I got one. It works fine, can be set in increments of 10C with presets of 200, 300, 400. It displays the current temp rather than the set point, which is a plus. For what it is it's remarkably cheap.

But...
The tips are oddly shaped for electronic work. They work though.
The sponge is maybe 2mm thick, and the sponge holder similar, so that feature is fairly hopeless.
FWLIW there are 2 solder reels that can sit on the base unit - they're tiny.
But the no 1 limitation is that the bits screw into place, they're threaded. So there appears to be zero hope of it lasting decades.


NT

On 25/10/18 17:21, wrote:

But the no 1 limitation is that the bits screw into place, they're threaded. So there appears to be zero hope of it lasting decades.

I have an Oryx 50 I bought in 1963. I'm still using the original bit
(4mm? Never had a use for the smaller bit). Admittedly, it has only been
used for very intermittent hobby use, but the bit still unscrews without
problem.

--

Jeff

Yes when I could see I had an otherwise good iron from Tandy, which had
screw in bits. No matter how careful you were to extract them and put some
lubrication on, eventually it got jammed.

Brian

--
----- --
This newsgroup posting comes to you directly from...
The Sofa of Brian Gaff...

Blind user, so no pictures please
Note this Signature is meaningless.!
wrote in message
...
I got one. It works fine, can be set in increments of 10C with presets of
200, 300, 400. It displays the current temp rather than the set point,
which is a plus. For what it is it's remarkably cheap.

But...
The tips are oddly shaped for electronic work. They work though.
The sponge is maybe 2mm thick, and the sponge holder similar, so that
feature is fairly hopeless.
FWLIW there are 2 solder reels that can sit on the base unit - they're
tiny.
But the no 1 limitation is that the bits screw into place, they're
threaded. So there appears to be zero hope of it lasting decades.


NT

wrote in message
...
I got one. It works fine, can be set in increments of 10C with presets of
200, 300, 400. It displays the current temp rather than the set point,
which is a plus. For what it is it's remarkably cheap.

But...
The tips are oddly shaped for electronic work. They work though.
The sponge is maybe 2mm thick, and the sponge holder similar, so that
feature is fairly hopeless.
FWLIW there are 2 solder reels that can sit on the base unit - they're
tiny.
But the no 1 limitation is that the bits screw into place, they're
threaded. So there appears to be zero hope of it lasting decades.


NT

ditch them and get good lead solder.....

In article ,
wrote:
I got one. It works fine, can be set in increments of 10C with presets
of 200, 300, 400. It displays the current temp rather than the set
point, which is a plus. For what it is it's remarkably cheap.

But... The tips are oddly shaped for electronic work. They work though.
The sponge is maybe 2mm thick, and the sponge holder similar, so that
feature is fairly hopeless. FWLIW there are 2 solder reels that can sit
on the base unit - they're tiny. But the no 1 limitation is that the
bits screw into place, they're threaded. So there appears to be zero
hope of it lasting decades.


A solder station where you can't buy a selection of bits easily is a waste
of time IMHO. You might as well just have an ordinary soldering iron.

--
*Home cooking. Where many a man thinks his wife is.

Dave Plowman London SW
To e-mail, change noise into sound.

wrote:
But the no 1 limitation is that the bits screw into place, they're
threaded. So there appears to be zero hope of it lasting decades.

I think somebody said they have an M5 thread, and M5 is a common kind
of bit:
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/M5-Shank-.../382418750884?

You would need to thread them yourself, though.

Theo

On Thu, 25 Oct 2018 19:12:24 +0100, Dave Plowman (News) wrote:

In article ,
wrote:
I got one. It works fine, can be set in increments of 10C with presets
of 200, 300, 400. It displays the current temp rather than the set
point, which is a plus. For what it is it's remarkably cheap.

But... The tips are oddly shaped for electronic work. They work though.
The sponge is maybe 2mm thick, and the sponge holder similar, so that
feature is fairly hopeless. FWLIW there are 2 solder reels that can sit
on the base unit - they're tiny. But the no 1 limitation is that the
bits screw into place, they're threaded. So there appears to be zero
hope of it lasting decades.


A solder station where you can't buy a selection of bits easily is a
waste of time IMHO. You might as well just have an ordinary soldering
iron.

Indeed. Just bought a Weller!

