This doesn't work. Not enough heat. I wrapped the whole metal end of the desoldering iron in furnace rockwool then aluminum foil over that. It was able to char paper, but never melted the solder. I then put the desoldering iron on 208v in a last effort to get it hotter. It burnt out in 3 mins. Took it apart, the hair thin wire arced and melted near the beginning of the heating element/middle of the barrel. The heating element looks to me like many layers of wrapped nichrome wire each separated by the mica sheet, rolled up like a toilet paper roll.
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This doesn't work. Not enough heat. I wrapped the whole metal end of the desoldering iron in furnace rockwool then aluminum foil over that. It was able to char paper, but never melted the solder. I then put the desoldering iron on 208v in a last effort to get it hotter. It burnt out in 3 mins. Took it apart, the hair thin wire arced and melted near the beginning of the heating element/middle of the barrel. The heating element looks to me like many layers of wrapped nichrome wire each separated by the mica sheet, rolled up like a toilet paper roll.