Tips for Craftsman Soldering Iron unavailable

[Mike_J]

Looks like replacement tips for my Craftsman 45 watt soldering iron are a thing of the past. Any suggestions for a replacement iron?

[SILVERGUN]

I recently snagged one of these on sale for my home/hobbyist needs. (I think it was $99)
So far so good. I like the timed shut off feature. Let's me be as dumb as I want.


Weller Professional - WE1010NA - USA - us (weller-tools.com)

[Mike_J]

I recently snagged one of these on sale for my home/hobbyist needs. (I think it was $99)
So far so good. I like the timed shut off feature. Let's me be as dumb as I want.


Weller Professional - WE1010NA - USA - us (weller-tools.com)

And the advantage with Weller is they should be around later if replacement tips are needed. I have never had a temperature controlled soldering iron before. This one is 70 watts which I presume is up to 70 watts. Do you have a setting you use for say wiring a board that works well for you?

[SILVERGUN]

For tube amp board work I'm up over 700 degrees.
I think it's nice to have a temp control and have more power than you actually need.
It's also nice to be able to dial it down and do a small pedal pc board.


"Digital 70 W soldering station. This allows the iron to heat up fast and to provide a fast recovery time – gets the job done quicker with more efficiency and precision."

[thetragichero]

this is what i use. it's all modular which i really like, replace parts as they die. I've left on for a day by mistake a few times and it survived fine (although i wouldn't suggest it). i use a weller gun if i need extreme heat for bonding to a chassis

https://www.weller-tools.com/professional/USA/us/Weller+Consumer/Soldering+Irons/Stained+Glass+%26+Hobby+Applications/SL335

[Mike_J]

this is what i use. it's all modular which i really like, replace parts as they die. I've left on for a day by mistake a few times and it survived fine (although i wouldn't suggest it). i use a weller gun if i need extreme heat for bonding to a chassis

https://www.weller-tools.com/professional/USA/us/Weller+Consumer/Soldering+Irons/Stained+Glass+%26+Hobby+Applications/SL335

Think I had that iron or one very similar to it about twenty years ago. Tip lasted at least five years. Craftsman tips could last as little as a day at times but were dirt cheap and the iron worked adequately for me. Think I am going to lean towards the higher power model that Silvergun has with the temperature control.

[Mike_J]

For tube amp board work I'm up over 700 degrees.
I think it's nice to have a temp control and have more power than you actually need.
It's also nice to be able to dial it down and do a small pedal pc board.


"Digital 70 W soldering station. This allows the iron to heat up fast and to provide a fast recovery time – gets the job done quicker with more efficiency and precision."

I like your soldering iron. It makes a lot of sense to me. Enough power to keep up with the work which I don't do that often but when I do I want it to work consistently and I believe this iron would be able to do that. Have you used any other tips and if you have do you have any tips you prefer for pot, board and tube socket work?

[SILVERGUN]

The ETA tip it comes with is good for tube board work. Part of the reason I went with this model was because I have a different Weller model at work but the share the same ET_ tip selection.


I have used the ETO/ETS tips when I needed a little more reach.

[Mike_J]

The ETA tip it comes with is good for tube board work. Part of the reason I went with this model was because I have a different Weller model at work but the share the same ET_ tip selection.


I have used the ETO/ETS tips when I needed a little more reach.

Thank you for your suggestion. It is much appreciated.

[sluckey]

I recently snagged one of these on sale for my home/hobbyist needs. (I think it was $99)
So far so good. I like the timed shut off feature. Let's me be as dumb as I want.

Weller Professional - WE1010NA - USA - us (weller-tools.com)

If my 40 year old WTCPT ever dies this looks like a good replacement.

[Latole]

Tip size is also important not only the power.

Small tip with 70 watts iron may produce less heat than 50 watts with "big" tip.

I have few tips size

Weller produce are not same quality than before.
I bought a brand new WESD51 and iron die after warranty ( $100 to replace)

If your Crafstman is like this one, you do not solder often to pay more than $50
Weller have one for you;

[Latole]

I recently snagged one of these on sale for my home/hobbyist needs. (I think it was $99)
So far so good. I like the timed shut off feature. Let's me be as dumb as I want.

Weller Professional - WE1010NA - USA - us (weller-tools.com)

If my 40 year old WTCPT ever dies this looks like a good replacement.

