Fabricated soldering iron tip - rolled steel

How will a bit of rolled flat-bar steel work as a soldering iron tip?

I do a job a few times a year where I need to removed a pile of D connectors from some PCAs. I've made up tips from copper bar which works fine but the tips dissolve very quickly, lucky to get a couple of hours out of it.

I'm not sure thermal conductivity is a big issue as the tip probably has a minute to reheat between connectors.

Will a tip made from a scrap of rolled steel bar do the job?

Reply to
Belleman
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"Belleman"

** Heat one up in a gas flame and try it.

It bet it sucks big time.

** Thermal capacity and conductivity ARE big issues with a soldering iron tip.

Even the cheapest and most basic of irons all use COPPER tips.

... Phil

Reply to
Phil Allison

Change of solder? Wrong type of copper?

Reply to
news13

Above 500 deg C, lead tends to evaporate at a rate that might be better for the OP not to breathe. This, and any wish to reuse the circuit board, might set upper limits to the temperature to which it should be heated before removing the gas flame.

If the connector is D-15 or smaller, then a Metcal SMTC-161 would probably do the job, if the OP has a MX-500 to run it, but both of those things are expensive.

Perhaps a copper bar with iron sheet silver-soldered (e.g. with Silverflo 55) to the surface might be a way to fabricate a tip with an iron surface and good conductivity.

Perhaps a plain copper tip would give acceptable life, if the solder joints are first mixed with a lot of Savbit solder.

Reply to
Chris Jones

I'm stuck with whatever solder is already on the boards - unknown, maybe lead free.

Kind of stuck with the copper too. I've just been using bits of an old buss bar.

Reply to
Belleman

This is a job I only do a couple of times each year so I don't want to spend up on a new iron.

I threw together a steel tip - it works ok but only just. I it's got a hefty base that works as a thermal reservoir.

I've remade a copper tip twice, I'm quite surprised how quick it dissolves.

It's a bit thin for me to try silver soldering sheet iron to the copper base.

I found a comment on a forum that suggested just tinning the tip with silver solder can enhance it's life. I'll give that a go tomorrow.

It's running on a $20 el-cheapo 30W/60W iron from Bunnings.

Reply to
Belleman

I've used coat-hanger wire to solder with in the past, so it'll probably work somewhat.

--
Neither the pheasant plucker, nor the pheasant plucker's son. 


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Reply to
Jasen Betts

"Jasen Bleats"

** Hard to believe.

I knew someone who used the back end of a 30 cal rifle cartridge, held in long nose pliers & heated on a gas stove, to solder with.

He did remove the slug and powder first ...

.... Phil

Reply to
Phil Allison

And the primer I hope.

Reply to
F Murtz

Would he be called a "Gun Solderer" ??

Reply to
Rheilly Phoull

Follow up:

Plain steel worked ok - did have a bit of thermal lag.

I've made another from copper & have tinned it using silver solder. It seems to work ok although I have only run it for a few minutes - it may be a different story after it runs for an hour or three.

Reply to
Belleman

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