Hacking Soldering Iron unable to heat??

[indiraider]

Hi I think my soldering Iron is busted, I have a 15watt radioshack one like in the guide. No matter how long I heat it up it wont melt solder at its tip of its tip but it can still melt at the base of the tip. It used to melt at the tip, what went wrong??

 

[mrdan]

I have a 'shack iron and it worked great for about 10 installs before it started to die. Now it will heat up and sometimes melt solder and sometimes go cold in the middle of an install. It's probably a bad heating element but it also could be an intermittent connection between the power cable and the element. Either way, just take it to them and tell them it broke. They should give you a new one.

 

[indiraider]

Thanks I just returned it for another

 

[dohclude]

lolz, your tips is just gunked up from oxidation. Take a look at the very tip... it's all black/brown isn't it? What I do is keep a small file on hand so that I can gently "rough" the tip up a bit every once in awhile. This will remove the oxidation from the tip, allowing the head to properly transfer and melt the solder.

 

[Hooya]

lolz, your tips is just gunked up from oxidation. Take a look at the very tip... it's all black/brown isn't it? What I do is keep a small file on hand so that I can gently "rough" the tip up a bit every once in awhile. This will remove the oxidation from the tip, allowing the head to properly transfer and melt the solder.

Exactly my thought.

Not really the best to file down your tip though. Better to get some tip tinner/cleaner

http://www.mcminone.com/product.asp?catalo...eds&ATT=froogle

 

[indiraider]

Well your were definitely right the tip was dead black, but without knowing I returned it to the radio shack and the stupid guy just gave me another one.

 

[Takrin]

tin the tip first (coat it with solder), heat the iron up until full heat then apply generous amount of solder to it.

else you will face oxidization again, if their nickle or other metal plated then try fine sandpaper to scratch it up a little or just remove the plating and expose the copper for easier tinning, if it gets oxidized then use sandpaper or tip cleaner to remove.

 

[754boy]

lolz, your tips is just gunked up from oxidation. Take a look at the very tip... it's all black/brown isn't it? What I do is keep a small file on hand so that I can gently "rough" the tip up a bit every once in awhile. This will remove the oxidation from the tip, allowing the head to properly transfer and melt the solder.

Thats the method I use