I think the OP was closer. The wattage rating is the ability to
recover once the heat has dropped. The heat capacity is a function of
the mass of the tip.

When soldering PL-259 connectors, or homw-made brass boxes, I use a
roofer's iron. The tip is a slug of copper about one inch in diameter
and over 3 inches long. It takes about 30 minutes to come up to
temperature, but anything you touch it to is instantly at soldering
temperature.

On Thu, 23 Mar 2006 09:41:48 -0500, "JANA" wrote:

The wattage rating would be more of the heating capacity. The larger the
wattage, the greater the mass that it can heat. Use a lower wattage for the
smaller jobs. Use a higher wattage for the larger type soldering jobs.