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I have this 30-watt iron from Radio Shack, and it just sucks. It takes forever to heat things up and the way it heats is very inconsistant. The weird thing is, the iron itself gets really hot (I can feel the heat rising up to my hand when using it) but the tip itself works poorly. It's one of those screw-in tips. Is there a way to save this thing or should I just get a new one?

Thanks.

Also, do you guys use any type of clamp to keep electrical parts stable while you solder? I don't have anything close to resembling a workshop, but was wondering if there were any other bedroom technicians out there with some helpful tips.

Have you tried a different tip? Might just be that the tip you've got is dodgy.

Do you quot;wetquot; the tip before soldering? As in, touch it to the solder to put a thin coating of solder on it first? This is absolutely vital to transfer heat to the connection.

I keep a wet sponge tray close at hand also. You quot;shockquot; the tip, by hitting it on the wet sponge, then tin it, then solder.

I tin the tip, but don't clean it on the sponge before I do so. I kind of wipe it across the sponge intermitently while I'm soldering. I definitely need some guidence on technique. By-the-way, because it doesn't heat up well, it doesn't tin well either. I really hate this thing.

sounds like your tip is shot. replace it and do like artie says.

Yeah, man.. Listen to Artie, he knows his stuff.... As far as clamps, when you go to The Shack to buy your new tip, pick up a bag of 12 alligator clups for $2.00. They help serve as heat sinks, and help hold things in place. Unless you have acess to surgical clamps, also known as hemostats! Those are my absolute favorite clamp/heat sinks. They are like actually having a third hand!!


Originally Posted by gordon_39422Yeah, man.. Listen to Artie, he knows his stuff.... As far as clamps, when you go to The Shack to buy your new tip, pick up a bag of 12 alligator clups for $2.00. They help serve as heat sinks, and help hold things in place. Unless you have acess to surgical clamps, also known as hemostats! Those are my absolute favorite clamp/heat sinks. They are like actually having a third hand!!Yeah, I use alligator clips for various things. I was thinking more of soldering a capacitor to a pot and having something to hold the pot securely. A better soldering iron would really be the answer to this as well, because I wouldn't have to heat up the top of the pot for so long just to get the solder to melt. I have a few Weller 25-watt irons that work better than this Radio Shack one, but the tips are corroded pretty badly and I can't find replacement tips for those.

meh, i use the radio shack iron as well, and it works like a champ.

Get a file and file down the dark areas of the tip so it looks shiny and coppery. This helps it transfer heat better. Mine melts solder within the first 2 minutes of heating up.

Everything Artie said is right on. The one thing I recently learned is how important using flux is. Flux distributes the heat more evenly and helps make a good connection between the 2 items being soldered. I was amazed at how much easier it was to solder using flux. If only I knew this when I first started wiring.

Upgrade to a 40 watt Radio Shack iron, they cost about $8 and they are much better for guitar work than the 30 watt iron.

Ryan