Tired, tired subject

No, the Weller 100 (the one with the blue-green handle) uses temperature controlled tips. You can't put a temp controller on it. If you have the red handled Weller, you can use a temp controller.

Pull your tip out of the iron and look at the butt end of the tip, opposite the business end. If it is an internally controlled tip, you will see a 7 for 700.

Learn to solder faster, or just cool it down on a wet sponge right before you work with it..

Thank you for answering. I do both you suggested. Will changing to a small tip lower the temperature? THANK YOU. shawn

No. Probably not. If your Weller is blue handled, definitely not.

A smaller tip has less thermal mass, so it will cool faster as you work.

aw, crap.

for about 20 $ or less, get the inland studio pro 100 watt iron (maroon handle). Rig a dual socket/lighting dimmer switch to the wall plug and vouila! less than 25$ and even I can do this. have to say , tho that learning to move faster is the REAL answer. m

Coffee works too...

wow that brought back some old times, I will have to check and see if I still have that dimmer box that I made back in the 70's, time sure does fly dont it

The flux snaps, pops, turns brown or black, and smokes constantly. The solder disappears, but not all the time. All of these symptoms i've assigned to the iron being too hot. The copper seams are nicely flush with each other. I switched flux brands from Canfield to Classic 100. Why? dunno, but i'll go back to Canfield to see what happens. Thank You for your advice.

shawn

I forgot what i was going to say but remembered. The duel socket (duel wall plug?) is a GREAT idea, and i wanna do that. But everywhere i read, my iron, Weller W100, should not be used with a temp control because the iron already has a temp control built in, and an auxiliary temp control will only screw the device up, which makes sense.

I'm a beginner and i gotta go faster. My hands still shake badly because i'm nervous. You can imagine how the lines look.

THANKS

shawn

The Weller W100P (blue green in color with a 3 wire plug) can be switched to a 600F tip. Your 60/40 solder melts at about 430F, and a 700F tip is NOT too hot. I think you have another problem, maybe?

You don't have to bathe the project in flux. A little dab'll do ya. If you are thinking the iron is too hot because of the flux boiling, you may be misled. Cut back on the amount of flux and/or change brands. Try some "No-Korode Paste flux" from Home Depot. If the molten solder is flying all over the place like frying grease from a skillet full of bacon, then you most likely have a flux issue. Use a Q-tip to apply the flux, sparingly......

Just as a guess, depending on your project and how tightly your pieces fit together, , you should be trying to solder at about 1/2" per second. "One alligator, two alligator, etc." Unless you are just parking the iron in one place, you (basically) can't solder too slowly in a copper foil project. You'll know when you are going to slowly if the solder remains molten long enough to run through the big gaps. Try to move your iron slowly but smoothly and allow the solder to flow off the iron onto the foil, almost like you were painting. Start and stop at intersections.

That 700F tip you have is not hot enough to harm the copper foil, and you aren't going to break any glass unless you plant the tip on one place for 5 or 6 seconds or longer. Relax!!!!

Moonraker - Besides me, yes, i would hazard to guess there's another problem, perhaps, more than one. But your info and demeanor is good, and i very much appreciate it, and i'm going to solve this stupid problem.

THANKS to everyone else, too!

shawn

Shawn, you're doing this for a hobby, right? You don't have to be setting any land speed records in your soldering. Go slow and try one thing at a time.

I'd be your problem is with the flux; but one other thing, it is impossible to solder with a dirty iron tip. Do you have a sal ammoniac cake? You have to get the iron tip shiny clean. No crud or black spots on the tip. Heat the iron up and burnish the tip clean on the sal ammoniac. If you don't have one, get a pad of wet paper towels or newspaper and when the iron is hot, plunge it into the flux for just a few seconds and then start wiping the tip on t he wet paper. You want the solder to be flowing, even dripping, off the iron tip. Fluxing the iron tip isn't reccomended, but you can get away with it for a couple times. A brass bristle brush will help clean the tip, too. Or a bronze or copper "brillo pad". Not a steel one.

Let the record show that on 9/23/07 Shawn commented that Moonraker exhibited good demeanor. Note that Moonraker exhibits good demeanor to those who ask a question without acting like a know-it-all prick. It's just that simple.

Jack

Actually, Jack, most people who come around here are treated pretty well unless they are no-talent beadmeakers or know-it all shills. (Or a son-of-a-shill.)

Actually, I'm surprised we haven't been inundated with links to the shill's websites and turbo-soldering DVD's. But maybe he's too busy putting out fires on another forum where he's getting torn up for more of the "selling kilns and not delivering them" routine that he's become famous for.

Apparently he's cozied up with the beadmakers and glass blowers since being banned from the fused glass forum. A match made in heaven, eh?

I'm surprised that he hasn't offered Shawn his super soldering techniques.

Jack

What was the claim? Maybe 18" per second or something like that?

If you guys keep it up, your wishes will be fulfilled!!

It's been a while since I've bitch-slapped anybody. Maybe it's the blood-lust coming out?