Soldering tips

Hamster

Hamster

Hamster

Soldato
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I've just placed an order for a soldering station and could do with some advice on which tips to buy. There's a pack of 10 assorted tips available for the iron I've bought but I'm assuming that's overkill. The tips can be bought individually.

I'm going to mainly use if for small electronics projects but want other tips that would cover me for other uses.

Here's the 10 pack. I'm getting #1 but which others are worth keeping in the toolkit?

2j18q47.jpg
 
Thanks. Would one of the chisel tips (2,4 and 5) serve a good purpose? Also I'm not sure what #8 is for.
 
I really like chisel tips as they're good for both surface mount and through hole soldering so I'd go with 4. I'd also say 8 but it looks a bit big but I guess it depends on the size of what you're doing.
 
In a previous career I worked in electronics repair/debug and almost always used a small hoof type tip (and still do). I occasionally used a medium or large hoof for power plane connections or where I needed extra heat. Down to personal preference at the end of the day, but in my experience pointy tips are fairly useless.
 
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Thanks everyone. It comes with one pointy tip but I'm not exactly sure which so I'll get a #4 and #8 to go with it.

Makhaira - what do you use #7 for?

neodude - which one is a hoof tip?
 
Hoof tips are all I use all part from when doing very, very fine work.

I find pointed tips annoying for all but the smallest of joints.
 
As said above, I also find pointed tips fairly useless. I very rarely use pointed tips unless I can't get the hoof tip into any joint.
 
Hamster said:
Thanks everyone. It comes with one pointy tip but I'm not exactly sure which so I'll get a #4 and #8 to go with it.

Makhaira - what do you use #7 for?

neodude - which one is a hoof tip?
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Sorry for the slow reply Hamster, I suspect you've already had your question answered by the other posts.

7 and 8 are "hoof tips", or "bevels", depending on your terminology. They're a traditional shape that has a single face to heat the joint you're working on. They're not designed for extreme precision work like a point is, but rather to give maximum heat transfer to a single face.

All the way through my hobby activities, degree, and subsequent hobby projects, those three tips are all I've ever needed. I bought a small chisel (has an angle on two opposite sides) once, tried it, and have never used it again - it has no real advantages over a small bevel.

Hope that helps.
 
on my 15w i use a tip similar to 3 (its the only tip i use on the 15) but on my 30w its shaped more like 8.

most of my soldering is surface mount, which is why i like the pointed tips. the bigger stuff i use the 30w.
 
Thanks again everyone for your advice and opinions :) It looks like everyone has their favourite tip for a job!!
 
Need a decent soldering iron

I'm fed up of using my £20 soldering iron and burning through tracks, burning myself and generally doing soldering that looks like someone has eaten silver and then been sick over stuff.

Please spec me up a decent temp controlled soldering iron, I've just killed a piece of electrics and burnt my finger all because this soldding iron is like taking a nuke to a wasps nest. :mad:
 
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