A couple of Soldering Iron questions...

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Hey all,

I have one of the Weller SP series soldering irons and the tip got bent a week ago due to a cat running full speed at the chord and yanking it off the table it was on (No cats were set on fire). The tip still worked fine other than having 90 degree bend. I replaced the tip with a pair of cheapos from Amazon. I also recently got into a roll of solder that is .039 in size which I think is larger than what I started with.

Now I'm having issues with the solder being very muddy. Sort of like it isn't flowing properly but this doesn't happen on every joint. When it does get muddy I have to keep the iron on the joint longer than I would like because of the extra heat being applied to components.

Do you guys think I should go with a smaller solder like a .031? Is the heat not transfering properly through this tip? Is the problem a combination of both?

Any links to what you fine folks are using?

[EBK]

I use a .031:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0149K4JTY/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_awdb_t1_C8JSAbBDA90XY

I'm also wondering if your cat messed up your heating element or a sensor attached to it....

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I use a .031:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0149K4JTY/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_awdb_t1_C8JSAbBDA90XY

I'm also wondering if your cat messed up your heating element or a sensor attached to it....

I think the heating element is okay because the bent tip worked fine. It was almost unusable because of the bend.

[stringsthings]

I use 0.032.  Aim Glow Core 63/37 from Mouser. 
You have a heat problem.  If it's intermittent, it's probably the heating element.
Since there was enough force applied to bend the tip, internal damage is certainly a possibility.

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I use 0.032.  Aim Glow Core 63/37 from Mouser. 
You have a heat problem.  If it's intermittent, it's probably the heating element.
Since there was enough force applied to bend the tip, internal damage is certainly a possibility.

Well, that makes two votes for "buy a new iron".

[EBK]

If you opt for a new iron, and if you are in the US, this recent offer may be good for you:
http://www.madbeanpedals.com/forum/index.php?topic=27653.msg267859#msg267859

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If you opt for a new iron, and if you are in the US, this recent offer may be good for you:
http://www.madbeanpedals.com/forum/index.php?topic=27653.msg267859#msg267859

Thanks for the heads up! I was eyeing an upgrade anyway.