On Nov 3, 8:32*pm, "Brian Reay" wrote:
An Antex 16W should be man enough. As someone has asked, are you using
lead
free solder? It really is a pain, see if you can get some "proper" Leaded
solder. It is still available for sale- it is a myth that it is illegal.

It's also a myth that lead free is any more difficult to work with.
I've used nothing else since before the RoHS came into force. It needs
a higher temperature and the joints don't look as good, that's all.

Also, clean the bit before trying to "tin" it- the Antex bits tend to go
black when new. Get is hot and rub with steel wool then tin it or you can
get abrasive fluxed pads for the purpose.

If it's a good iron plated copper bit, steel wool would be a
bad idea. Heating it up and wiping it on a moist sponge, tinning
it, and wiping it again is all that's normally required.

In the past I would have agreed with that. However, later bits seem to need
something a little more aggressive.

Agreed, modern Antex bits (maybe something to do with the extra
caoting to resist the more aggressive fluxes used with lead free
solder) can be a real bugger to tin when new. You have to catch the
just right, otherwise no end of wiping on a sponge will help. A pot of
tip cleaner is useful.

MBQ