Cheap soldering iron tips follow up - iron vs. copper?
This is a follow up of my first video on making cheap replacement tips for a standard soldering iron. In this video I compared iron and copper as a material for making soldering iron tips, and you can quite clearly see why iron isn't suitable. Admittedly I didn't expect iron to be that bad at conducting heat!
Since so many of you have asked me where to get copper wire, here's an affiliate link to some appropriate copper wire on eBay. Make sure to check the diameter of your current soldering tip and convert it into the right wire gauge using a lookup table before ordering:
ebay.us/M8WU4s
The lookup table I use:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/America...
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To all those peoples who disliked, let's not do that, that discourage people to make new cool and exclusive stuff's, I'm just a poor man so I know how it feels, let's make a good friendly vibe, and he even gave us an option to tell him what you didn't like rather than a dislike, it's really rude to upset peoples, . Thank you.
That's kind of you, thanks.
@@ChronicMechatronic Thank you, I hope you make a Bright future, kudos and take care.
It really upsets me how people are so rude on the internet. Well done sticking your head above the parapet and sharing your efforts. Hope you can ignore these idiots
@@jaybee258jb thanks :) I'm learning to ignore them, but sometimes it's quite hard. I initially thought I was made from stronger stuff...
@@ChronicMechatronic human natur, oh i goto be better than you.etc..sad!in the 70s you can even see it in movies how more polite and helpfull people were i sen it pc an phones made a big percentage verynarcasistic if thats a word .i played pc games from 93 onward and sen it helpful by 2000 it was just nasty.built pcs since 95 not anymore .! pray you sucseed in everything blessings to you! much love from sth australia.
Such a underrated channel
Just found your site as I need to experiment on soldering tips. I need to make 500 to 1000 tips so I'm looking to see what materials work better. So far so good. Much thanks
Nice to meet you 👍
good idea and ask permission to practice. Greetings from Indonesia
Bravo boy . I admit it was difficult to listen you but you talk right stuff and stuff that helped me. You the best.! Kisses
Hey when finish soldering with your soldering iron what should be done
I think it is good to use Brass Wool together with a wet sponge before you're finished soldering! During your soldering you can use brass wool while the tips are hot. Face it; no matter what you do, the tips will never last forever anyways, but it is good to try!
I never even thought about making my own tips until I saw this channel.
Yeah, that soldering tip video was quite a hit
@@ChronicMechatronic It was brilliant. The ability to make your own custom soldering tips really changes the game. One great thing is that I can now desolder things like a surface mount mosfet that has bothered me for a couple of years. EDIT: Actually it's a 5V regulator.
@@ChronicMechatronic you could say, making your tips is a great tip!
Pls sir I wanted to be production of this solder tip in my country what I should have to get
If you clean the soldering iron amd keep solder on it when not in use it should last a lot longer There is also rosin flux and if needed citric acid to clean the tip when it gets really gross, but the fumes are nasty
i still cannot understand how the hell this quality content is only 10k subs. I hope you getto 100k soon
Having few subs is easy :p Took me "only" 3 years to get to 9k 😂
@@ChronicMechatronic growth is exponential. you just need a lucky break
@@Alchemistake fortunately I started to get into a groove and can feel the channel taking roots now. Haven't had a video flop completely in a while now. Turns out having a KZhead channel be successful is a lot harder than it looks if you don't know what you're doing 😂
Well done
Great stuff.
Thanks for subbing btw.
as someone just getting into soldering, wouldnt Copper welding tips be a viable choice? Seeing as you only have to file it down on the outside to have it fit and since spot welders work the way they do, the thinner piece can readily be replaced () the would be soldering tip from a spool of copper welding wire
Well, yeah, I usually use thick copper wire and replace them when they get too short to use
Good idea .👍👍👍
when drilling brass or copper try grinding one cutting flute of the drill slightly so that the drill point is off center. this causes the drill to orbit in the hole and it won't jam and break.
BRAVO VERY GOOD VIDEO!!!!!GEORGE ATHENS GREECE.
