Are You Spending More on Soldering Tools Than Actual Product?

By Jeff Stortz, John Stortz & Son.  

Soldering tools are naturally going to wear and tear and need replacing. Check out some ways to prolong your tool’s life.  

Among messy jobs, soldering is definitely one of the dirtiest. Between buildup and melted tips, tools wear out and will need replacing. Express soldering iron is long lasting with minimal maintenance upkeep, so you don’t need to buy new equipment every other month. Here are some videos to show you how easy and simple it is to solve any hiccups you may have before replacing the iron.  

Replacing the torch filter 

This is the #1 thing to know about your newly purchased (or old) Express soldering torch. There is a gas filter, otherwise known as the orifice, that filters the propane that feeds from the hose to the head chamber. This filter will become clogged with impurities over time and need to be replaced. The main sign that you need to replace the filter is a lack of strong gas flow, or no flow at all. 

Over 90% of the soldering irons that need “repair” that come back to our shop are fixed with a simple filter replacement. See this video on how easy it is to replace. 

Note: The premium iron in this video is the older model, however, the filter replacement is the same in the new model. The access to the filter is with an Allen key in the middle of the iron. 

It is worth mentioning that the filter may toggle out of place, or not be tightened into place. This is potentially a dangerous situation if the iron is lit with the filter removed or out of place. The head chamber can flood with gas a cause a “fireball” upon lighting. 

Head chamber screen replacement (flame spreader) 

The chamber screen is a wearing part that can go bad on irons that have had a lot of field use. This screen ensures that the concentrated flame is spread evenly among the backside of the copper tip when the iron is ignited. 

Long life tip features 

Why spend additional money on “long life tips” as opposed to the standard copper. See this video below for an explanation. The tips are designed to be maintenance free and solder up to 5x longer. Once you try a specially coated tip, you may never go back to the standard copper. 

Making copper soldering tips 

If you take interest in manufacturing processes, you will enjoy the video below showing how the Express Copper Soldering Tips are manufactured. All of these tips are stocked and sold from our website. 

Original source article: John Stortz & Son