Which soldering iron is this?

[antknee]

I bought a soldering iron as part of a kit with tools last year, so it wasn't identified in any way. The tip is now worn and so I went to the electronics store to get a replacement. The sales guy said it looks like an Antex tip but didn't have one to fit. So I now need to order some tips online and don't know which type of tip i'm supposed to order. I have another soldering iron which I can use but its not as good as this one. So I'd prefer to get replacement tips. It has in inside diameter of 5.5mm and outside diameter 7.2mm. The barrel not including the tip itself which has worn is 47.7mm in length.

Can you shed some light?

Thanks.

 

[ericgibbs]

hi,
These are Antex, but they dont look the same as your pic.???

Tips | Farnell United Kingdom


EDIT:
These are Velleman kit tips.

**broken link removed**

**broken link removed**

 

[Hero999]

It should last for longer than a year.

Is it temperature controlled?

If you, it looks like you've had the temperature set too high.

If not, that explains why it didn't last very long.

 

[antknee]

Hi Eric,

Yes they do look like Velleman tips and they defineilty aren't antex. I will see if I can track down exactly which ones I need. I'll have to be careful with the barrel size. Thanks.

Hi Hero,

I have a button which I can press on the unit to speed up heating at start up, but no temperature control. It is rated at 20W and is quite user friendly. I'm not an expert at thinning and took to filing the tip rather than using wire wool, I'm not sure exactly how often a tip needs thinning so I took to doing that every day. So its life was much reduced to about 3 months.

Cheers.

Antknee.

 

[Hero999]

Filing the tip is a bad idea because it removes all the tin and protective coating.

It sounds like it's heating up too much.

It's possible to build a simple temperature controller using a lamp dimmer or you can but one integrated into a socket.

**broken link removed**

Be warned: dimmers often have a minimum load rating, I have a similar dimmer which works down to 20W but you should ask the seller if you're interested. I wouldn't recommend telling them about the soldering iron because they might say no because they don't understand.

 

[antknee]

I'm struggling to find any replacement tips, it seems to be a velleman or duratool I need, but I've not had any luck in finding a supplier. I might just have to just buy another with spare tips. I realise filing down tips is a bad idea, but at the time I thought oh well I'll probably only need to use it a few times. And then the weeks and months pass and I'm still using it. I can't actually remember this iron having a protective layer, although perhaps it did. I bought it as part of a kit, that included a multimeter, solder, lots of tools and a carry case, all for £20. As it was such a bargain basement maybe there wasn't a protective coating. My second soldering iron is this one:

**broken link removed**

As a matter of interest I went back to the site a short time ago to see what I was doing I shouldn't. It says don't file the tip, bit late now... There's nothing much wrong with it apart from it needing tinning too often, and not fitting into my soldering station/holder.

If I'm going to look for a new soldering iron I might buy one with a temperature control, assuming they don't cost much. Although I do have a spare dimmer light switch, I could use that.

 

[Mickster]

I don't have my calipers at home to check 100%, but given the tip dimensions, they seem to pretty well match (using a ruler) the Iron I have.

A pack of three replacement tips for mine can be found here:
**broken link removed**

HTH

 

[antknee]

Hi Mickster,

They do look exactly like that. That does help, thanks. It was Maplin where I went originally to ask about these tips. I think they had just sold out of what I need. I do like Maplin, the sales staff are very helpful. The guy I normally talk to also has a lot of enthusiasm for the job and you can see he enjoys his electronics.

Cheers.

 

[Mickster]

It seems like they are currently out of stock...

Nice to note you have a guy who shares our interest serving you...a lot of the staff these days, are purely salesmen.

 

[antknee]

Yeah. I think most people do their job because they are paid to do it. I'm not sure how many are lucky enough to get paid to do a job they enjoy. The tips will be back in stock soon, I'll just wait and go get some.

Cheers.

 

[Mickster]

In the mean time, unplug the iron and wipe the tip when you aren't using it. Now the copper is exposed, the flux will eat away at it.