I had one too and it die 2 years ago ; Iwas the best soldering station


Hakko look to be the best today

[Latole]

You want to pay more than $100 ? Forget Weller buy Hakko

https://www.amazon.com/Hakko-FX888D-23BY-Digital-Soldering-Station/dp/B00ANZRT4M/ref=sr_1_20?crid=2I2RD0MIY2M3&dchild=1&keywords=weller+soldering+iron&qid=1608370785&sprefix=weller+solderin%2Caps%2C196&sr=8-20

[bmccowan]

Although my guess is that you can find those tips at Parts Express and other outlets, I would agree that an adjustable temp station is the way to go.

[shooter]

If my 40 year old WTCPT ever dies

I've never had a Weller die, killed a few
I did pick up a spare for my road trip, should still be in the package when my Gkid gets my age 

[sluckey]

I killed the forerunner to the WTCPT at work back in the early '80s. Left it on over the weekend. The tip magnet got stuck in the on position and the 24V transformer cooked until the station case cracked and the transformer winding burned open. The inline fuse never failed though!   

I knew the magnet was sticky but just never got around to cleaning it. Oh well, replaced it with the WTCPT and that's been running fine ever since at work. 'course ever since about 2010 that soldering station sees very little FAA work. The new radar system is meant to be serviced to the module or board level only. Defect stuff is sent to Raytheon for "clean room" repair.

The WTCPT is now obsolete. Luckily I have a new spare iron and the base is just a fuse, switch, and 24V transformer. Easy enough to repair. And you can find plenty of base units on eBay for cheap. Still the best station I've ever used. Although an auto shutoff feature would be nice.   

[acheld]

I gave myself a Hakko FX-951 before I retired; it works great.  I absolutely love the ability to control the temperature.

Hakko quality is excellent.   I've had no tips fail, despite forgetting to turn the device off for an extended period -- sleep mode greatly reduces tip temperature, but it is very fast to warm back up, and evidently it really protects the iron.

Not cheap.    I would definitely check out their lower priced model as noted by Latole. 

[shooter]

once I left the Navy in '82 most of the repairs were "module/board level", or Chip swaps (socketed),  so a plain Iron was all I needed.  Most got killed from drops.  Soldering in 1.5-3T fields ate a couple.
reliable, quality tools are the backbone to "getting the job done right the 1st time", experience helps 

[eurekaiv]

I would recommend anyone in the market for a new soldering iron go for one that uses directly heated tips. There are various manufacturers making direct heated units but the Hakko FX-951 acheld mentions above is probably most accessible and isn't too expensive. Otherwise, you can't go wrong with a used (or new if you really want to splash out) Metcal or JBC.

The old style irons with the tips that fit over the heating elements work fine for most applications but once you make the switch, you'll never want to go back. A directly heated tip will heat up much faster (my Metcals reach temp in ~10 seconds), maintain a MUCH more stable temperature while soldering and the tips last much longer. I have Metcal tips I've been using for years and I solder almost every day.

[Mike_J]

Thanks to all for the excellent suggestions. Will read reviews and decide between the two leaders. My Weller was pretty reliable so the Weller probably has a little lead at this point.

[Mike_J]

Tip size is also important not only the power.

Small tip with 70 watts iron may produce less heat than 50 watts with "big" tip.

I have few tips size

Weller produce are not same quality than before.
I bought a brand new WESD51 and iron die after warranty ( $100 to replace)

If your Crafstman is like this one, you do not solder often to pay more than $50
Weller have one for you;

I like the thought of temperature control and fast recovery time.


That does look like my Craftsman. Could buy the iron with three tips, two of which were useful for about $15. Replace the tips for $3. Sears isn’t there any more so what was once easy isn’t any more.


Need to give thought to reliability and practice tip cleaning and tinning techniques to contribute to longevity.

[Colas LeGrippa]

"...tip size is important not only the power"....
Nancy keeps on repeating me that, so maybe I ll go with the operation

[Mike_J]

I have completed looking at the reviews for the Weller WE1010NA and the Hakko FX888D as well as the FX951. They all had 4.7 out of 5 star ratings which are more than acceptable. The Hakko FX951 is highly respected by professionals who use them every day but is considerably more expensive than the other two and more than what I want to pay for periodic amp building use. The Weller and the FX888D each run about $100 which is in the budget.


Although the Hakko FX888D has a 4.8 star rating versus the Weller's 4.7 star rating I was concerned about what one of the reviewers said regarding calibration of the unit and confusion caused by the buttons on the Hakko FX888D. His unit went out of calibration between temperature reading and temperature at the tip because of something he did. Eventually learned that there are a set of procedures that can be performed to reset the unit so both the reading and tip temperatures are the same. The Weller didn't seem to suffer from the same problem that I could tell and the controls seem to be somewhat easier to understand. Since I am usually confused enough I am still leaning towards the Weller.