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Part II — Building Your Circuit-Bending Workshop
FIGURE 5-1: Weller soldering stations: the WTCPT on the left, the WLC100 on the right
Which Solder Should I Use? I’m using the most common electronic solder available. This is the “60/40” rosin core solder. The only special requirement is its gauge (thickness). For delicate work, thinner is better, so buy a spool of rosin core 60/40 solder of .032 gauge.
So Many Tip Sizes to Choose From! True. If you look at the Weller catalog you’ll be amazed at all the choices. But here’s what it comes down to again: tiny. The tip I use in the WTCPT is the Weller S-TPTA7. But others will work, too, if the shank is long (more than 1⁄2") and the tip is chisel or screwdriver type (flat on opposite sides) with blade tip, at best, no wider than 1⁄16" at the business end. As of this writing, the tip supplied with the WLC100 is too wide for our needs. Be sure to get the ST6 tip to use with your WLC100. The WLC100 is very reasonably priced (about $40 as of this writing). Avoid tips that are not chisel or screwdriver tipped! Purely cylindrical, tapered-to-a-dart-typepoint tips won’t hold molten solder as well as chisel or screwdriver-shaped tips do.