Soldering noob: my iron doesn't seem hot enough!

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BenEtherington
 
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Soldering noob: my iron doesn't seem hot enough!

Post by BenEtherington »

I bought the 30W iron last July, and something doesn't seem right. Keep in mind I might be overlooking something simple here, because before this, the last time I soldered was 15-20 years ago when my dad taught me.

The tip of the iron won't melt solder, even with the power cranked all the way up. I can hold my solder against the wedge for a good couple of minutes and nothing happens. However, I can tin leads and do general wire soldering if I apply heat from farther back, right where the removable tip protrudes from the mount sleeve.

I've tried cleaning the iron, but that doesn't seem to be the issue. I feel like I've got to be missing something here.

Thanks for all the hard work you Adafruiters do!

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adafruit_support_bill
 
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Re: Soldering noob: my iron doesn't seem hot enough!

Post by adafruit_support_bill »

Hmmm. That doesn't sound right. Make sure that the tip is snugged down tight to assure good heat transfer from the barrel of the iron.

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Franklin97355
 
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Re: Soldering noob: my iron doesn't seem hot enough!

Post by Franklin97355 »

Also remove the tip and check for any corrosion or oxidation of the tips base.

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BenEtherington
 
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Re: Soldering noob: my iron doesn't seem hot enough!

Post by BenEtherington »

Thanks for the tips, guys. Turns out it wasn't either of those, it was a dirty tip. I was going to record a video to help you guys diagnose my issue, but first I gave it a really good scrub, and it looks like that was my problem from the beginning! Not sure when it picked up such a nice, even layer of carbon, but I'll make sure it doesn't happen again.

Thanks again, Adafruit is the very best.

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adafruit_support_mike
 
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Re: Soldering noob: my iron doesn't seem hot enough!

Post by adafruit_support_mike »

The dark coating is a natural result of keeping the iron hot.

It's a combination of carbon left over when everything else in the flux has boiled away, and metal oxides that form as the molten solder meets oxygen in the air. Those don't conduct heat very well, so they can make a tip act like it's running cold.

That's why you want to keep the tip freshly tinned (coated with a layer of freshly-molten solder) and to clean the tip every minute or so. The carbon and oxides float on the surface of the molten metal, so you can wipe them away and expose the fresh solder underneath. If the carbon/oxide layer manages to go all the way through to the surface of the tip, it's much harder to clean.

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BenEtherington
 
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Re: Soldering noob: my iron doesn't seem hot enough!

Post by BenEtherington »

After action report: my poor memory of Colin's soldering video didn't prepare me for this! :)

It took me a good half hour to realize that A) I had to get all the oxide off before I could properly tin the tip of my iron and B) I couldn't scrub oxide off the tip of the iron faster than it could form while the iron was hot. Once I let it cool, I was finally able to get it looking like iron again. I'm still not any good at tinning (or maintaining the tip), but at least I can work faster than I was before.

So if a fellow soldering noob is reading this: if the tip of your iron isn't solder-shiny, you're going to make a heck of a lot of work for yourself. An iron grey tip isn't a tip that's ready to work for you.

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adafruit_support_bill
 
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Re: Soldering noob: my iron doesn't seem hot enough!

Post by adafruit_support_bill »

Regular cleaning and tinning will help keep your tip in good shape for a long time. If one gets too-far-gone, you can often revive it with some tinning paste,
http://www.amazon.com/Weller-Tip-Tinner ... tip+tinner

or something from the spice aisle.
http://www.evilmadscientist.com/2014/tinning/

In any case, do not file, sand or attempt to clean the tip with abrasives. Once the plating is worn off the tip, it will be impossible to keep it in working condition.

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