Soldering iron was WTCP-N, and the tips indeed have 6, 7, and 8 stamped at the back end. They were my Father's. Funny thing is, I thought the iron was like screwdriver bit holder. Every time tip makes contact, there was "click" inside. I thought something was loose. So, I tried to fix it and ended up breaking both the tip holder and the main station. Now that I've seen the inside, I don't like this type. Too many moving parts. I'm currently using simple cheap 40W iron with screw-on tip. On 10/5/21 4:25 PM, Scott Allen wrote:
On Tue, 5 Oct 2021 at 15:13, William Park via talk <talk@gtalug.org> wrote:
While cleaning up, I found soldering tips for Weller soldering iron.
Those tips appear to be for the old TCP series Weller irons. If they have a number, such as 6, 7 or 8 stamped on the back end, then they are. Temperature is controlled by the tips themselves. The slug at the back changes from magnetic to non-magnetic when it reaches its curie temperature. This controls a magnetically activated switch in the iron's shaft to maintain the temperature. The number on the tip indicates its nominal operating temperature 6=600 degrees Fahrenheit , 7=700 F, 8=800F, etc.
These tips won't work in (newer) Weller irons that aren't designed to work this way.
I have several TCP type Weller irons. I take them if nobody else wants them.