I bought a LWS-301 Laser gun and never looked back. Adjust the laser beam at idle to cover both ends of a micro IC pre rosin with a tap on the foot switch set at number 6. Then with a micro hand operated dispenser [cheap] dob the solder past on each end , the chip will probably be out of line NO WORRIES!! Now step on the foot switch and wait 20 seconds and wath that chip do a dance , sometimes stand on end, DON'T LET GO OF THE FOOT SWITCH!! Watch the chip SNAP into place with the action of solder flow and you have a perfect factory IC_Board flush mount solder job. My analog iron is still needed once in a while but the laser system [300 bucks] is getting allot of use. No tips to wear out maintenance free. Lovin it. I know this sounds snobby, but once you go laser or infrared you never go back!! Dude, I love your eco attitude and enjoy all of your videos. Too many men are like me, over 65 and signs of Parkinson's disease [shakey hands] are putting them out to pasture until they discover laser soldering then they get a new leash on their hobby.
which of the soldering iron can be use by generator
I have been using custom copper soldering tips for years when I was just starting my electronics hobby. Then I moved to a proper low-power soldering iron with iron tips. It's a bit difficult to get used to it because a copper tip always looks shiny and also it picks and keeps the solder on the tip always hot. With an iron tip it feels more difficult to solder if you haven't applied lots of flux even when you want to join components that had been fluxed and soldered before. With a copper iron, I just touch the legs and they get joined nicely. With an iron tip? Nah, unless you add more flux.
Iron just needs more heat. I hate copper cause solder eats it away
Have you tried nickel plating the tips for a more durable finish?
No, I haven't got any nickel to try it with
@@ChronicMechatronic a small bottle of nickel sulfate and a cotton swab with a pair of D cells would probably set you back 10 or 15 dollars. For such a small surface, brush plating would be ideal.
Use a automatic centre punch it will help
good idea
Nice 👍
Copper is unique and the only tip solder sticks to with less fuss involved!
did you try with aluminium or zinc?
try r/c connectors...1mm/2mm ..... hypodermic needles..for fine hollow tips
hi, nice experiment and great grinding skills.. i have a few suggestions if i may: you want to maximize the contact points for the heat to flow as easily as possible. first contact point is with the heating element. both the thin iron insert and nail tip would get hotter it they would have smooth surfaces to maximize the area of contact between the components. i would drill the hole in the copper all the way thru then cut it / split longitudinally so that it would act as a clamp on the steel insert as the bolt on the iron gets tightened. high temp anti-seize lubricants would further improve the heat transfer.. the most accessible option is the little bags used for automotive spark plugs ($ 1-2). the 2nd contact point is between the tip and the soldering component: having a solder layer on the tip helps greatly in transferring heat.. tinning the tip is crucial. a surface doesn't get wet w/ solder unless the oxides are removed. flux does that (and damp sponges too). if you don't have separate flux, you can wrap the new tip w/ soldering wire as it has a flux core... when it reaches the melting temp the flux should de-oxidize the surface and help the solder stick to the tip. ps: by tapping copper w/ a hammer, it hardens considerably (mechanical shock). you reverse the effect by heating the copper...
