Soldering Iron element "life"

[Gilbert]

I wonder how long rmwebbers would consider a reasonable life for the heating element in a ( relatively expensive) hobby soldering iron used for typical railway modelling projects maybe every two weeks for 18 months. I've got a bit of a gripe with a retailer and wondered what was reasonable?

Thanks

Chris

[S500-W9]

Should this be in advice centre - questions/help ???

 

Rob

[DonB]

I think you will find that your gripe, after more than a year since purchase, is now with the manufacturer. Most retailers seem to be first port of call up to one year, then "pass the buck", even on products sold with X-years guarantee.

Retailer should be able to give you the maker's address, (hopefully a UK sales office if foreign made), for you to complain direct.

Certainly, 18 months is a very short life for a soldering iron especially given the type of work you describe. The only reservation... I assume that you have not left it switched on for long periods (even days!) un-noticed?

I had satisfactory result in similar circumstances recently, but for a non-electrical product.

[hayfield]

I wonder how long rmwebbers would consider a reasonable life for the heating element in a ( relatively expensive) hobby soldering iron used for typical railway modelling projects maybe every two weeks for 18 months. I've got a bit of a gripe with a retailer and wondered what was reasonable?

Thanks

Chris

 

My Antex is 30 months old, only on its 2nd tip but is used about 3 times a week for an hour plus at a time (only cost £25 so not a dear one). My previous Iron kept going for 20 years +(Orex?) not used any where near as much, still works but tips are hard to come by. I would be upset if I only used an iron twice a month for 18 months and it stopped working !!

[Gilbert]

Absolutely - not sure how that happened - I'll try to edit

 

Should this be in advice centre - questions/help ???

 

Rob

[Mod5]

Now moved and the other one deleted.

[Gilbert]

Thanks

Sorry to be so incompetent

[Guest jim s-w]

Hiya

 

I dont know how old my antex is - at least a decade. Its on its second tip and only then after I dropped it and cracked the first one.

 

Assuming its been well looked after I would expect the element to last years, problem you may have is proving its been well cared for.

 

HTH

 

Jim

[Gilbert]

Thanks Jim

I have basically been fobbed off in store - where I cannot buy either a replacement element or iron ( its a soldering station)- so I'm waiting to see what Head Office say.

Chris

[Sc59401]

My trusty Weller soldering iron dates from 1975 and still works fine.

[mikeg]

I have two Irons, both bought in the 1960's and used quite often, the 25w one is a Wolf and needs a new tip but do not seem to be avaiable now, the one on it is only half inch long, was one and a half when new, the 75w is a weller and still using the original tip that was iron clad, but the flux has burnt a hole on one side and i have had to file it down, will have to get a new tip bt at least they are still made. So I think 18 months is very poor and I would want it replacing, if you have no luck with the company try Trading Standards or the BBC watchdog team both are able to help.

 

regards

 

mike g

[Kenton]

its a soldering station

So not quite what the rest of us may have understood.

So I'm presuming a temperature controlled unit?

Are you sure it is the element and not the station.

Again, like others here I don't think I have replaced an element on my irons (they were not cheapo models either (they may be cheap and inferior) and like many here my irons one or the other are switched on and remain on all day sitting in their cradle. The Antex more than the Weller just because I do more brass work than whitemetal (that is no reflection on the Weller) Both irons are well over 10 years old.

[Gilbert]

Kenton

The guy in the shop said the element had gone when I took it in - hence my initial post.

cheers

Chris

 

So not quite what the rest of us may have understood.

So I'm presuming a temperature controlled unit?

Are you sure it is the element and not the station.

Again, like others here I don't think I have replaced an element on my irons (they were not cheapo models either (they may be cheap and inferior) and like many here my irons one or the other are switched on and remain on all day sitting in their cradle. The Antex more than the Weller just because I do more brass work than whitemetal (that is no reflection on the Weller) Both irons are well over 10 years old.

[Rob Pulham]

Kenton

The guy in the shop said the element had gone when I took it in - hence my initial post.

cheers

Chris

 

 

 

Chris the shop doesn't begin with an 'M' by any-chance? I had a similar experience with my soldering station after a similar time but managed to find a replacement iron inc flex etc for £5.99 on ebay so I couldn't be bothered arguing.

