Weller Soldering Station

[N8TNJ]

I have a wes-50 soldering station for about 4 years now. And I love it. The problem is I cannot remove the old tip to replace it. It has been in there since new, and it ain't coming out. Tried everything I can think of to get it out, short of messing up the handle. Any ideas?

[AC5UP]

Have you tried soaking it with WD-40 a few times with an hour between squirts?

Penetrating oil can work wonders when you have the patience to let it work...

[KB1GTX]

Did you try it when it was hot?

[N8TNJ]

Tried when it was warm, and also used wd-40 on it. Gonna try and use something a little stronger then wd. Fingers crossed!!!

[AC5UP]

Most of my soldering irons are the older Ungar type so this may not apply, but whenever I replace a tip I'll wire brush the threads (lightly) to chase out anything that might cause the tip to bind, then grease the threads with heat sink compound, silicone grease or CRC's hi-temp red grease.

None of these are rated to 700 degrees and will smoke at first use, but I haven't had any problems getting a tip to come off.

The selection of the exact grease is usually determined by what's within reach.... In other words, you probably have something that's close enough.   

[W9GB]

C --

The WES-50 uses the Weller ET series of tips on the PES-50 iron .....
the temperature sensor sits inside the hollow cavity of the tip
(Weller did this on earlier "EC" station and Hakko stations: 926, 936, and 888).

You have removed the Barrel nut, right ?
==
Q Source
http://www.qsource.com/p-8459-weller-pes50-soldering-pencil-iron-for-wes50-soldering-station-50w.aspx

TechniTool sells replacement iron
http://www.techni-tool.com/272SO510

PES50: Weller PES50 50 watt Soldering Pencil for WES50 Soldering Station       Sale $36.95. (Reg. $46.70)
http://www.testequipmentdepot.com/weller/pricelist.htm

==
w9gb

[AC5UP]

On a vaguely related note....... This article published in the Friday, November 9th, NY Times: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/11/09/business/popular-wrench-fights-a-chinese-rival.html

Alleged copyright infringement against the original Bionic Wrench compounded by questionable marketing agreements. On the second page of the article, a URL is given and mention is made of Apex Tools which imports the competing wrench into the US from China. The Apex Tool Group was formed in July 2010 as a joint venture combining the Danaher Tool Group and Cooper Tools, and Apex is now in the process of being acquired by Bain Capital. <cough!> Let's take a look at the Apex product lineup: http://www.apextoolgroup.com/brands/index.cfm

OMG

Familiar brand names synonymous with certain tools like Allen, Crescent and Lufkin plus Weller and Xcelite among others.

Point being that I still think of these as individual companies offering products designed and manufactured in the US. D'oh!

There's a reason why a holding company buys the trade naming rights along with the patents and inventory..... 

[N8TNJ]

Yep I removed the barrel and nut, I got a can of pb blaster. Gonna give it a shot! (pun intended)

[K5LXP]

Corrosion of the tip causes it to swell a bit, so sometimes the only remedy is to replace the heater assembly.

Keep working at it, you've got nothing to lose.  Having had just this experience I routinely remove the tips from my stations and make sure the tips and sleeves are a free fit.  Edsyn sells a soldering tip anti-seize compound but of course that wouldn't help after the fact.  In decades of soldering I've never had a need for such a product as long as you're diligent about taking things apart every now and then and cleaning them up.  I have a Weller from 1973 that's still going, so it's all about staying on top of it.

I believe on the Wellers the heater/barrel is stainless, so technically the tip won't be corroded to it, but merely "stuck" via compression.  I would drizzle penetrating oil in there and try to twist it back and forth.  You don't want to twist it around as the temperature sensor might be stuck too and you'd tear it loose.  Worst case is to replace the heater but it's worth a try to recover it.


Mark K5LXP
Albuquerque, NM