On 29/07/2015 13:11, towertalk-request@contesting.com wrote:
Message: 1
Date: Tue, 28 Jul 2015 14:15:38 -0700
From: Michael OBrien <k0myw@sbcglobal.net>
To: "<towertalk@contesting.com>" <towertalk@contesting.com>
Subject: Re: [TowerTalk] Slobering Irons
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<1438118138.98871.YahooMailBasic@web181706.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>
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I'm sure that some of the alternate brands of soldering irons that have been mentioned
are fine products. But to describe Weller products as "crap" is contradictory
to my experience.
When I was getting into ham radio as a kid back in the late 1950s, my "Elmer"
gave me a new Weller 100-watt gun as a gift when I passed my Novice exam. It continues to
serve me well almost 60 years later after thousands of hours of use. I confess it has not
always been treated kindly -- for instance, a chunk of the plastic housing was broken off
when the gun took a tumble off my workbench onto the garage's concrete floor about 20
years ago. The built-in light burned out about 10 years ago. Yet the old girl continued
to heat promptly and perform as designed, with only a few tip replacements required over
the decades.
I recently noticed that Weller sells replacement housings for this gun, as well
as replacement bulbs. For about $15 I now have a refurbished gun ready for
another 60 years of service -- in the hands of my grandson....
de k0myw
My first soldering iron, bought over 60 years ago, was an Esico 63, 100
Watts with a 3/8 inch tip. I used to build radios with it, but for many
years now I only use it to solder PL-259 connectors. I now use a Weller
WTCP-S soldering station for construction.
I note that Esico is still in business, although they have changed the
colour of their soldering iron handles from red to blue.
73 de Shlomo, 4X4LF
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