--
My posts are my copyright and if @diy_forums or Home Owners' Hub
wish to copy them they can pay me £1 a message.
Use the BIG mirror service in the UK: http://www.mirrorservice.org
*lightning surge protection* - a w_tom conductor

"Bob Eager" wrote in message
...
On Thu, 25 Oct 2018 19:12:24 +0100, Dave Plowman (News) wrote:

In article ,
wrote:
I got one. It works fine, can be set in increments of 10C with presets
of 200, 300, 400. It displays the current temp rather than the set
point, which is a plus. For what it is it's remarkably cheap.

But... The tips are oddly shaped for electronic work. They work though.
The sponge is maybe 2mm thick, and the sponge holder similar, so that
feature is fairly hopeless. FWLIW there are 2 solder reels that can sit
on the base unit - they're tiny. But the no 1 limitation is that the
bits screw into place, they're threaded. So there appears to be zero
hope of it lasting decades.


A solder station where you can't buy a selection of bits easily is a
waste of time IMHO. You might as well just have an ordinary soldering
iron.

Indeed. Just bought a Weller!

quality

On Thursday, 25 October 2018 17:46:57 UTC+1, Jim GM4DHJ ... wrote:
tabbypurr wrote in message
...

I got one. It works fine, can be set in increments of 10C with presets of
200, 300, 400. It displays the current temp rather than the set point,
which is a plus. For what it is it's remarkably cheap.

But...
The tips are oddly shaped for electronic work. They work though.
The sponge is maybe 2mm thick, and the sponge holder similar, so that
feature is fairly hopeless.
FWLIW there are 2 solder reels that can sit on the base unit - they're
tiny.
But the no 1 limitation is that the bits screw into place, they're
threaded. So there appears to be zero hope of it lasting decades.


NT

ditch them and get good lead solder.....

I've probably got a lifetime's supply already.


NT

On 25/10/2018 17:21, wrote:

The sponge is maybe 2mm thick, and the sponge holder similar, so that feature is fairly hopeless.

Are you aware that the sponge has to be used damp? Usually the sponges
that come with soldering irons are compressed and the first application
of water expands them by x5 to x10. The thickness may actually be 20mm.





--
mailto : news {at} admac {dot} myzen {dot} co {dot} uk

On Thu, 25 Oct 2018 12:41:49 -0700, tabbypurr wrote:

On Thursday, 25 October 2018 17:46:57 UTC+1, Jim GM4DHJ ... wrote:
ditch them and get good lead solder.....

I've probably got a lifetime's supply already.

Me also. 63/37, too.

--
My posts are my copyright and if @diy_forums or Home Owners' Hub
wish to copy them they can pay me £1 a message.
Use the BIG mirror service in the UK: http://www.mirrorservice.org
*lightning surge protection* - a w_tom conductor

On 25/10/2018 19:17, Theo wrote:
wrote:
But the no 1 limitation is that the bits screw into place, they're
threaded. So there appears to be zero hope of it lasting decades.

I think somebody said they have an M5 thread, and M5 is a common kind
of bit:
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/M5-Shank-.../382418750884?

You would need to thread them yourself, though.



No iron that I've owned in the past 40 years has had a screw in tip. I
would think that after some use, especially with the fumes from flux
that unscrewing such a tip would be impossible.


--
mailto : news {at} admac {dot} myzen {dot} co {dot} uk

On Thursday, 25 October 2018 19:17:10 UTC+1, Theo wrote:
tabbypurr wrote:

But the no 1 limitation is that the bits screw into place, they're
threaded. So there appears to be zero hope of it lasting decades.

I think somebody said they have an M5 thread, and M5 is a common kind
of bit:
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/M5-Shank-.../382418750884?

You would need to thread them yourself, though.

Theo

cheers, that's good to know. Is silicone effective at stopping the threaded part corroding & jamming? Ptfe starts decomposing at 200C.


NT

On Thursday, 25 October 2018 20:44:39 UTC+1, alan_m wrote:
On 25/10/2018 17:21, tabbypurr wrote:

The sponge is maybe 2mm thick, and the sponge holder similar, so that feature is fairly hopeless.

Are you aware that the sponge has to be used damp?

it's partly the water that does the job. Wet denim works too.

Usually the sponges
that come with soldering irons are compressed and the first application
of water expands them by x5 to x10. The thickness may actually be 20mm.

I ought to check that. The well for the sponge is only about 2mm


NT

"alan_m" wrote in message
...
On 25/10/2018 19:17, Theo wrote:
wrote:
But the no 1 limitation is that the bits screw into place, they're
threaded. So there appears to be zero hope of it lasting decades.

I think somebody said they have an M5 thread, and M5 is a common kind
of bit:
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/M5-Shank-.../382418750884?

You would need to thread them yourself, though.



No iron that I've owned in the past 40 years has had a screw in tip.

