I'm trying to diagnose my problem with soldering.
I cannot get 14 gauge stranded copper wire hot enough to melt solder with this soldering gun. I don't know if it's working properly and just isn't up to this task or what.
How hot should the tip of a 140 watt soldering gun get? Is the heat generated in the gun and transmitted to the tip, or does only the tip itself get hot? Tightening the tip down VERY tight doesn't change anything.
An IR reading at the tip shows a maximum of 330F. I know that is incorrect, because the solder does eventually melt when applied directly to the tip, and this 60/40 rosin core says it melts at 370F. The problem is I can't the gun to heat the wire hot enough to melt the solder. The method I'm using now is to get a blob of melted solder on the tip and hold it against the wire, hoping the liquid solder will transmit more heat than the bare tip, but even that isn't working.
I'm working on a 1956 Porsche and I have to re-tin a lot of wire ends. A 1956 Porsche has a lot of 14 and 16 gauge wire.