Read the Fine Manual

[Indycars]

Sure wish I had Read the Fine Manual when I was 20 something for my Weller 8200
soldering gun. I've been using it wrong for the last 40 years. I thought that the
first detent on the trigger was 100 watts and the second detent for 140 watts.

So after waiting plenty long enough for solder joint below to melt, I determined
immediately that I needed a BIGGER soldering gun.



So I bought the Weller D650PK. Being older and wiser now I read the manual
and noticed that the highest heat came first, but it still didn't hit me right
away. It took a couple of days before the light came on and I began to wonder.
So I looked up the manual and low-and-behold, my old model 8200 was the
same way......damn!!!




Oh well I got another tool, and I like to think I really needed it anyway for some
of the bigger things I MIGHT need to solder in the future.

 

[grumpyvette]

with age generally comes experience and its a rare guy who has not made dozens of less than intelligent decisions and failed to read instructions when he was young, I well remember slowly and carefully removing steel spring clips from the injector connectors, the first time I swapped out TPI injectors , not realizing that they were designed to be easy access with a push, and hold down the steel clip to release design

 

[87vette81big]

We all make mistakes Rick.
Its how you learn.
Just some mistakes are more costly than others.
Those Weller Solderng Guns are Great.
Been around since the 1940's- 50's.

 

[Indycars]

It's not bothering me, I just had to laugh and tell everyone how I had messed up!

 

[mathd]

hehe, at least you figured it out .

Now, all you need is soldering iron tip maintenance#cleaning and your good for years of service.
Avoid getting the tip too hot(its easy with this kind of wattage), it will oxide very fast

 

[Indycars]

If I live to be 100 years old and I will be 60 shortly, then that means that I will have
screwed up for 40 years and and NOT screwed up for the next 40 years. I will have
used it correctly 50% of the time. That's about average for most people.

 

[grumpyvette]

RICK, after dealing with "MOST PEOPLE" ID be AMAZED if they could think thru and do things correctly 10% of the time at MOST, and even thats a WILDLY high expectation in my opinion, ...no your doing well above average and your car fabrication and attention to detail, skills prove it!

I can think of hundreds of times that, you or others have answered questions and placed related links,and Ive answered a direct questions with exact matched info and a hand full of related links, posts with extensive detailed proof and instructions, yet the average guy would obviously rather ignore the info posted and reword the same question, and yet later in the threads, still again after its answered numerous times,they still refuse to read the links or follow clear instructions and seem totally un-able to do the simplest test or verify anything.

 

[Indycars]

I guess one could say that I'm an optimist and you are a .......

realists !!!

 

[mathd]

40 years not too bad. it took me 10 years to find out about tip maintenance and not to put the solder on the tip directly...