When you chooses a soldering iron, you must understand the amount of heat that a specific joint require. If the soldering iron provides too little heat, then the solder will not properely adhere to the joint. However, if a soldering iron provide too much heat, it can damage the component at the joint.
The wattage of the soldering iron determine how fast it heat up and maintains it’s temperature on the joint. Each joint have a thermal mass that determine how much heat that it require to properly solder. For example, a joint at a small resistor requires more less heat then a joint at a thick copper pipe.
How to Choose the Right Soldering Iron
Many people prefers to purchase a soldering iron with a wattage in the mid-range. A 30-watt to 40-watt soldering iron are good for through-hole work and other hobby projects. A 30-watt to 40-watt soldering iron is useful because it heat up to an operational temperature relatively quick and maintains that temperature on the joint.
For those who works on audio gear or thick wire harnesses, however, a 60-watt soldering iron can be more helpful. A 60-watt soldering iron heats the joint quick and allows for fast recovery of heat, which is beneficial if working on many joint in a row. The shape of the tip and the type of solder used with a soldering iron are other factor to consider when purchasing a soldering iron.
The conical tip is a small tip used for delicate surface-mount work using a low-wattage soldering iron. A conical tip, however, can be ineffective if use with a 100-watt soldering iron. The chisel tip is a wide tip that is used for heating large surface.
The chisel tip, though, may be too much heat for the tiny component on some circuit boards. The other factor to consider is the solder alloy. For instance, leaded 60/40 solder melt at a lower temperature than lead-free solder.
Thus, a low-wattage soldering iron can melt leaded 60/40 solder. Lead-free solder require more heat, meaning that you must use more heat in melting it. The heat-up time for a soldering iron will affect the speed at which you can complete your projects.
A 15-watt soldering iron will heat up and reach its operational temperature slow. This will slow you down if completing many projects. Professional soldering stations between 60 and 80 watt have short recovery times.
Thus, 60-watt to 80-watt soldering stations will heat quick to an operational temperature and allow the soldering iron to reach that temperature faster. Therefore, this will make them more helpful for those who are creating many circuit board. The recovery time will be a key factor in purchasing a soldering iron of a higher wattage.
It is also important to maintain your soldering iron tip. One maintenance task is to keep the tip tinned so that the tip can properly transfer heat to the joint. Another maintenance task is to prevent the soldering iron tip from oxidize.
An oxidized tip will act as an insulator of heat and will force you to heat the tip to a higher temperature. This could damage the component on the joint. To prevent this, you should use a brass cleaner and tin the tip of the soldering iron before you store it.
In conclusion, your choice of soldering iron depend on the amount of heat that your joint require. A good starting point is with a soldering iron in the mid-range with adjustable wattage. You should also learn how each tip shape and solder alloy behaves.
You can only change the wattage if the thermal demand of your projects require it. Thus, this method will allow you to have the proper amount of heat for each joint without using a soldering iron that is more powerful for the component in your projects.
