# soldering iron curiosity...



## RCMits (Jan 1, 1970)

no doubt, im going to buy a hakko 936 after xmas, but i thought i'd toss a question out there.

suddenly, the tip has gone cold.... i have one of these : 
http://www.testequipmentdepot.com/weller/solder/wlc100.htm
a weller adjustable.

the wedge tip just doesnt get hot enough anymore. using a raytek temp gun, the tip only sits at 140 degrees. (yes ive reseated the tip twice) lower down on the soldering iron BASE, the metal is ranges from 320~380+ degrees. I shot the temp gun down the hole with no tip on (dont know how accurate that is), and it showed fluctuating 280~320 degrees.

I put a tip back on, and the tip just doestn go over 140 degrees, so of course doing anything on soldering batteries just doestn quite work...

I've had this iron for about 3~4 years. I've changed the tip once....

just curious... like i said, im going to get a hakko finally.. but i wonder.


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## Rusty22 (Feb 4, 2003)

ive had 2 of these units. i like the iron itsself but both the bases quit qorking on me. so what i did was cut the cord from the base and just plug the iron into the wall and use the base just as a stand. AND have you tried a new tip? the one you have may just be shot after all these years. even though you changed it.

Rusty NutZ


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## ta_man (Apr 10, 2005)

I have found that after a while, the heater element just burns out. Get one of these instead of the Hakko:

http://www.hmcelectronics.com/cgi-bin/scripts/product/1980-0012/

It says "picture may not be representattive" and it is not. It has a big chisel tip. *One Thousand Degree* tip temperature. It can solder battery bars in an instant. You need to buy a handle too. This is only the heater/tip which screws into a handle.


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## RCMits (Jan 1, 1970)

Rusty22 said:


> ive had 2 of these units. i like the iron itsself but both the bases quit qorking on me. so what i did was cut the cord from the base and just plug the iron into the wall and use the base just as a stand. AND have you tried a new tip? the one you have may just be shot after all these years. even though you changed it.
> 
> Rusty NutZ


i didnt think "tips" quit, but i did change the tip about 5 months ago... not THAT much usage since ive been RC dormant... but ill give it a try till i can hit a store. im not going near ANY store right now... too crowded!


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## EAMotorsports (Sep 25, 2001)

The best Iron out there is the Hakko FP-102. If you get one of these you'll love it. It has a higher wattage power supply so you dont loose your tip heat once you start soldering. A little more expensive but well worth the money if you solder a lot of stuff.

EA


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## RCMits (Jan 1, 1970)

eeep 200$ unless i decide to make battery packs every weekend.. hehe i think the 600 degree hakko 936 should do me fine. =) but ive seen those... 

in that case... let me put it next to my two gfx's that i want santa to buy for me for xmas  hehe... j/k

=)


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## swtour (Oct 8, 2001)

RCMits,

I have the same looking unit (Does your iron unplug from the base station?) Mine does.

I've had 2 of the original irons go bad so far (In about 3 years), the last time I replaced it I bought a different brand iron from the same vendor. It's just a 60 watt unit I believe, but the station will handle up to 100 watts if I remember correctly. The new iron was only about $25.00 and has been working great for nearly a year so far.


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## RCMits (Jan 1, 1970)

yea... 

i actually just plug the iron directly into the wall and it gets really hot.. just the way i want it.. just dont leave it on because i cant adjust the temp ..

i guess my base went south...

odd.


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## CDW35 (Jan 17, 2006)

Go with the Hakko 936!!! :thumbsup: 

CDW


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## mjmeer17 (May 9, 2003)

Tenma makes an awsome soldering station the analog one is around 75 the digital is a little more. ive had mine for about 5 years and only replaced the tips, you can get them through mcm electronics


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## RCMits (Jan 1, 1970)

CDW35 said:


> Go with the Hakko 936!!! :thumbsup:
> 
> CDW


yeahp! hakko it is. my weller is now a wide tip 5.5mm plug into the wall get hot and just do batteries at home thing ;-)


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## sharkman1 (Sep 3, 2006)