Hello, thanks for the suggestions! I see what you mean there - problem is, drilling straight all the way thru the copper lengthwise isn't possible without a lathe. It just always ends up crooked with the drill bit coming out the side if you go any deeper than a centimetre... to improve heat transfer, I guess it would also be possible to flow some solder into the gap around the thin copper wire / steel nail when first heating up the tip. (yes it's gonna re-melt every time but capillary action should make it stay there) My soldering tips are always tinned - dissolving rosin in rubbing alcohol makes for good extra flux. Although I don't generally use it, I just add a little more solder. "ps:" I know that effect from goldbeating, didn't realize it applies to copper as well. 👌
@@ChronicMechatronic copper could get just stiff enough to make drilling easier.. higher speed and slow advancement of the drill bit should help w/ soft materials. anyways, the depth that you managed for the hole should offer enough contact area if things touch (your idea using solder to fill the gaps could work).. i have a few old irons in my collection that have thread-in tips and a 0.125" thickness tip, only screws in 5-6 threads into a nickel plated heating element. that surface area is enough to heat up copper tips up to +800 F/+400 C with 15-18W elements. check out the "Princess" series from 'Ungar soldering iron' if you'd like to get some inspiration for small tip shapes. try image search "ungar #332"or "ungar allied 1965".. notice the small contact area available given the size of those tips. the manuals say that thermal compound should be used on the threads. in reality it mostly helps as an anti seize agent, the tip reaches comparable temps w/ or w/o using thermal paste because it's a tight fit..yes these are from the 1960s and they still work... i completely forgot about the rosin.. man, where do you get it these days? i miss that smell :} thanks, be safe
@@duroxkilo musical instruments shops sell violin rosin.
@@Zehnsteine thanks
Love from INDIA bro ❤️
Hi dear,we are not English, so please at the end put the tips on the bench and say which one is good choice for us ,thank you 😊
Always use copper tip 😊
Thank you very much
You should look into using solder flux
A copper solder tip cost a about 1-2 buck, so making those yourself makes not much sense. But if you do, you can better make them out of solid copper, much better heat transfer.
I can tell you one of the biggest problems drilling copper is the metal is gummy. The best way to keep things moving along without breaking is to use paraffin wax. Just about Any candle these days uses paraffin wax because it is cheap. Just before you start drilling let the drill rub the cutting end into the wax. When drill is hot it is way easier as the wax melts onto the cutting tool. DO not jam the drill bit either, just light pressure to let the drill do the work. Also, high spiral HSS bits work best. When the drill wants to dig into the metal because of sharpness, take a small flat sharpening stone and gently reduce the cutting angle and the digging will stop. Two cents worth of knowledge for you fella for free.
Hi I am new subscriber ❤️❤️
Hello, you're welcome!
@@ChronicMechatronic thank you please you too support me
Just subbed Bulgaria
Nice bro love from india
Thanks! The biggest percentage of my viewership is Indian btw 😉
@@ChronicMechatronic oh nice bro.☺️
Hi, I'm your new subscriber.
Hello, thanks for subscribing! Hope you enjoy my content!
@@ChronicMechatronic yes, sure, I did try to find if anyone ever used a nail as a soldering tip, now I got, gonna try out soon on my (cheap Chinese made) 25 watt Soldering iron, and, kudos for new journey, good luck.
Thanks! I like cheap Chinese stuff ;) My soldering iron is 15 watts, so maybe nails work better on higher power soldering irons.
@@ChronicMechatronic I got 3, 25 Watts and 8, 35 & 60 watts each ; ). I'm gonna try on the 25 watts first as I use that one most of the time. I will let you know the results. Hope everything gonna be ok.
That'll be interesting, thanks!
It is what I wanted to make. Thank you, for your video. Now I know that iron tipsis a lost of my time.
Didn't learn anything. The chinese already sell pure iron tips and pure copper tips. Buying those is cheaper than buying a precision drill press.
How about brass?
Better than iron
Why not aluminium tip?
Nice video I am watching on india
Glad you like it!
Thanks
Guy pls come make video more where are you
TRY TUBE COPPER .
Please reply
I just did
try streaming water instead of oil
hlo brother
Hi 😁
Loud MUSIC yes but not anything masquerading itself as music.
Use copper tube
Boune ider countinou
I use lead
I dont get all the messing' you can get a temp controlled iron on E,bay for $10 with tips & copper tips for another few dollars , pointless exercise ...............
Just proves you didn't get the point
Man! I am living in Ukraine, and I hearing a russian propaganda that says: "Americans are stupid" all my live. But each time, when I see that you use drill as metal lathe I am impressed! It is really cool! I don't know how I came across your channel, but I am happy that it happened!
Really sorry about what Russia does to your country :'(
so much talking, not a good job......???????
I always talk much