It does depend on the tip - the original olde worlde copper ones yes its fine, and recommended. But for the expensive coated tips, not recommended. Its never stopped me though, it just shortens their life.Slowy wrote:I always do that; re-shape the tip with a file or grinder. Works fine, just shortens the life of the tip. Bear in mind if your iron is big and powerful, a fine tip will be very hot. Plan to work fast.GrantB wrote:Not wanting to hijack your thread OP, but can anyone tell if it is OK to grind a new sharp point on my big mofo of a soldering iron (the one I use to do grounding for pots etc)? I intend to make it sharp, then immediately heat and coat with flux & solder. Should I not do this for any reason?
Soldering Iron recommendations
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Re: Soldering Iron recommendations
So, is that low alcohol or no alcohol at all? mmmm, no alcohol, do you want to try it? Noooooooooo.
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Re: Soldering Iron recommendations
Yeah, mine are copper.Bg wrote:It does depend on the tip - the original olde worlde copper ones yes its fine, and recommended. But for the expensive coated tips, not recommended. Its never stopped me though, it just shortens their life.Slowy wrote:I always do that; re-shape the tip with a file or grinder. Works fine, just shortens the life of the tip. Bear in mind if your iron is big and powerful, a fine tip will be very hot. Plan to work fast.GrantB wrote:Not wanting to hijack your thread OP, but can anyone tell if it is OK to grind a new sharp point on my big mofo of a soldering iron (the one I use to do grounding for pots etc)? I intend to make it sharp, then immediately heat and coat with flux & solder. Should I not do this for any reason?
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Re: Soldering Iron recommendations
Both ends are plastic on those AliExpress modelsStrummersOfThunder wrote:Soldering iron recommendations:
Hold onto the plastic end
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Re: Soldering Iron recommendations
Safer that way....sizzlingbadger wrote:Both ends are plastic on those AliExpress modelsStrummersOfThunder wrote:Soldering iron recommendations:
Hold onto the plastic end
So, is that low alcohol or no alcohol at all? mmmm, no alcohol, do you want to try it? Noooooooooo.
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Re: Soldering Iron recommendations
I bought one of these last year.TmcB wrote:There's pretty much nothing in that range
The closest I've found is the Duratech station at Jaycar but that's still $120ish
It's like buying your first decent pedalboard power supply. It's a horrible amount of cash for what?
But once you do it, you discover how good it is and you'd never go back.
Beyond a critical point within a finite space, freedom diminishes as numbers increase. This is as true of humans as it is of gas molecules in a sealed flask. The human question is not how many can possibly survive within the system, but what kind of existence is possible for those who so survive.
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Re: Soldering Iron recommendations
Couldn’t agree moreSlowy wrote:I bought one of these last year.TmcB wrote:There's pretty much nothing in that range
The closest I've found is the Duratech station at Jaycar but that's still $120ish
It's like buying your first decent pedalboard power supply. It's a horrible amount of cash for what?
But once you do it, you discover how good it is and you'd never go back.
Family Music Store - http://familymusic.co.nzGrantB wrote:Tony, your taste is, as always, very refined. Or as HG would say, "bloody awful".
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Re: Soldering Iron recommendations
StrummersOfThunder wrote:Don't try and solder on with codrel. That's just flu medicine.
And never solder in your undies.
Beyond a critical point within a finite space, freedom diminishes as numbers increase. This is as true of humans as it is of gas molecules in a sealed flask. The human question is not how many can possibly survive within the system, but what kind of existence is possible for those who so survive.
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Re: Soldering Iron recommendations
Or stubbies. I was soldering at home after sports day at school. Still have the wee scar on my thigh from a blob of solder.Slowy wrote:StrummersOfThunder wrote:Don't try and solder on with codrel. That's just flu medicine.
And never solder in your undies.
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Re: Soldering Iron recommendations
When I was kid I made some exploding pellets for my air gun. I took red match heads, packed them into the back of the lead pellet and then put a blob of solder on the back using an Antex soldering iron my grandad had bought me. They worked really well when fired against a brick a wall. One day a pellet exploded while I was soldering and I got a spray of molten solder in my eye. I crapped myself at first, every time I closed my eye I could feel the fine solder beads that was stuck to my eyeball. It took a couple of days before it worked loose and got better. I didn't make them again after that.
Tube amp and guitar tones straight from 1958… amazing how believable the sounds were back then, even without the modellers...
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Re: Soldering Iron recommendations
Shit you're hardcore!sizzlingbadger wrote:When I was kid I made some exploding pellets for my air gun. I took red match heads, packed them into the back of the lead pellet and then put a blob of solder on the back using an Antex soldering iron my grandad had bought me. They worked really well when fired against a brick a wall. One day a pellet exploded while I was soldering and I got a spray of molten solder in my eye. I crapped myself at first, every time I closed my eye I could feel the fine solder beads that was stuck to my eyeball. It took a couple of days before it worked loose and got better. I didn't make them again after that.
Family Music Store - http://familymusic.co.nzGrantB wrote:Tony, your taste is, as always, very refined. Or as HG would say, "bloody awful".
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Re: Soldering Iron recommendations
Bloody hell!!
Slowy wrote: That's the problem; everything rewarding is just such hard work. Regret takes much less effort.
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Re: Soldering Iron recommendations
I need to get a new soldering iron, bought a bunch of cabling and plugs from Lava Cables in December but still haven't been able to put them together. Super helpful tips here(mostly).