Dremel Versatip for Soldering Stained Glass

I'll start with an apology:

I did not make clear that my questi>we have been telling you it won't work

I started this thread with two very specific questions: 1:Has anyone used this tool to solder came? 2:What is your opinion/observations? (on the tool being implied.)

I gave a little background on my thoughts of why I thought it might work, and what specific concerns I had.

To date, no one has answered: (1) they have used this tool, and (2) have found that it doesn't work.

You asked a question "why I don't I just buy the purpose tool", and I tried to explain my reasoning. Apparently, your question was rhetorical.

There was a short side discussion of dimmers, and how they worked, and if/when they were needed. In this JavaHut explained why he didn't use or need a dimmer (usually).

Some folks stated that "it won't work" but didn't say why they thought that, or indicated that they had tried the tool.

Andy Dingley had the closest reply that addressed the original question:

30W is not enough. I thanked him, and asked if all 30W irons were the same (and tried to show why I thought it was possible that they were not, but that it's likely they were). In hindsight, a better question would have been: "Are all X watt irons the same?".

Since he stated that a 30W iron is not enough... knowing more info on if some elements are better than others would help me decide which brand/wattage of iron I will buy. I was hoping for discussion along the lines of: "I find Brand X irons to have quicker recovery than Brand Y" or "Don't get the 40W irons for sale, they are not enough... go with 100-150W" etc. In your first message you mentioned that you like the inland 100W model. I replied that that was good to know....which was an implied "thanks for that info." Perhaps I should have created a new thread, to make it clear that I was pursuing different information.

If my questions seemed "childish" to you, please remember that when it comes to the SG craft, everything that is old hat to you (collectively), is new and exciting to me. Consequently, I'm enthusiastic.

I'm trying to understand what I can, and the way I do that is to read, ask questions, and then probe the answers to those questions. In my probes, I learned a little more about dimmer use (or non-use) in the industry, sculptural solder, that "diamond tipped glass cutters" and Flair marking pens apparently do not work very well, got a praise of the inland 100W, etc. All good information not relating to the original questions. Info which I might not have learned otherwise.

I'm not arguing for the sake of argument, really, I'm just trying to gather, understand, and extract information.

I hope that I've better explained from where I was coming. I'll try to be more clear in the future.

Reply to
<flip+spiced_ham
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There's something of a conversion factor, but not much. Electric heating elements are all pretty efficient. However the temperature they reach is an equilibrium between the heat going in (electricity, pretty constant) and the heat lost by radiation and convection (increases with temperature). They warm up until in and out flows are equal. A physically big iron will be a _little_ colder than a tiny iron of the same power, just because it's losing more.

You can do stained glass (small copper foil) with a 30W iron - I know, because I've seen it done. It's also a miserable process to do and the results are poor. You just don't have enough heat to work with comfortably and the solder joints will have a lumpy surface. Something with 75W or even more will give you _much_ better results and will be easier to work with.

I use a 50W soldering iron for small electronics work, but it's temperature controlled. I could also use a 25W or even 15W iron that was on permanently. The difference is that the powerful controlled iron keeps the same temperature, even when I place it on a large piece of cold metal - the small fixed iron would drop in temperature and possibly over-heat on a small joint. The difference is much less for stained glass work, but I'd still rather have a big iron with plenty of excess power and a control mechanism to keep it under control.

Reply to
Andy Dingley

For all I know Philip _is_ 15 years old and has never handled a soldering iron in his life. I'd like him to be 16 years old and enjoying his soldering in the future, not pissed off with some people's attitude and walking away from the whole thing.

Ignorance is always excusable, especially if someone is bothering to ask. We aren't _born_ knowing this stuff.

Reply to
Andy Dingley

It is the temperature of the iron's tip, not the wattage (directly) that has anything to do with being able to solder properly. More accurately, it is "Thermal Mass" of the iron tip at the desired temperature. The bigger the tip, the more mass of heat, so it cools less when the tip is applied to the lead/copper and solid solder is introduced to the joint. A small tip cannot retain as much heat as a larger one. The wattage has to do with the "acceptable" amount of time it takes to heat the iron tip to the required temp. (usually 700F). 30 watts will heat an iron tip just as hot as 100 watts will, it just takes longer to get to temperature and won't recover as fast when in use. The theory is to have a consistent iron tip temperature so the solder melts and then cools in a predictable way.

Of course, tip size is limited by how heavy (weight wise) of an iron you want to use and to a lesser extent on the delicacy of the project. I basically use one iron...a 100 watt with a 1/2" tip. The iron has an internal thermostat, and stays at 700F. Unfortunately, I burn one up every few months due to heavy use on my part and poor QC from the manufacturer. But that's another story.

Reply to
Moonraker

"Moonraker" writes: [good info on tips/thermal mass/etc deleted]

Thanks for the info Moonraker!

Is this a well known manufacturer? You seem to indicate that you are buying the same brand, so you must like it for some reason or another. Does it handle/work well when it works, do you have a dozen tips to use before you give up on the brand, or do you stick with this manufacture since other brands fail just as often with your heavy use?

I've been looking, but havn't found any sites that review various brands of SG equipment. (nothing at epinions, amazon, etc)

I'll have to explore some of the forums on various crafting websites. Recently, I got distracted on WetCanvas.com for a bit... kiln making, glass blowing, and marble making... Nice step by step on making a SG lamp too... but no comprehensive reviews on tools.

Anyone have recommendations for other sites?

Reply to
Philip Lewis

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