their shit. Literally shit. The tip has never worked right. I'm hoping a decent one will.

[Bellyheart]

Thanks friends! Mouser is scary but ill face the nightmare. Glad to know I'm average. I could've sworn people claim the tips last years but maybe more practice.

[multi_s]

probably not worth it until your station breaks down, but if you go through a lot of tips I would just get a hakko style iron. They are by far the most popular size/style tips, and good quality ones can be had for about a buck a piece. They also have a much broader selection of styles, but weller certainly makes enough for most purposes.

either way you should be able to make tips last almost forever. just keep them clean when you are using them, get a brass sponge if you don't have one already. If the tip oxidizes you can get this tip cleaner stuff that works pretty well too. For reference i run 2 irons, 1 with a fine tip and the other with a more normal sized one, and I haven't replaced either tip in about 4 years. I probably solder a lot more than the average person too so... it is possible to last years.

[McSpunckle]

You can get Weller ET series tips pretty easily. Just google the tip you're looking for. There are a bunch of sites that sell them. Mouser, Zoro, Testequipmentdepot, Tequipment, etc. They're not hard to find.

Beavis is kinda wrong about the soldering tip. The best for most pedal work is a 1/16" chisel. In your case, the Weller ETA (which is what they ship with). Mouser has them for $4. The larger chisel heats parts up better, and will generally last longer than the smaller tip. You want a tip just a bit smaller than the diameter of the pads you're soldering.

And to take care of your tip, keep your temperature at a reasonable level. 350-375C(650-700F) is ideal, usually. Start lower and turn it up if you find you need to. Also, if you use lead free solder, make sure it's good stuff. Typical SAC305 (the stuff with silver) will kill your tip, and cheap stuff will make it hard to solder. Kester K100 and AIM SN100C are awesome. And the brass cleaner is an excellent suggestion. And if your iron is going to be on a minute while you mess with something, put a blog of solder on the tip. It helps a lot.