On Mon, Dec 7, 2009 at 12:10 PM, Bob Blick wrote: > I've always wondered why soldering gun tips like this work so well: > > http://www.cooperhandtools.com/brands/CF_Files/model_detail.cfm?upc=037103478818 > > The material appears to be made of the same alloy all the way through, > and it doesn't get thinner near the tip, so why is the very tip of it > the part that gets really hot? > > Is it because the tip is somewhat equidistant from the fat connections, > so it starts off a little hotter, but then the temperature/resistance > coefficient causes a "thermal runaway"? Is that why when you are > soldering something big that's hard to heat up it helps to get the gun > hot first before plunging in? > > Cheerful regards, > > Bob > Here's a "tip" for you: A loop of #12 solid copper wire (ie, house wiring) works just as well as the store-bought tip. The lifetime is less, because the plating is missing. But copper is copper. Regards, Mark markrages@gmail -- Mark Rages, Engineer Midwest Telecine LLC markrages@midwesttelecine.com -- http://www.piclist.com PIC/SX FAQ & list archive View/change your membership options at http://mailman.mit.edu/mailman/listinfo/piclist