Blog / Category_For Beginners

Plugging a soldering iron into a rheostat (or temperature controller) does NOT reduce the temperature. It reduces the amount of electricity coming in but doesn't change the temperature the iron will heat up to. It will just take longer to heat up. It's the same as the tap on your sink. Turning the tap down will make the water come in slower, but the water will still fill up your sink. It'll just take longer to fill up.

The reason some users believe rheostats "control" the temperature is that it is possible to reduce the amount of electricity coming in enough that the amount of heat being lost into the air is enough that the iron can't heat up to full capacity. That's especially a problem with the Weller 100 iron where the temperature is controlled by the tip. If your tip wants to heat up to 700 deg, but you aren't providing enough electricity for it to do that, the iron's heating element is running constantly. This will assuredly produce premature burn out.

The main reason I strongly recommend against using rheostats is they prevent the iron from providing a dependable temperature. The greatest advantage to the Weller 100 is that every time you use it, you can be confident it will heat up to the same temperature - and every time you leave it rest to reheat, it will heat back up to that same dependable temperature. It's reliable. Incoming electricity isn't reliable. It can vary as much as 10% at different times of day or on different days. If you're running the electricity through a rheostat, you'll be getting a temperature variance as great as 10%. That means that today you'll be soldering at 700 degrees, then tomorrow your iron might only supply 630 degrees, then the following day go up to 770 degrees. It's difficult enough to learn to get smooth even soldering without having to relearn how your iron works every different time you use it.

Just thought this opinion on rheostats and controllers was interesting, hope you enjoy!

Stained Glass Express

Hello Folks! Here is a little bit of information for those interested in starting a home based craft business.Here is a pricing equation that might help you get started. Materials + Overhead + Labor + Profit = Price Direct Costs: The direct costs associated with the manufacture of any craft include money spent for raw materials and finishing products as well as for any directly related services. Overhead: These costs are rent, utilities, office supplies, depreciation, etc. It is figured as 1/3 of materials or 1/3 of labor whichever is higher. Labor: To figure cost of your labor, find out what it would cost in your locale to hire others to perform identical or similar tasks. For example, when you are working as a manager, then your hourly wage should be manager wage. If you are doing general work like cutting, grinding, etc, your hourly wage should be as non-skilled labor. Profit: Your business profit should be the same as any retail business. Most galleries and stores will mark up your wholesale price by 100%. Therefore, you should mark up your product by 100% before you offer it for wholesale. Example: Materials and Firings: $25.00 Labor: $14.00 Overhead: $ 8.34 (33.3% of $25.00) Cost to Manufacture Product: $47.40 Profit $47.40 (cost to manufacture product x 2) Price of Product: $94.80 The price you come up with for your product is the starting point for actually setting your price. You will now need to consider if the product is something you will be retailing yourself or wholesaling. You must now think about what the market will bear and if you are in the right market for your product and price points. If you have any other questions, let us know! SGE