Yeah I know, but Dick Smith did turn out some well made gear - including the T-2000 soldering station - prolly 30 years old and still operating perfectly. Only snag is, the plated tips are not available.

Anyone got a few they are willing to sell?
Length 43 mm diameter of fat end = 4.5mm
Dead easy to turn up (hard copper) on the lathe but plating is the tricky part.

Weller and other tips don't fit, and I'm not about to buy a snazzy new M.I.C. soldering station on TM because
a) Debatable quality over time.
b) Some sellers can't even supply spare tips.

TIA

thetechman - 2021-02-17 15:29:00

Electroplaters can't help ?

nice_lady - 2021-02-17 15:37:00

ebay has them

pheonix - 2021-02-17 15:47:00

pheonix wrote:

ebay has them

Thanks - tried some from eBay a while back but they did not last.
Cheers.

thetechman - 2021-02-17 16:20:00

If you got access to a lathe then cut the "too big" ones down to size without touching the tip?

acura - 2021-02-17 17:53:00

acura wrote:

If you got access to a lathe then cut the "too big" ones down to size without touching the tip?

Good idea acura, but in practice if bare copper is run at higher temperatures it 'peels' fairly quickly then the tip is left rattling around in the sleeve. Appreciate the suggestion though.

thetechman - 2021-02-17 22:22:00

When you finish with it do you leave some solder on the tip? Makes them last longer and is recommended by Weller for their tips.

macman26 - 2021-02-18 01:01:00

Try Jaycar

trade_menow - 2021-02-18 03:47:00

EBay OZ has listing for T 2000 tips... about $26.00 OZ + $12 postage for a pack of 6..

onl_148 - 2021-02-18 12:26:00

thetechman wrote:

...still operating perfectly...

lol, it can't be operating perfectly if the tip is rattling around. I've still got a Weller that I bought when I was 12 and the insulating tape still holds the handle together perfectly. But, on olack's advice, I just bought a Hakko FX-888D and there's a good range of tips available. My old irons just didn't work on lead free rework.

gyrogearloose - 2021-02-18 15:33:00

Whats wrong with tinning copper tips. You trying to look fancy or are you wanting to work with solder??

terry012 - 2021-02-21 14:32:00

You can probably zinc plate the tips at home easily. Not sure what they are usually plated with?

tygertung - 2021-02-21 19:16:00

T12 soldering station on AliExpress is about $50. The upgrade is well worth it. Extra/interchangeable tips are about $3 each and it's high powered. Compact with an OLED screen too.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=trXA59c-VjY

Edited by randomprecision at 9:23 pm, Sun 21 Feb

randomprecision - 2021-02-21 21:21:00