I've just not long since bought one of these originally for using for white metal but I have recently been using it on etched brass kits. I have been using the pointy tip that came with the iron and what a great iron. Its cheap and so are the tips compared with the other offerings out there and I find it a dream to use. Of course, it might not be for everyone but going on my present results ...... I'm having another. check them out as they are good. I'll let you know how I get on with the white metal cheers toto
Did you find the pointy tip worked OK? I've always used chisel tips and have a similar type station but the lack of such tips has put me off using it; that and managing to resist building any more white metal locos...
Hi Richard, I have only used it on brass so far and found the pointed tip to be fine. I have ordered further tips ranging img from 1.5 mm to 3 mm in size as ther will probably be an advantage to using them on bigger pieces but to be honest, the small tip seems to work adequately and I find you have terrific control on the amount of solder placed. I recently sW them on eBay for about £11.00 odds and ordered a further two. One specifically for white metal and one to offer up as a prize in a future competition. They are very good for the money. You can get a variety of replacement tips and they range from a pound odds to a couple of pound and are readily available. I'd recommend them Cheers Toto
Thanks, I'll have a look. Already have a collection of irons and a station, but maid of all work is a S R B adjustable iron that I can't remember the wattage of as it has worn off the handle. Think it is 25w as it struggles a bit with white metal castings, so your one might be of interest.
One thing worth checking Toto is whether you can get spare heating elements for them - when I was using a Maplins brand 48 watt solder station as my main iron I went through a few. Something else worth mentioning is that I don't use a wet sponge or variant thereof for cleaning my iron - I am pretty sure this accelerated the failure of the heating elements Initially I bought a quite expensive (£10) alternative which to be fair came with a holder Now I replace the inserts with these which are buttons from the supermarket and do exactly the same job - Sold as Stainless steel pan scrubbers. Since changing to an ERSA 80 watt solder station for my main unit (I have a cheapo similar to yours for whitemetal) I have had neither failures of heating element or the need to replace the tip in the last 3 or 4 years. As you can see it gets a lot of use