Which soldering iron tips do you use?

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Benchtech

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I have an Aoyue Int 2702a+ but my tips are quite old, and they don't seem to be transferring heat as well anymore. Tried repairing an iMac G5 motherboard this past weekend and it would not flow the solder. I tried a known working soldering iron i keep as a backup and i got the same results.

So looking for model #'s and pictures of the tips you use when soldering.
 
What tips were each soldering iron using, and what were you trying to solder? Trying to remove a DC jack with a soldering iron can be a real challenge because of the ground plane absourbing so much heat. A hot air tool works so much better. In any case, to answer your question, my preferred soldering tip is a JBC 245-011 chisel-tip cartridge on my JBC. Even that is challenged when trying to remove DC jacks. Be sure to use lots of flux, as it helps.

Edit: I also bought this tip for my other irons and it transfers heat more effectively than many other tips. Try to get one as short as possible.
 
Last edited:
Larry Sabo said:
What tips were each soldering iron using, and what were you trying to solder? Trying to remove a DC jack with a soldering iron can be a real challenge because of the ground plane absourbing so much heat. A hot air tool works so much better. In any case, to answer your question, my preferred soldering tip is a JBC 245-011 chisel-tip cartridge on my JBC. Even that is challenged when trying to remove DC jacks. Be sure to use lots of flux, as it helps.

Edit: I also bought this tip for my other irons and it transfers heat more effectively than many other tips. Try to get one as short as possible.
Click to expand...

Larry,

This is the solder station that I use. The left side is a hot air gun that works good at removing components from a board and the right side is a soldering iron. Came with about 5 different tips. Im pretty happy with it as it heats up really fast and is adjustable on both sides for soldering and hot air.

20130103_183335_zps54eb21a2.jpg


I think with shipping I paid about 90.00 bucks for it. Best investment I have made so far.

coffee
 
Coffee, I have an almost identical unit but made by Gordak, bought from ChinaMall in Vancouver for the same price. I agree, it's an excellent unit! The soldering iron works better than any other iron I have, save for the JBC. I also have a W.E.P 858D hot air unit that doesn't have an iron, and it's a better hot air station than the Gordak because of the even heat distribution from the nozzle. I use it just for reflows.
 
The only problem with Bismuth is that it requires melting of the lead-free solder, to create the low-temp alloy. If his irons can't melt the lead-free solder, using Bismuth may not be of any use.
 
What do your tips look like? Are they dull or shiny?

If they are dull, then you need to clean or replace them. A dull looking tip will not transfer heat.

A properly prepared tip will look like it is covered in shiny freshly melted solder. Any dull spots will prevent even heat transfer.

Also what size tips are you using? The tip should be the same size as the solder pad.
 
Flat tips transfer heat better than round tips.

No tip transfers heat well without some fresh solder bridging the gap between the tip and the component.

Those tip cleaners made of brass shavings work much better than the sponge block to produce a clean tip. When you find that you cannot tin the tip nicely, get at least some solder on it and dab it in the cleaner and repeat. I find this cleans and spreads the solder so well that the tip returns to its shiny state instantly. Failing that you can get pots of "tip tinner" which is flux and solder powder mixed together.

Sometimes heat and flux isn't enough to melt an old joint, especially lead-free solder joints. In which case add a load of lead solder to the joint and then start afresh. The resulting amalgam should melt more easily.

When you stop using the iron, turn it off and then melt as much solder as you can all over the tip whilst it's cool, before stowing it. That solder will protect the tip from oxidising.
 
I just bought a hakko 936 clone on hobby kings website for $30. I know it's not going to be of the same quality, but it has great reviews for the money and I'll only use it from time to time. Seems to be much better then the fire starter irons that you get for $10-$20.

There are hakko clone tips on ebay that also seem to be very good for the investment. You can get like 7 or 8 different tips for $10.

Make sure the tip is properly maintained, make sure it's tinned when you solder.

Make sure your not using a damp sponge to keep the tip clean, you want one of those containers with the "metal shavings" in it they almost look like a copper scrubby pad. Those are what you want to clean the tip with.
 
I use hakko (not the clones), and a long series of tips are at my disposal. I use soldering wick as well, no pumps. If you are a problem removing a dc jack, spread some flux on the old solder and the add a dab of fresh solder. Then go ahead and take your wick and statt remocing the solder. If you have continous contact on the board for more than 15 seconds without a break you can damage the board.
 
frederick said:
I use hakko (not the clones), and a long series of tips are at my disposal. I use soldering wick as well, no pumps. If you are a problem removing a dc jack, spread some flux on the old solder and the add a dab of fresh solder. Then go ahead and take your wick and statt remocing the solder. If you have continous contact on the board for more than 15 seconds without a break you can damage the board.
Click to expand...

It's more of an issue of how much heat you apply to a board for how long. Some small traces will be lifted in a heart beat if your aren't careful. You can apply higher amounts of heat for longer times when your dealing with an area without small traces or in the case of larger solder pads.
 
I just invested in one of the desoldering iron stations, a BlackJack SolderWerks BK6000 Repairing System.
The desoldering gun works a treat on the dc jacks, if it doesn't remove all the solder the first time, then you just re-solder the joint and try again, it usually does it the second time. Also the soldering iron is thin and has a tube attached to vacuum the fumes away. The tips have the element in them also. It was well worth the £215.
 
I use a hakko fx 951 and a jbc station both are amazing quality

the tips last forever if you treat them well

cheap stations work fine as well, i had a used hakko 936 which was a decade old
 
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