[bertiedog]

There is an answer to all of this, use a lamp dimmer in series with the iron, any rated well above the iron will do, fit in a suitable electrical standard box, and wire up, or get an electrician to do it if at all unsure of how to wire it up safely..

 

 

Result is a temperature controllable iron, it can do low melt or full temperature solder, and the iron can be turned off and on with low settings, and be left on a low idle position.

 

With such a controller fitted the element will last indefinitely, it is un-likely to ever burn out.

 

The other way is to put a silicon diode in series with the iron, it halves the power, and a switch across it gives full power within seconds, but opening it returns it to low power. Again this lengthens the life of the element.

 

Older irons lasted better, my fathers Henley Solon is still going, bought in 1944............

 

Stephen.

[Jol Wilkinson]

There is an answer to all of this, use a lamp dimmer in series with the iron, any rated well above the iron will do, fit in a suitable electrical standard box, and wire up, or get an electrician to do it if at all unsure of how to wire it up safely..

 

 

Result is a temperature controllable iron, it can do low melt or full temperature solder, and the iron can be turned off and on with low settings, and be left on a low idle position.

 

 

Stephen.

 

Stephen,

 

I think that the result is a power adjustable iron, which is quite different to a TCU. It would be wrong to imply that this is such a good solution, although reducing the power available to the element will probably prolong it's life.

 

TCU's, such as the Antex I use, control the temperature at the bit through a feedback circuit and a temperature sensor in the element. Full power is always avaiable to respond to heat draw when the iron is used. As is usually the case, it's worth investing in a tool designed for the job. Although usually quite a bit more expensive, it is invariably a good long term investment.

 

Jol

[bertiedog]

Sorry, but I choose the words to make sure the feedback type was not mentioned, as it needs a sensor iron and bench station to control it.

 

The dimmer results in a just that......a temperature controlled iron, not a temperature controlled unit or feedback controller, which use special irons with sensors. These are far more expensive units, and really not required for most model work. The dimmer solution would cost a couple of quid plus a box etc., and work with all makes of basic irons.

 

The Antex has a retail of £149.50 and the Weller £99.....slight extra cost...and yes I do have a station myself, but it is my own design and works with ordinary irons, with a sensor added to the iron. it is used for precision electronic soldering, not model work.

 

Stephen.

[craigwelsh]

The dimmer results in a just that......a temperature controlled iron, not a temperature controlled unit or feedback controller, which use special irons with sensors. These are far more expensive units, and really not required for most model work. The dimmer solution would cost a couple of quid plus a box etc., and work with all makes of basic irons.

 

The Antex has a retail of £149.50 and the Weller £99.....slight extra cost...and yes I do have a station myself, but it is my own design and works with ordinary irons, with a sensor added to the iron. it is used for precision electronic soldering, not model work.

 

Stephen.

 

The dimmer changes the power that has the effect of changing the temperature but its still the power that is controlled. I still don't see it as the same thing, a small point perhaps but important.

 

You can get an Antex station for ~ £100 from CPC etc but for anyone starting a 25w normal Antex (£22) and a cheap temp controlled one from a Maplins deal at £15 will get you by in kit building no problems. The elements on mine have already lasted a few years and the only Antex element I changed was due to the bit getting effectively welded to it. The new elements have a bit of metal in between the bit and the element that shouldn't let that happen again.

 

If it was a Maplins one i've not seen new elements listed for them, I wouldn't be too bothered about mine at £15 though when an element is normally about £10 anyway.

[bertiedog]

Maplins as of this morning are £24.99 and £29.99 for the Stations with irons, but Antex in particular was mentioned.

 

There is also an iron from Maplins with built in control available from them as well.

 

Both the tips sensors and elements should last well, but with a conventional iron are cheaper and easier to buy when needed, and frankly with the dimmer the element will last indefinitely, and I far prefer the type of iron that will take custom made phosphor bronze tips, and not to have to pay for plated steel tips.

 

My own station uses DC at up to 200volts with a PWM control circuit, driven by the feed back from a clip on sensor, it fits all the irons. I will not post the circuit as it uses high voltage, if you are safe with this voltage then you can easily source the design of a circuit, mine uses a high voltage FET, driven by a cmos 555.