Some of mine did, must have been well over 50 years ago now.

I would think that after some use, especially with the fumes from flux
that unscrewing such a tip would be impossible.

Never had any problem in that regard.

On 25/10/2018 20:05, Bob Eager wrote:
On Thu, 25 Oct 2018 19:12:24 +0100, Dave Plowman (News) wrote:

In article ,
wrote:
I got one. It works fine, can be set in increments of 10C with presets
of 200, 300, 400. It displays the current temp rather than the set
point, which is a plus. For what it is it's remarkably cheap.

But... The tips are oddly shaped for electronic work. They work though.
The sponge is maybe 2mm thick, and the sponge holder similar, so that
feature is fairly hopeless. FWLIW there are 2 solder reels that can sit
on the base unit - they're tiny. But the no 1 limitation is that the
bits screw into place, they're threaded. So there appears to be zero
hope of it lasting decades.


A solder station where you can't buy a selection of bits easily is a
waste of time IMHO. You might as well just have an ordinary soldering
iron.

Indeed. Just bought a Weller!

I have a Weller. Excellent bit of kit. My father has one too. I am
pretty sure that his is older than me ... and I'm 51!

SteveW

On Fri, 26 Oct 2018 07:40:46 +1100, cantankerous trolling senile geezer Rot
Speed blabbered, again:


I would think that after some use, especially with the fumes from flux
that unscrewing such a tip would be impossible.

Never had any problem in that regard.

Of course not: if HE says he has problems with it, you will say you haven't,
you ****ed up auto-contradicting psychotic arsehole!

--
Kerr-Mudd,John addressing senile Rot:
"Auto-contradictor Rod is back! (in the KF)"
MID:

In article ,
Bob Eager wrote:
On Thu, 25 Oct 2018 19:12:24 +0100, Dave Plowman (News) wrote:

In article ,
wrote:
I got one. It works fine, can be set in increments of 10C with presets
of 200, 300, 400. It displays the current temp rather than the set
point, which is a plus. For what it is it's remarkably cheap.

But... The tips are oddly shaped for electronic work. They work though.
The sponge is maybe 2mm thick, and the sponge holder similar, so that
feature is fairly hopeless. FWLIW there are 2 solder reels that can sit
on the base unit - they're tiny. But the no 1 limitation is that the
bits screw into place, they're threaded. So there appears to be zero
hope of it lasting decades.


A solder station where you can't buy a selection of bits easily is a
waste of time IMHO. You might as well just have an ordinary soldering
iron.

Indeed. Just bought a Weller!

I find Weller slightly clumsy to my taste - having used them at work. But
of course any personal choice might be down to hand size, etc. My
favourite by far is Antex for the hand piece.

--
*How do you tell when you run out of invisible ink? *

Dave Plowman London SW
To e-mail, change noise into sound.

On Thu, 25 Oct 2018 21:48:01 +0100, Steve Walker wrote:

On 25/10/2018 20:05, Bob Eager wrote:
On Thu, 25 Oct 2018 19:12:24 +0100, Dave Plowman (News) wrote:

In article ,
wrote:
I got one. It works fine, can be set in increments of 10C with
presets of 200, 300, 400. It displays the current temp rather than
the set point, which is a plus. For what it is it's remarkably cheap.

But... The tips are oddly shaped for electronic work. They work
though.
The sponge is maybe 2mm thick, and the sponge holder similar, so that
feature is fairly hopeless. FWLIW there are 2 solder reels that can
sit on the base unit - they're tiny. But the no 1 limitation is that
the bits screw into place, they're threaded. So there appears to be
zero hope of it lasting decades.


A solder station where you can't buy a selection of bits easily is a
waste of time IMHO. You might as well just have an ordinary soldering
iron.

Indeed. Just bought a Weller!

I have a Weller. Excellent bit of kit. My father has one too. I am
pretty sure that his is older than me ... and I'm 51!

SteveW

It's only my fourth soldering iron in over 60 years. First two were
Antex, and I still have the Xytronic (the third).

Decided to treat myself with the Weller. WT1 and WTP90.



--
My posts are my copyright and if @diy_forums or Home Owners' Hub
wish to copy them they can pay me £1 a message.
Use the BIG mirror service in the UK: http://www.mirrorservice.org
*lightning surge protection* - a w_tom conductor

On Thursday, 25 October 2018 21:48:02 UTC+1, Steve Walker wrote:
On 25/10/2018 20:05, Bob Eager wrote:
On Thu, 25 Oct 2018 19:12:24 +0100, Dave Plowman (News) wrote:

In article ,
tabbypurr wrote:
I got one. It works fine, can be set in increments of 10C with presets
of 200, 300, 400. It displays the current temp rather than the set
point, which is a plus. For what it is it's remarkably cheap.

