Soldering iron needed to be soldered

[andrewsrea]

My trusty Weller WLC100 soldering iron heating element gave up last week, after 18 years and thousands of hours use. I got lucky and found original replacement HE40 40w heating elements for cheap on flea bay (bought a pair for $39.29). However, what to do when your soldering iron requires a soldering iron?

Solution:

[BatUtilityBelt]

That sounds like a "phone a friend" situation.

[tobijohn]

I had no idea the internal element could be replaced, so I bought a standalone hand unit that plugs into the base ...

[mickey]

I can't believe you do not have three or four different size/type Weller soldering stations?

[deeaa]

I've probably had 9-10 soldering stations or systems in 18 years. Always manage to ruin them somehow, or can't find new heads for them. The last time I bought a Weller and luck would have it it's a model being phased out and it's getting hard to find heads for it.

Sent from my M2103K19G using Tapatalk

[andrewsrea]

@BatUtilityBelt - Amazon to the rescue, overnight for about $60 - a brand-new Weller WLC 100! I figured the first one was used to the point of abuse and I had 'muscle memory' on using it, it was a good purchase.

@mickey - I am frugal and even with gig guitars, doubles of possessions have to be a necessity before I consider having multiples. My wife and I hardly ever impulse buy and often wait long periods of time before making purchasing decisions. I think that was overexposure to depression era family members as youths (which is missing today).

@tobijohn - they are now hen's teeth. I could only find 5 of the genuine OEM NOS Weller replacements and bought 2 (potentially a lifetime supply for me). Looking at the box, these could have been 1980-1990's era. Weller no longer sells standalone heatnig elements. There was a company selling knockoffs on Amazon and eBay as well. Since I am a daily user, I went with the tried and true.

@deeaa - I know what you mean about the soldering tips (I go through about 4 per year). I think that is planned obsolescence, which I believe backfired on Weller with the WLC 100 and its 40w pen. Around the 2005 time, Weller stopped making the tips and changed tips for their new models. Then came China clones through eBay and Amazon, which IMHO, forced Weller to start making them again. The Weller tips last longer because they appear to be a better steel core and the imports are pot metal cores. The tips actually corrode inside the chrome-copper jacket, from all the heating and cooling cycles.

[toomanycats]

That worked out weller.

[tobijohn]

That worked out weller.

[Rollin Hand]

That worked out weller.

It was no Hakko job either.