 

 

[Suzie]

I had a little used Maplin iron with a digital readout that expired, it was just the element that failed a week after I bought a whole load of new tips for it! I cut my losses, discarded the faulty iron that never got hot enough for lead free solder anyway and wired a replacement cheap iron from Rapid into the base unit which was nothing more than a fancy mains dimmer anyway.

 

Mains powered irons tend to be a lot less robust than low voltage ones because the element wire is thinner. A have lost count of the number of new elements I have had to buy for mains powered Antex irons, but I have never had a low voltage Weller fail.

 

 

[bertiedog]

The previous post may confirm a deep suspicion I harboured that the Maplins TCU are not real feedback soldering iron stations, I cannot see how they can be at the price, but I stand to be corrected.

 

If it was possible to wire in a conventional iron, then the unit is no more than a dimmer, and considerably more costly. If anybody buys these get a written receipt that it is a TCU with temperature feedback.

 

Stephen.

[Gilbert]

Thanks for the advice and comment so far. I'm still waiting for a response from the company concerned and will post again when I get one.

Chris

[nigcuberail]

Gilbert, I sympathise.

 

I bought a soldering station, temperature controlled from a tool specialist beginning with A in the West Country. It proved to be a wonderful tool but only lasted for 18 months modelling use before the temperature controlled part stopped working!

 

I contacted the retailer explaining the light use it had had and requesting some assistance. Nothing was forthcoming, no spares available and they had ceased to sell it. Furthermore they could not tell me the manufacturer. Their response was basically that the reliability (or lack of) was reflected in the price I paid. As a result, I no longer use this supplier.

 

However, back to the story. Having done some testing, I felt that the fault lay with the iron/sensor not the base station, so I started searching for spare irons or elements, I tried an element from Maplins, but it was not the same and didn't work. I gave up, but for some reason decided to store the unit away for another day.

 

Now the good bit, a few months ago I started to search again for spares and low and behold found EXACTLY the same unit here, http://www2.westfalia.net/shops/tools/soldering/soft_soldering/soldering_stations/51955-wetekom_digital_soldering_station.htm , not only cheaper than I originally paid, but with spare irons and tips !!!!!!!!!!!

 

So I ordered a complete new unit AND 2 spare irons. A spare iron was fitted to the old unit and worked. So now I have 2 base stations and 3 x irons.

 

Point is that Westfalia have obviously done their homework and secured a supply of spares prior to offering the unit for sale - full marks to them! (usual disclaimer - satisfied customer etc.)

 

They also have a useful range of tools for modelling. Worth a browse.

[bertiedog]

I should have added to the dimmer in use with a mains iron the temperatures can be marked on the dimmer dial by using samples of each type of solder ( they melt at known temperatures), from Woods Alloy70^oc , Cerrobend 100^oc, 148^oc low melting point, 60/40 electrical, tin lead free, etc., mark each melting point and an extra spot a bit further up to allow for heat loss. This provides reference for each type of commonly used solder.

 

Also when using a dimmer it simply does not matter what wattage you use as the basic iron as it can be adjusted, so use a 50 watt as the standard to provide power for tin solder. It can be turned down to suit even 70^oc low melt woods alloy.

 

Stephen.

[Huw Griffiths]

Westfalia have obviously done their homework and secured a supply of spares prior to offering the unit for sale - full marks to them!

Spares availability can be a major issue if you regularly need to use solder stations in your work.

 

My last job involved fitting and wiring loads of strain gauges. This involved specialist wiring skills - like soldering wires to a pad which might be less than a millimetre across (and not much longer) - these pads (and the gauge grids they're connected to) also have a tendency to delaminate if they get too hot.

 

 

I used an Antex - it was great - and I never had any problem getting parts (not that I needed many of them). Full marks, then, to Antex.

 

 

On the other hand, a colleague in another department used other makes (sold by gauge suppliers) - they worked for a while, then the tips went - he ended up having to discard serviceable irons and stations, because he couldn't get spare tips. (I doubt if he would have been able to get other parts if he'd needed them.)

 

 

I think there's a point here. Deal with companies you know won't mess you around - and buy equipment made by firms who are serious about quality and aftersales support (spares availability ...) - and you won't go far wrong.

 

Otherwise, I'm afraid it seems to be a case of caveat emptor (or something along those lines - I never did Latin in school!).

 

 

Regards,

 

Huw.