Is it bad to levave a soldering iron plugged in? - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / beginners

author: Youkai
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: March 29, 2020, 05:13:15 pm
content: I'm working on a project and doing some wire stripping, soldering, measuring, more soldering, etc. Would it be bad for my iron to leave it plugged in for up to an hour while I do all this if I'm only using it intermittently? I've been unplugging it when not in use but then I have to wait 5 min for it to heat up every time.

author: mikerj
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 29, 2020, 05:15:27 pm
content: If it's a temperature controlled iron it's not to much of a problem, but the cheap non-thermostatic irons get very hot if not used and causes the tip to erode quickly.

author: wraper
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: March 29, 2020, 05:18:04 pm
content: It's very bad, especially for soldering irons which don't have temperature control which seems to be the case. They will heat up to maximum temperature and tip will heavily oxidize, making it unusable (not that it prevents some people still using them). You should only leave soldering iron turned on if it comes with with temperature controlled station with standby mode which reduces temperature when not used.

author: krayvonk
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: March 29, 2020, 05:24:43 pm
content: My iron is pretty damn disgusting looking, and I leave it on accidentally. still works tho! =)

author: ferdieCX
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: March 29, 2020, 06:14:07 pm
content: A long time ago, I used to feed the soldering iron trough a 1N4007 diode connected in parallel to a switch.With closed switch the iron works normally. With open switch, it is considerable cooler and the tip doesn't erode too fast

author: atmfjstc
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: March 29, 2020, 07:16:22 pm
content: At times like these a soldering gun would come in handy, they're specifically designed for intermittent operation...

author: wraper
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: March 29, 2020, 08:10:23 pm
content: Quote from: atmfjstc on March 29, 2020, 07:16:22 pmThat trash should be forbidden to produce.

author: ferdieCX
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: March 29, 2020, 11:03:49 pm
content: Quote from: wraper on March 29, 2020, 08:10:23 pmThey had a place in the vacuum tube era, specially for point to point wiring.Today, they are pretty much obsolete.

author: Zoli
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: March 29, 2020, 11:26:09 pm
content: Quote from: wraper on March 29, 2020, 08:10:23 pmWhy? Those are some excellent hot knifes...Back in time and space(~40 years ago, behind the iron courtain) we didn't had the luxury of automated thermal control; you've had to learn how to do it manually.The examination was:"Here's that gum rosin crystal; heat up your gun, push the tip in the crystal, pull out. Now you have two minutes to evaporate all the rosin from the tip;the first sign of blue or black you failed." Today, I would call it "Human PID"...The typical gun was 100W; if you were lucky, and you can afford it, 75W or 50W existed; I've had all three(the 75W had melted transformer).The main curse of those guns were the (over)heating transformers; atfer half hour of use, you had to hold them in pretty awkward way...With the 50W gun I even done some SMT re/work on 1206 level...Am I nostalgic for those times? Hell no. Is their existence justificable? Yes, as hot knife; when a Hakko FX-951 clone with tips is available for less then 100USD,pretty much that's their role, even considering vacuum tube rework. If you need power, get a Metcal.

author: james_s
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 29, 2020, 11:30:38 pm
content: I leave mine on for as long as I'm at the bench and planning to possibly use it in the next 20 minutes or so. When I'm all done for the day I shut off the power strip for the whole bench which also includes my bench light so I don't accidentally leave anything on.

author: wizard69
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 30, 2020, 01:02:41 am
content: Quote from: wraper on March 29, 2020, 08:10:23 pmThat is nonsense. Most technicians will end up needing a variety of soldering irons over their life times. I often see the same sort of comments about battery powered or butane powered soldering irons but if you are working off a ladder or on top of some massive machine there is nothing better. In the same regard those high powered soldering guns still have their place.

author: SilverSolder
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 30, 2020, 01:05:27 am
content: Quote from: wraper on March 29, 2020, 08:10:23 pmThere are some jobs where the only thing that makes enough heat is a serious soldering gun...It is a tool like any other - when used correctly, it is awesome.

author: wraper
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: March 30, 2020, 01:08:37 am
content: Quote from: SilverSolder on March 30, 2020, 01:05:27 amThese "soldering guns" are notorious for sucking at transferring heat to solder joint. Basically anything will do a better job.

author: vk6zgo
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 30, 2020, 02:08:26 am
content: If you want serious heating power in a "relatively" small unit, the things we used in Oz back in the day couldn't be beaten.They were called a "Scope" brand iron, & used a carbon element which was pushed up against the rear of the copper tip by a manual control operated by a ring mounted around the iron handle.The iron was supplied with a transformer, but could also be used with a 6v car battery.We used them for anything from soldering in the early PCBs through tube equipment, up to reterminating car battery leads.We also had a Weller soldering gun, but ir exhibited the transformer heating effected noted by a previous poster.The Scope iron handle got hot, too, if you held it on for a long time, but that wasn't the recommended way to use it.In their ads, they pushed the fact that you could position the iron in an awkward spot while it was cold, weaving its way between various cable looms etc.Once positioned, you pressed the control ring, the iron heated, you did the job, then let the iron cool down while you did something else.Thus, you could avoid collateral damage to other wiring.They needed maintenance though, as the carbon element was a "consumable", the barrel would become corroded, the spring return for the switch ring lost tension, & so on.With the availability of Weller WTCPs, their use for other than heavy soldering disappeared, & usually there wasn't a great tearing hurry with that kind of work , so a big,"boofy" conventional iron , with its slow heatup could be used, so even there, the "Scope" iron applcations became "niche"ones.

