What's wrong with my soldering irons?

>>1095086
>two fairly old welers
One named Peter, one named Paul?

>>1095086
both the same temp?

i'd check the outlet voltage. they're probably working right, just at a low voltage.

>>1095086
is this bait?

clean those tips, dampen a paper towel and fold it over a few times so its 8 layers or so, and once they heat up rub the tips on the paper towel all. then tin the tips by applying a small amount of solder.

how old is your solder, is it flux core, are you using flux if it isn't. solder oxidizes over time and doesn't flow as well.

>>1095086
Refurbish/replace those tips, you won't get anything to work right with those dirty POS.

>>1095101
I just multimetered the outlets I was using, 115 v

>>1095110
the thing is that the metal part of the soldering iron body only gets to 300f or so, I would expect it would be higher if the tip was truly being heated to 700f

who else has ideas?

>>1095086
>I used my laser thermometer
Those aren't accurate over areas as small as a soldering iron tip, and would read very low.
With mine I can't get an accurate reading on anything less than about four square inches.

>>1095086
Tinning the tips is your issue

>dampen a paper towel and fold it over a few times so its 8 layers or so

a paper towel is never gonna get that crud out. it needs to be scraped off with a dull knife, like the back side of an x-acto knife.

>>1095374
this.

The plating is long gone on those tips, you will never get good wetting for heat transfer. Replace the tips, or just get an iron that isn't crap.

A crap iron will quickly convince you soldering is impossible. It's not, it's one of the easiest things in the world.

>>1095395
NEVER NEVER NEVER scrape the tip of an iron. You will destroy the plating you need for it to tin adequately.

If the iron is hot an a damp paper towel, or worst case, some brass wool doesn't clean the tip to shiny, it's shot. Replace it. You will never make it work well, and you will think soldering is some hard to master black magic.

If you're thinking "that's bullshit, I sand/scrape my tips clean all the time", you're doing it wrong and making soldering 100x harder than you need to. Go get a fresh tip NOW.

Take care of your tips, clean them gently (all a good tip needs) and don't leave the iron hot when not in use (hot, liquid solder slowly dissolves the plating, as does rosin/flux) and you tips will last a year or more in perfect condition without any heavy cleaning.

Have to agree on the tips not being clean enough for good heat transfer.
I'd take a file to them and get down to clean metal. Remove them from the iron then preheat the iron. Screw the tip in and coat it in solder the instant it's hot enough. Hit any bad spots with a file or emery cloth, wipe, recoat.
Tips should be kept clean and shiny. Denim works great to wipe off oxidation. Wipe & recoat frequently.

>>1095227
>the thing is that the metal part of the soldering iron body only gets to 300f or so, I would expect it would be higher if the tip was truly being heated to 700f
oxide layer + your thermometer can't measure that accurately. IR thermometers are useless on anything small or reflective.

>>1095737
>I'd take a file to them and get down to clean metal.
No. Think: what does iron do in air when it gets up to 700F? 'clean' lasts a few seconds at most. GET A NEW TIP. Never sand, scrape or file a tip.

>>1095740
I've been soldering since the '80's and stand by my post.
I haven't bought tips in a long time and maybe somethings changed, My tips aren't iron, they're copper I think. File a "bad" tip and see for yourself.

>>1095745
If the tips aren't total garbage, they're iron-plated copper. Copper core, because it transfers heat better and iron plating, because it won't dissolve in solder and because it protects the copper core. If you damage the iron coating, the exposed copper dissolves and oxidizes quickly. So basically, when you start filing your tips, you need to do it all the time.

>>1095745
>I've been soldering since the '80's and stand by my post.
So have I.
>I haven't bought tips in a long time and maybe somethings changed, My tips aren't iron, they're copper I think. File a "bad" tip and see for yourself.
Oh, I used to do it your way when I was a lot poorer and thought 'I can't afford new tips all the time'. I spent a lot of time filing, wetting, scraping, etc... I thought I was doing just fine. I had the good fortune to know someone who did a lot more professional soldering than I did and he schooled me on the subject.

I have not had to 'clean' a tip in 25 years. Every two to three years of daily use (I get good mileage, my station has a standby mode when the irons are in their cradles) I replace a worn out tip when the plating has finally begun dissolving through. And I spend all my time soldering lead-free, usually K100LD.

I do 100-pin .5mm pitch and 0402 packages all day long, every day, by hand. It's dead easy. And the tip is always clean with a quick dip in brass wool. joint, joint, joint, dip, joint, joint... it's all the cleaning I ever have to do.

>>1095746
>basically, when you start filing your tips, you need to do it all the time.
Bingo. tl;dr version of my windbag post.

>>1095746
>when you start filing your tips, you need to do it all the time.
Sure, takes a couple minutes and lasts through a lot of soldering. Shape my tips as needed.
This is /diy/ not /gobuynewone/.
Can see where regular new tips would be more appropriate for someone that does it for a living and has it on all the time, but for a hobbiest, the file option is fine.

>>1095749
>Can see where regular new tips would be more appropriate for someone that does it for a living and has it on all the time, but for a hobbiest, the file option is fine.
Until you try to do anything that isn't just slapping leaded gobs on exposed wires. Seriously, try to rework multilayer PCB without lifting traces. Your heat transfer is crap, and the more you fidget with the PCB trying to get the joint hot, the more damage you're doing.

You can 'repair' a cracked engine block with JB-weld and chickenwire too, but don't try to tell me it's just as good as a properly cared-for engine in good condition. You're doing it wrong. It's an emergency stopgap at best. Don't tell newbies it's the right way to do it, because it's not.

>>1095086
Check the amps of the outlet you're using. Maybe they're designed to run at >15 amps

>>1095752
uh, no handheld Weller pencil is drawing 15 amps.
You might as well tell him to try painting it a different color.

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>>1095755

1800W pencil iron... that sounds awesome. it would glow bright yellow and you could solder lead free ground planes from a few inches away