But... The tips are oddly shaped for electronic work. They work though.
The sponge is maybe 2mm thick, and the sponge holder similar, so that
feature is fairly hopeless. FWLIW there are 2 solder reels that can sit
on the base unit - they're tiny. But the no 1 limitation is that the
bits screw into place, they're threaded. So there appears to be zero
hope of it lasting decades.


A solder station where you can't buy a selection of bits easily is a
waste of time IMHO. You might as well just have an ordinary soldering
iron.

Indeed. Just bought a Weller!

I have a Weller. Excellent bit of kit. My father has one too. I am
pretty sure that his is older than me ... and I'm 51!

SteveW

Sounds like its keep is weller nd


NT

On Fri, 26 Oct 2018 00:21:33 +0100, Dave Plowman (News) wrote:

In article ,
Bob Eager wrote:
On Thu, 25 Oct 2018 19:12:24 +0100, Dave Plowman (News) wrote:

In article ,
wrote:
I got one. It works fine, can be set in increments of 10C with
presets of 200, 300, 400. It displays the current temp rather than
the set point, which is a plus. For what it is it's remarkably
cheap.

But... The tips are oddly shaped for electronic work. They work
though.
The sponge is maybe 2mm thick, and the sponge holder similar, so
that feature is fairly hopeless. FWLIW there are 2 solder reels that
can sit on the base unit - they're tiny. But the no 1 limitation is
that the bits screw into place, they're threaded. So there appears
to be zero hope of it lasting decades.


A solder station where you can't buy a selection of bits easily is a
waste of time IMHO. You might as well just have an ordinary soldering
iron.

Indeed. Just bought a Weller!

I find Weller slightly clumsy to my taste - having used them at work.
But of course any personal choice might be down to hand size, etc. My
favourite by far is Antex for the hand piece.

My new Weller is a lot smaller than the Antex. And that includes the
motion sensor! Weighs 70 grams.

https://www.weller-tools.com/profess.../Professional/
New+products/WTP+90


--
My posts are my copyright and if @diy_forums or Home Owners' Hub
wish to copy them they can pay me £1 a message.
Use the BIG mirror service in the UK: http://www.mirrorservice.org
*lightning surge protection* - a w_tom conductor

In article ,
Bob Eager wrote:
I find Weller slightly clumsy to my taste - having used them at work.
But of course any personal choice might be down to hand size, etc. My
favourite by far is Antex for the hand piece.

My new Weller is a lot smaller than the Antex. And that includes the
motion sensor! Weighs 70 grams.

Must admit not to having looked at weller recently. But no need to since
I'm more than happy with my home made solder/desolder station based around
Antex and Pace. At the time, no one really made one I liked. One
requirement here was two soldering irons selectable by a switch. With the
two most common bit sizes I use. And auto shut down.

--
*Stable Relationships Are For Horses. *

Dave Plowman London SW
To e-mail, change noise into sound.

On Fri, 26 Oct 2018 10:49:47 +0100, Dave Plowman (News) wrote:

In article ,
Bob Eager wrote:
I find Weller slightly clumsy to my taste - having used them at work.
But of course any personal choice might be down to hand size, etc. My
favourite by far is Antex for the hand piece.

My new Weller is a lot smaller than the Antex. And that includes the
motion sensor! Weighs 70 grams.

Must admit not to having looked at weller recently. But no need to since
I'm more than happy with my home made solder/desolder station based
around Antex and Pace. At the time, no one really made one I liked. One
requirement here was two soldering irons selectable by a switch. With
the two most common bit sizes I use. And auto shut down.

At a price, Weller do a two station version of the WT1 base unit. Then
two irons will work!

Auto shut down is all there; it senses when it is stationary and shuts
down after a (selectable) timeout, and auto restarts when picked up.



--
My posts are my copyright and if @diy_forums or Home Owners' Hub
wish to copy them they can pay me £1 a message.
Use the BIG mirror service in the UK: http://www.mirrorservice.org
*lightning surge protection* - a w_tom conductor

On Friday, 26 October 2018 00:28:33 UTC+1, Dave Plowman (News) wrote:
In article ,
Bob Eager wrote:
On Thu, 25 Oct 2018 19:12:24 +0100, Dave Plowman (News) wrote:

In article ,
wrote:
I got one. It works fine, can be set in increments of 10C with presets
of 200, 300, 400. It displays the current temp rather than the set
point, which is a plus. For what it is it's remarkably cheap.