author: SilverSolder
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 30, 2020, 07:45:02 pm
content: Quote from: wraper on March 30, 2020, 01:08:37 amYou can burn a board to a crisp if you're not careful... if that is "sucking at heat transfer" I don't need a cure!

author: wraper
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: March 30, 2020, 08:19:42 pm
content: Quote from: SilverSolder on March 30, 2020, 07:45:02 pmYou can burn something small, yet it will fail miserably at heating anything large. Ability to burn does not mean good transfer of heat. It only tells about inability to regulate temperature.

author: mikerj
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 31, 2020, 09:00:04 am
content: My soldering gun has come in useful many times for dealing with components soldered to ground planes where my 50W thermostatic iron fails.

author: Electro Detective
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 31, 2020, 10:35:19 am
content: Mine are all on their individual power board switch,it's no biggie to wait a couple of minutes for the warm upand there's always something to prep or clean whilst waitingThey've lasted for years without fail and still on the original tips which look new after a LOT of solderingWhy waste electricity leaving it on, copping fumes, soldering nothing, killing tips, dressing tips,burning yourself or nearby stuff/schematics/Electricity Bill/Playboy etc catches fireand basically >

author: SilverSolder
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 31, 2020, 02:17:56 pm
content: Quote from: Electro Detective on March 31, 2020, 10:35:19 amMany of my most-used tips are >10 years old, and still in excellent condition. There are two "secrets" to this:(1) As you said: turn the iron off unless you are actually soldering.(2) Keep the tip clean and tinned at all times.

author: james_s
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 31, 2020, 05:02:46 pm
content: I got over 10 years out of the last tip I replaced too, I don't leave it on all day but I'll often leave it on for 20-30 minutes in between using it sporadically. A properly temperature controlled iron with a good quality tip that is kept clean and tinned doesn't burn through tips.

author: connectTek
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: March 31, 2020, 06:21:36 pm
content: I'm an ex Telecom/Telstra tech.We used 50v Weller magnastat irons on the main frames, they were on for 24 hrs 7 days a week.Never turned off. They were so good and reliable I bought a W60D and have had it for 20 plus years (maybe 30) and have never had a problem with tip corrosion or any other problem.NEVER.Best iron by far.

author: vk6zgo
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 01, 2020, 12:41:22 am
content: Quote from: connectTek on March 31, 2020, 06:21:36 pmProbably before your time, back in the PMG days, they used Adcola irons in a similar manner.For convenience, that manufacturer supplied holders which were screwed onto the front of the rack so the irons could sittip upwards, ready for use.Occuparional Health & Safety would have a fit, if that was done today!I learnt about this, when fresh from the (then) Radio Section, which didn't use this practice, I leant over the rack to access something, & burnt a neat hole in my nice new "Bri-nylon" shirt (& nearly in myself).

author: rsjsouza
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 01, 2020, 01:21:49 am
content: Before I got fancy and bought the Hakko FX888, I only used the regular firesticks: 26W and 30W were the most common models I had (still have a 26W Weller). Each used for specific tasks and, when the job was on a large chassis, I had a 60W beast to cover it. I usually left them plugged throughout the job session, with the occasional burned tip that was quickly solved by proper cleaning with vegetal sponge or thin steel wool.To complement the FX888, I have a cheap soldering gun from Weller that, with practice, can easily and harmlessly solder/desolder through hole parts from a PCB. I also got it for the occasional heavy chassis work.Using the correct tool for the job is imperative and all of them have their place - from a temp controlled station for precision jobs on a fancy lab or at home, through a highly portable firestick or the gun to save your bacon on the field.

author: connectTek
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: April 01, 2020, 07:57:16 pm
content: I remember the orange Adcola with the external wound heater element.Ah Memories!SxS, xbar, are-11, AXE, Alcatel. Trained.

author: tooki
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 10, 2020, 07:36:19 pm
content: Quote from: wizard69 on March 30, 2020, 01:02:41 am5-10 years ago that would have been true. (Assuming that by battery powered, you mean the dinky ones with just a few watts of power into a thin tip.) Today, a TS-80 with a high-power USB-PD power bank, or a TS-100 with one of those 19V power banks for laptops, is a far better choice.

author: Sam Spastic
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: April 10, 2020, 10:41:00 pm
content: I love my Princess. 25W Iron clad. Back in the day we left these on all day.

author: tkamiya
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 11, 2020, 04:34:53 am
content: When I did this for business, we had all soldering irons on during business hours. These weren't today's temperature regulated types. It was during 1980s. We never gave it any thought actually. They were all Hakko types and they lasted just fine.

author: TomS_
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: April 11, 2020, 10:49:41 pm
content: I leave mine on sometimes for an entire day if Im working on something big or doing stuff frequently.If I know Im probably not going to be using it for a little while I'll at the very least add a blob of solder to the tip so that its not out in the breeze. If I dont think I'll be using it for a longer while then I'll probably turn it off (always after adding a little more solder to the tip).Its a Hakko FX-888D and heats up to useable temperature in about 20 seconds, so I really dont care whether its on or off at the instant I need it anyway.I also put the iron back in the holder without cleaning the tip, so that what ever solder is left on there hopefully prevents the tip oxidising too much. I only clean it when I take it back out to use it again. I use a brass sponge/wool, rather than a wet sponge, as it seems to clean around the entire tip in one go instead of having to wipe multiple times at different angles. A couple of jabs and jobs a good'un. Brass sponges seem to last longer too and dont get all manky.I dont use it every day, but after a couple of years of semi frequent use like this my tips are still looking and working just fine IMO.

author: Jester
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: April 12, 2020, 01:39:26 pm
content: The super fast warm up of Metcal, minimizes this problem, turn it on and off as required.