I've been using a variety of cheap soldering irons (generally 30W), and using them with unleaded solder to make both thru-hole and SMT PCBs. Often a brand new one will only work after a lot of coaxing with the solder, and the solder won't go onto the job very well. It's incredibly frustrating!!!
Apparently the solder I'm using is high quality (OMEGA II FAST FLOW 2% 0.7mm/22swg TSC LEADFREE)
I'm wondering if it's to do with iron temperature....

I think it's time to upgrade - can anyone recommend anything? I have no clue how to find out what I need!
Maybe I need something that has a timer in it? (the iron is often left unused for many hours at a time)
I know it's going to be a different level of expense than I'm used to....
I am based in the UK.

 

There are a number of reputable manufacturers of temperature controlled soldering stations, and there are a couple of open source hardware options now as well. For lead free work, higher temperatures make a good iron even more important.

The first question is, do you have a budget in mind? Second, how much use will the iron see?

 

Thanks for your reply! Budget? I guess up to £100...? Is that reasonable??
Some irons here get used all day long. Mine gets used about once a week - by which time the tip is black and repels solder....
This is a persistent problem that we just need to move beyond!

 

I've been using a variety of cheap soldering irons (generally 30W), and using them with unleaded solder to make both thru-hole and SMT PCBs. Often a brand new one will only work after a lot of coaxing with the solder, and the solder won't go onto the job very well. It's incredibly frustrating!!!
Apparently the solder I'm using is high quality (OMEGA II FAST FLOW 2% 0.7mm/22swg TSC LEADFREE)
I'm wondering if it's to do with iron temperature....

I think it's time to upgrade - can anyone recommend anything? I have no clue how to find out what I need!
Maybe I need something that has a timer in it? (the iron is often left unused for many hours at a time)
I know it's going to be a different level of expense than I'm used to....
I am based in the UK.

If you want to try a cheap option, I got one of these several years ago and have been very happy with it. I was tired of throwing out cheap irons because the tips went bad, and this station has replaceable tips. Ironically, it turns out that the tips last a very long time.

Caveat: I use regular leaded solder.

https://www.parts-express.com/stahl...e-temperature-soldering-iron-station--374-100

 

OK, then I think you should look at https://www.amazon.co.uk/HAKKO-FX-888D-Soldering-Station-70W/dp/B077B9Q6SJ/

A bit more than your budget, but a very reliable iron. Buy only Hakko tips, and get this one right away: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Hakko-T18-D24-Soldering-FX-888-FX-8801/dp/B004ORB8J2/

The conical tip included has far less utility.

There are other choices in stations, but this one is sure to work well, and it close to your budget. It's not that you can't spend less, or find something as good, it's just that this is a definite good choice and you can move on.

Also, keep your tip clean, and turn the iron off when not in use.

 

Some irons here get used all day long. Mine gets used about once a week - by which time the tip is black and repels solder....

From the moment you finish using the soldering iron until next week you use it again; is it kept on ?

 

Thanks for sending that through. We use all unleaded which is so much harder. I chucked away several tips and irons which I switched over to unleaded, thinking they were defective - when it was actually just the difficulties of unleaded soldering....

 

From the moment you finish using the soldering iron until next week you use it again; is it kept on ?

Quite often!
I think that's why maybe I need one with a timer on it...

 

Quite often!
I think that's why maybe I need one with a timer on it...

Something like this: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Energenie-Variable-Run-Down-Timer/dp/B00BP43MXM/ will do the job.

 

Something like this: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Energenie-Variable-Run-Down-Timer/dp/B00BP43MXM/ will do the job.

That'll turn it off, which is probably a good idea. Another approach would be to turn it ON on a schedule, so it seems like it's always on and ready, but is actually off except during, say, midday hours on weekdays. Leaving it on all the time is a bad idea, especially if it's hot enough for lead-free.

 

Also flux is your friend. If the solder is melting but not flowing, use more flux. A lot of flux. Maybe that will help.

 

I'm using tons of flux, as much as possible.... Lots of smoke appears, still no soldering possible. The iron is off at night, on during the day.

 

Do you have any training in soldering?

 

Do you have any training in soldering?

No - none at all, but I've been doing it quite intensely for about the last 15 years, only unleaded the last 3 years.

 

No - none at all, but I've been doing it quite intensely for about the last 15 years, only unleaded the last 3 years.

While your practical experience is very important, it would be worth your time to consider a short course of lead free soldering. If not that, at least watch several different videos about it and see if you can spot anything you may be missing or doing wrong.

It sounds like there are some basic things that you might be doing in non-optimal ways, and that might help a lot. With the station I recommended, and the chisel tip, if you can't solder consistently, it's not the iron, I promise.

 

The next thing that comes to mind is making sure the parts are clean, and that you're heating the parts with the iron and not just heating the solder. If the parts are not hot, the solder will not flow around them.

As suggested above, there are some very good HowTo videos on YouTube, it might be worth watching a few just to see if you can pick out what they're doing differently.

 

videos is good advice. I get the parts hot - aiming to flow solder nicely around them. Chisel tip is too big for SMT, I find....

 

videos is good advice. I get the parts hot - aiming to flow solder nicely around them. Chisel tip is too big for SMT, I find....

Chisel tips come in many sizes, including quite small ones, and provide better thermal conductivity. If you are switching back and forth between through hole and very small SMT, you need an iron like the Hakko FX-951 that can have the tips literally hot swapped. They are also direct heating tips so they are much better.

 

Often a brand new one will only work after a lot of coaxing with the solder, and the solder won't go onto the job very well. It's incredibly frustrating!!!

Are you sure it isn't your technique and not the tool?

Can't you still use solder with lead for personal use?

 

Are you sure it isn't your technique and not the tool?

Can't you still use solder with lead for personal use?

I don't think so - there are three of us working away, and none of us can get any solder at all onto the (new) tips. The solder is repelled!
We're making guitar effects pedals - professionally, for sale, so it's got to be unleaded.