But... The tips are oddly shaped for electronic work. They work though.
The sponge is maybe 2mm thick, and the sponge holder similar, so that
feature is fairly hopeless. FWLIW there are 2 solder reels that can sit
on the base unit - they're tiny. But the no 1 limitation is that the
bits screw into place, they're threaded. So there appears to be zero
hope of it lasting decades.


A solder station where you can't buy a selection of bits easily is a
waste of time IMHO. You might as well just have an ordinary soldering
iron.

Indeed. Just bought a Weller!

I find Weller slightly clumsy to my taste - having used them at work. But
of course any personal choice might be down to hand size, etc. My
favourite by far is Antex for the hand piece.

I agree I've always thought the wellar to be a bit nmore expensive than they need to be. Designs by both seem to change more frequasntly now and that;s a pain because I have two antex stations that I can't get irons for.

In article ,
Bob Eager wrote:
Must admit not to having looked at weller recently. But no need to since
I'm more than happy with my home made solder/desolder station based
around Antex and Pace. At the time, no one really made one I liked. One
requirement here was two soldering irons selectable by a switch. With
the two most common bit sizes I use. And auto shut down.

At a price, Weller do a two station version of the WT1 base unit. Then
two irons will work!

Auto shut down is all there; it senses when it is stationary and shuts
down after a (selectable) timeout, and auto restarts when picked up.

Could well be now. My unit was built ages ago when the only unit that came
close to what I wanted was Pace - but at some 6 times the price I built
this one for, ie serious money.

--
*I'm not your type. I'm not inflatable.

Dave Plowman London SW
To e-mail, change noise into sound.

In article ,
whisky-dave wrote:
I find Weller slightly clumsy to my taste - having used them at work.
But of course any personal choice might be down to hand size, etc. My
favourite by far is Antex for the hand piece.

I agree I've always thought the wellar to be a bit nmore expensive than
they need to be. Designs by both seem to change more frequasntly now and
that;s a pain because I have two antex stations that I can't get irons
for.

Which model do they use? Mine uses the TC50 (shows the age) but haven't
had problems getting spares last time I looked.

--
*Always remember you're unique, just like everyone else.

Dave Plowman London SW
To e-mail, change noise into sound.

On Friday, 26 October 2018 14:58:37 UTC+1, Dave Plowman (News) wrote:
In article ,
whisky-dave wrote:
I find Weller slightly clumsy to my taste - having used them at work.
But of course any personal choice might be down to hand size, etc. My
favourite by far is Antex for the hand piece.

I agree I've always thought the wellar to be a bit nmore expensive than
they need to be. Designs by both seem to change more frequasntly now and
that;s a pain because I have two antex stations that I can't get irons
for.

Which model do they use? Mine uses the TC50 (shows the age) but haven't
had problems getting spares last time I looked.

antex 690-SD they changed the plug design from a push DIN to a screw in DIN plug on the new stations we have the 690D


--
*Always remember you're unique, just like everyone else.

Dave Plowman London SW
To e-mail, change noise into sound.

In article ,
whisky-dave wrote:
Which model do they use? Mine uses the TC50 (shows the age) but haven't
had problems getting spares last time I looked.

antex 690-SD they changed the plug design from a push DIN to a screw in
DIN plug on the new stations we have the 690D

That must be old if it used those awful audio DIN plugs. ;-)

The locking versions, but in metal (same pin spacing etc) we used to call
Touchel - used on some microphones.

--
*HOW IS IT POSSIBLE TO HAVE A CIVIL WAR?

Dave Plowman London SW
To e-mail, change noise into sound.

On Friday, 26 October 2018 16:32:11 UTC+1, Dave Plowman (News) wrote:
In article ,
whisky-dave wrote:
Which model do they use? Mine uses the TC50 (shows the age) but haven't
had problems getting spares last time I looked.

antex 690-SD they changed the plug design from a push DIN to a screw in
DIN plug on the new stations we have the 690D

That must be old if it used those awful audio DIN plugs. ;-)

Well ~7 years old , I did try to buy replacements and then sent me ones with the newer 270 deg spacing pins mine were the even older 180 deg ones.


The locking versions, but in metal (same pin spacing etc) we used to call
Touchel - used on some microphones.

that's our new ones and you can;t use the older irons on them.
Pity of the old stations still work as we have 9 of them still working only one doesn;t have an iron to go with it.

So we bought 10 new irons with stations, these new stations are better than the old ones.