Vent: I spent a whole year using the wrong tip on my soldering iron

I was fixing a vintage radio from 1978 and kept getting cold joints, so I just cranked the heat up to 450 degrees. The tip off was when a friend asked why I was using a huge chisel tip for tiny SMD work. Has anyone else had a total 'aha' moment about a basic tool?

2 comments

2 Comments

lucas1651mo ago

Spent six months blaming my shaky hands before realizing the pencil tip was just a blob of solder.

the_miles1mo ago

Oh man, does that ever hit home. I once spent a whole afternoon trying to fix a wobbly table, getting so mad, only to find one leg was just on a crumpled napkin. That feeling of pure relief mixed with "how did I miss that?" is so real. It's crazy how our brains just lock onto one idea and refuse to let go. Glad you finally spotted the solder blob!