I have a 60W Weller TCP series soldering station for my workbench and a 60W iron for my tool kit, both of which are at least 2 decades old and still work well. They are a bit too big for a lot of the smt work so I bought the Hakko for that, and it has also worked out well.
I had a WCPT ( or how ever its spelled ) the Mag tip ones. thing was a Beast and lasted 5 years . Here is the problem with Weller . Cooper tools has ruined them !
I worked at a small electronics chain in So cal and heaven forbid Cooper would sell to a mom and pop chain. We could never get there tips . infact this is why I got a Edsyn to replace my WCPT . made in cali and were easy to get . Same with Hakko .
FRYs here in town as a tad more Muscle then the MarVacDow stores . So here they have all kinds of tips .
Just a insiders sales persons view on Cooper and there to be frank . Really stupid approach to small sales . FYI this was in 05-08 range . for all I know they Might have learnd there lesson and started to sell to small stores agan . however sour them for me . I perferr my hakko 888 and infact I am off to frys RIght now to get some flux and tips ! . Its a new year and I have earned some new tips .
Both of mine are the magnetic tip type as well. That was handy since you can carry tips for different temperatures with you, and the tips were interchangeable between the station and hand irons. I had no problem buying parts, but then I dealt with the same supplier for many years, and they were a distributor for tools and test equipment for electronics.
Around the time I started my project I saw one of my brothers using a propane soldering iron to mend/patch/repair some wiring on his Mack tandem wheel dump truck.
I thought that was the neatest thing since sliced bread and immediately set out to get one suitable for the much smaller stuff I was about to start working with.
I finally settled on the Weller PYROPEN WSTA 6. I am immensely pleased with how it has worked out so far.
The only snag so far was due to lead free solder that came with a couple of kits I ordered so every trip I take that passes a place that might sell solder I go in and buy all the 60/40 they have. The lead free takes way to long for my slightly shaky fingers to hold the iron and the solder exactly where I want them.
Not having the cord to mess with and move other things that I do not want moved is pure bliss. It is small and light weight and not having the cord makes it infinitely easier to get it in exactly the right position.
As soon as I finish the present batch of solder connections I turn it off via a conveniently located push button, wipe the tip clean and stick it back in the holder. There is a bit of a delay before using it for the tip to get hot for my next batch of connections. That is no biggie for me since the next solder session may be hours or days away.
I expect that the immediate turn off, clean and put away will mean that the tip will out last me.
I can not stand 60-40 solder because of it's "pasty" range. I love eutectic 63-37 even though it costs more because it solidifies immediately after you remove heat.
I look at solder joints made with no-clean flux or lead-free solder and they all look horrible.
I noticed there are several eutectic lead-free alloys so has anyone used any of them?
Solder tips are not cheap so it's important to always keep the tip coated with solder. I can't tell you how many times I have seen ruined tips because the iron is left on and the tip wasn't re-tinned.
I always put a large blob of solder on the tip before I turn the iron off or if it will be sitting a while.
Comments
I had a WCPT ( or how ever its spelled ) the Mag tip ones. thing was a Beast and lasted 5 years . Here is the problem with Weller . Cooper tools has ruined them !
I worked at a small electronics chain in So cal and heaven forbid Cooper would sell to a mom and pop chain. We could never get there tips . infact this is why I got a Edsyn to replace my WCPT . made in cali and were easy to get . Same with Hakko .
FRYs here in town as a tad more Muscle then the MarVacDow stores . So here they have all kinds of tips .
Just a insiders sales persons view on Cooper and there to be frank . Really stupid approach to small sales . FYI this was in 05-08 range . for all I know they Might have learnd there lesson and started to sell to small stores agan . however sour them for me . I perferr my hakko 888 and infact I am off to frys RIght now to get some flux and tips ! . Its a new year and I have earned some new tips .
I thought that was the neatest thing since sliced bread and immediately set out to get one suitable for the much smaller stuff I was about to start working with.
I finally settled on the Weller PYROPEN WSTA 6. I am immensely pleased with how it has worked out so far.
The only snag so far was due to lead free solder that came with a couple of kits I ordered so every trip I take that passes a place that might sell solder I go in and buy all the 60/40 they have. The lead free takes way to long for my slightly shaky fingers to hold the iron and the solder exactly where I want them.
Not having the cord to mess with and move other things that I do not want moved is pure bliss. It is small and light weight and not having the cord makes it infinitely easier to get it in exactly the right position.
As soon as I finish the present batch of solder connections I turn it off via a conveniently located push button, wipe the tip clean and stick it back in the holder. There is a bit of a delay before using it for the tip to get hot for my next batch of connections. That is no biggie for me since the next solder session may be hours or days away.
I expect that the immediate turn off, clean and put away will mean that the tip will out last me.
I look at solder joints made with no-clean flux or lead-free solder and they all look horrible.
I noticed there are several eutectic lead-free alloys so has anyone used any of them?
Solder tips are not cheap so it's important to always keep the tip coated with solder. I can't tell you how many times I have seen ruined tips because the iron is left on and the tip wasn't re-tinned.
I always put a large blob of solder on the tip before I turn the iron off or if it will be sitting a while.