On Sat, 14 Mar 2009 10:55:00 GMT, john wrote:

I must have lived a sheltered life because onmy Antex soldering iron I
have always used a standard chisel tip.

Recently I saw a lot of cheap soldering irons in the stores with a
conical tip. I can't think I'd ever want to use that shape but someone
must be doing so. What use does a concial tip have for
electrical/electronic work?
It has a lot to do with personal preference.

I started out with an Ungar soldering iron from my woodburning set.
That was a popular toy when I was 8 years old. One of the heating
elements had a very fine pointed tip. The iron ran very hot. It very
quickly rounded off the tip. I learned that by carrying a tiny blob of
solder that the heat transfer area was determined by the size of that
solder ball. With a pointed tip you can lean the iron any way that is
convenient. I find the chisel tip very awkward, especially for smt.

If more heat is needed you can lean the tip to gain more surface
contact. I am currently(usually) using the cheapest Weller pencil with
adjustable heat. It is a bit of over kill because I always run it at
max heat. My rule for soldering is prep, get in, get out, clean up.

I have an assortment of soldering irons because there is no such thing
as one that will do it all!

BTW, I was 8 years old 61 years ago.
John Ferrell W8CCW