Going through Weller soldering tips too fast
 

I have a Weller 40 watt pencil iron. Love the iron, but the tips seem to wear out quickly. What causes the tip to "dish out" and erode so fast. I use a damp sponge to clean the tip while soldering and I always keep the tip tinned when not in use as I have read in the instructions. The only types of solder I've ever used is a 60/40 rosin core and Silver. I avoid anything with acid core or flux. I've had this happen with another iron I've had as well (not Weller), the tips just don't last; they'll get pretty eroded after just a few jobs. Am I doing something wrong? Also where is the best place to get Weller tips? Thanks for your help.

You are not doing anything wrong. The flux simply doing it's job.

Take a file to the tip to restore the chisel, then re-tin the tip. Keep doing that until there's nothing left, then get a new tip.

"Iron plated" tips last much longer. McMaster has them, or most any electronics place.

That's good to know. I thought I was seriously missing something.:oops: Thanks Manning! I'll go get my file! Btw, does McMaster have a website? And they make tips to fit Weller irons, right? Thanks again.

I took my "melted" tips to the bench grinder and gave them new life, they seem to be holding up really well, the length of the tip seems long enough that I could do it a couple times and pull it out as needed.

Will do Fred! (and may I say, that is a fantastic Avitar!)"thumbsup"

thanks it is pretty awesome, just be sure to re-tin the tip as Manning said, it'll be ground down to raw copper once you're done.

www.mcmaster.com

They have everything! They dont tell you shipping before you order because they just give you whatever they pay for it. Since they do so much shipping it is always cheaper than I expect. I have ordered tons of stuff from them, some of it oversized 4' rods and it was still under $10.

Are you leaving the soldering on along time? I ve had my weller for 10 years, still orginal tip,never reground or anything, not till I took it to work did my tip start to disappear? realized at work my iron sits on at max for like 3+ minutes at a time without being used, the tip is getting eaten by the flux .

As stated above, leaving them on with solder on the tip is what kills it. If your leaving it on, wipe off all solder first. Only tin the tip right before you solder something or turn it off. Im going on 4 years with the tip i have on my soldering station and i use it at least once a week, sometimes on for hours at a time.

Re: Going through Weller soldering tips too fast
 

So is it ok to use a wet sponge to wipe off the solder on the tip? So then are you saying you should wipe it off thoroughly right before you shut it off for the day (or the particular soldering session)? I've always used a wet sponge too and I have started to wonder if maybe wiping the tip while the iron is hot might have something to do with the tip erosion. Could that be a factor?

Re: Going through Weller soldering tips too fast
 

I have since ground off my tip and it restored it perfectly to a nice sharp bright copper chisel point. I re-tinned it and it works like new, I have also reduced the time that I leave the iron plugged in (since I don't have a solder station with a rheostat temp control) I basically plug it in til it heats enough to do the deed, make my solder joint and then unplug it while I'm getting ready for the next thing. It seems to have improved the tip life a bit, but I also use a wet sponge while soldering to make sure I have a shiney clean tip without debris before soldering a joint, I also wipe it off mildly when done soldering. I have noticed the tip is starting to show a tiny bit of dishing to it again though, but not as much or as fast as before. Hmmm...the quest continues... Thanks for the input guys!

Re: Going through Weller soldering tips too fast
 

Weird. I've been using the medium tip that comes with this $17 Weller for over a year now and it hasn't deteriorated at all. I use Novak 5832 silver solder religiously and keep the tip clean. I also use Stay-Clean flux on my wires or whatever else I'm soldering to.

Re: Going through Weller soldering tips too fast
 

I used to use silver solder. But I was told by a lot of electronics pros that using a 60/40 with rosin flux core is the best to use on RC's and small electronics. They told me that silver is better as a structural solder (for building small metal parts, etc.) and doesn't provide any benefit, in fact I was told that it has higher resistance than a 60/40 solder as well (I haven't tested this claim so I don't know if it is accurate or not but the source is certainly trustworthy and reliable). I've never seen any difference in my RC's between the times I've used silver back in the day or 60/40 except that the 60/40 is far more reliable and stable to work with. I've never used an acid core solder, which I've always been told to avoid, that's why I am a bit confused as to why my tips keep eroding...so far my freshly ground tip is holding up well with the changes in technique I've adopted lately."thumbsup" We'll see how long it holds up this time.