3 replies to this topic

[PCH Parts Express]

Just a a reminder for the old pros... and a helpful tip for you new racers.. .Most soldering irons last a long time. But the effective use may end within only a couple of years. The heat capacity degrades over time slowly. 

 

Your soldering on a pinion. It seems like you're not having an easy time. The efficiency of the heater may be bad. Are you having trouble getting a motor out of a flexi chassis? Maybe the irons output has degraded beyond its usable life. 

 

If your liquid flux is several years old, you may want to get a new bottle. 

 

Is the tip on your iron worn out? Does it have a hole? Many irons just need a new heater or heater element to be like new.  

 

Hakko and Weller irons are worth repairing in most cases. Or just treat yourself to a new iron. Keep the current iron as a backup? 

 

e-slotcar.com  

 

(800) 258-7441

(805) 988-8044

[Mark Onofri]

I've found out the hard way that not investing in a temperature control will shorten the life of the iron. It's added at least a year of life to my iron.

[Bill from NH]

I added a miniature off-on line switch to an Ungar years ago. That eliminated a lot of full heat idling in the building process. Later, I bought a Northland temperature control.

[Mark Onofri]

That should have read:
A tempature control will ADD at least a year to the life of the iron. Sorry for any confusion.