goal for 2023: use a conical solder tip and enjoy it

Meanwhile: this is what my training board looks like. Virtually every component has been removed and replaced several times. With hot air and with irons.
The darkish parts are areas I've been using the last days with a conical tip. It's not burnt PCB. it's the colour of the flux I use once it's cooled down.

I just checked… it’s a conical tip, and I have a super fine conical one lying next to the stand.

And I have NO idea where the rest of the tips are!  

Hehe at least you got a choice : ) I didn't know of any other styles growing up, other than bevel. All the instructions taught everyone to use this style of tip:

This is from the children's Ladybird book (PDF link) by Rev. Dobbs who passed away a few years ago (he was quite famous in amateur radio circles in the UK).

I started with whatever was in the old used soldering iron I picked up at a garage sale, the tip was irregular with chunks missing  

actually, that’s not entirely true - I think the first iron I used was in a wood burning kit, but that was long before i did any soldering.

i found the other tips though! The plastic pouch they are in was tucked up against the side of the organizer and I must’ve looked past them at least three times!
it didn’t contain any bevel tips  after all that searching. But I switched tips with the weller corded iron, which I think might be a tiny bit beveled.. I’ll have to use it and clean the solder off it more to see clearly.

I've never seen the ladybird book, but the technique of building on a wooden baseboard, with brass screws was exactly how I was taught at school radio club back in the early 1960s

Neil

neilk said:

but the technique of building on a wooden baseboard, with brass screws was exactly how I was taught at school radio club back in the early 1960s

Same here, in the early 80s. Except that the screws were nails, in a matrix. 

Interesting, I have never really liked conical tips as the heat transfer is not that good. Since  I am very fortunate to own a Metcal my go-to tip is a "micro-chisel" STTC-142.

Can you give me a reference for it? I have NASA-STD-87393.3 w/ Change 2 DEC 1997 which is the main standard.  Chapter 6.5 it says

a. Select tools and equipment that provide a means of applying and controlling the
amount of heat to the metals to be joined that is compatible with their size, shape, and thermal
conductivity.
b. Prohibit the use of soldering guns. 

have/had the NASA soldering school cert (before Surface Mount). I normally work at least a 45-degree angle sometimes more. 

I've been tempted by this thread to try a chisel tip.  Up to this point, I've only had conical.  My favorite one is the slightly offset tip (900M-T-IS).

Jan Impressive!  That takes a lot of skill.