Best iron I ever owned. I leave this thing on full power for hours at a time. Never loses heat. Has a broad chisel tip that does batts without any problems. If I turn mine off and have to use others more expensive irons, they just do not perform as well.

http://www.jameco.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?langId=-1&storeId=10001&catalogId=10001&productId=146595


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## RCMits (Jan 1, 1970)

sharkman1 said:


> Best iron I ever owned. I leave this thing on full power for hours at a time. Never loses heat. Has a broad chisel tip that does batts without any problems. If I turn mine off and have to use others more expensive irons, they just do not perform as well.
> 
> http://www.jameco.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?langId=-1&storeId=10001&catalogId=10001&productId=146595


uh thats what i use... ;-) the base stopped working it seems.. haha


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## sharkman1 (Sep 3, 2006)

Sorry for your misfortune, did not look at your link. At $50 bucks a piece, 3-4 yrs of service out of it is a bargain.


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## RCMits (Jan 1, 1970)

no problem... definately a bargin.. and the fact that the iron itself can plug into the wall is a great thing. older models were connected to the base =(

thanks for all who responded =)


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## adam lancia (Dec 26, 2004)

hi all, i've got a couple of questions i hope someone can answer. i've got an old weller/ungar 921X base with a 921 iron with replaceable tips. i haven't used it in years (it was sitting in the garage) and just pulled it out today. the tip doesn't get hot but the light in the switch comes on as does the temp LED. the 2A fuse is still good. are any of the newer, higher wattage iron's compatible with this base? is there any way for me to tell if the base is still functional if the iron is shot? i've got a multimeter and it looks like the case comes apart with a few screws, is there anything i can test inside to check it's functionality? thanks guys!

adam


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## Trixter (Oct 8, 1998)

RCMits said:


> uh thats what i use... ;-) the base stopped working it seems.. haha


http://www.jameco.com/webapp/wcs/st...roductId=146595


Hey, I have one of those that I got when I bought a guy out about 3 years ago and I've been abusing it ever since. It is a great iron and I love it. I've done battery packs and down to servo wiring. It's great. My Hako pooped out on me about the same time as I got this one and I was going to replace the Hako but never got around to it.


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## RICOTHOMAS (Feb 10, 2004)

Guys I just bought a Hakko 936 and so far so good. I don't like the pointed tip for the iron. I want to buy a chisel tip which will be better for motors and batts. I bought a Weller at Lowes on clearence for $12 for assembling batteries at home. Does anybody have a part number and website for a good chisel tip for a 936?


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## rcgen (Jan 20, 2004)

I have the weller 40 watt iron and their adjustable base that you can plug the iron on the side. The iron was not getting hot so I replaced the tip and it was good as new. One of the guys suggested I grind or sand down the old tip and tin it again. I have had no problem since plus you really use the whole tip.


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## pepe (Sep 29, 2001)

The one I use for batteries is this one http://www.cooperhandtools.com/brands/CF_Files/model_detail.cfm?upc=037103474674

it's instant soldering!


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## OvalmanPA (Mar 21, 2000)

RICOTHOMAS said:


> Guys I just bought a Hakko 936 and so far so good. I don't like the pointed tip for the iron. I want to buy a chisel tip which will be better for motors and batts. I bought a Weller at Lowes on clearence for $12 for assembling batteries at home. Does anybody have a part number and website for a good chisel tip for a 936?


http://www.kiesub.com/

That's where I got my iron and tips. Unfortunatley they don't make a "large" tip for it.


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## baih (Sep 26, 2001)

kiesub carries a 3.2 mm tip for the 936. i use it for everything including soldering batteries. there used to be a 5.0 mm tip but all i see now is a 5.2 mm tip. i would call them to see if the 5.2 mm tip will work. with the 3.2 mm tip you may have to wait in between each bar when soldering batteries, but it only takes a minute or less to heat back up. they also have the kester "44" solder.


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## ta_man (Apr 10, 2005)

Hakko "takes a minute or less to heat back up."?

The weller 4033s tip can solder all the battery bars on one side of a pack without waiting in between to "heat back up."


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