Editing Soldering iron (section)

== Actual "Form factor" of soldering irons ==
[[File:Electric soldering iron.jpg|thumb|Electric soldering iron for electronic work]]
In 1946, Carl E. Weller applied for a patent for his soldering gun that could heat instantaneously and began production of the "Speedy Iron" in Pennsylvania.<ref>Carl E. Weller, Electrically Heated Apparatus, {{US patent|2593947}}, April 22, 1952.</ref> It was manufactured through the Weller Manufacturing Company, and this product was the first instantaneous thermal soldering gun. Few years later, they released to the market a soldering iron on with self-adjusting temperature. In 1951, the company  WEN Products began manufacturing its own instantaneous soldering iron. After a three years trial Weller won for patent infringement.<ref name=":0" />

In 1960 Weller got the patent for the soldering iron "Magnastat", renewed in 1964 and 1971.<ref name="Google Patents 1971 u90522">{{cite web|title=US3662152A - Thermomagnetic soldering tip assembly and method|website=Google Patents|date=1971-03-05|url=https://patents.google.com/patent/US3662152A/en?q=(weller+soldering+iron)&before=priority:19711231&after=priority:19710101&oq=weller+soldering+iron+1971|access-date=2023-09-08}}</ref> This iron could control the temperature by using a temperature-sensitive magnetic tip. The "Magnastat" became a best seller and it was included it in the W-TCP soldering station in 1967. In fact, within the patent, as a complementary description, it defines what today has become the "[[de facto]]", the redundancy is worth it, "[[Form factor (design)|form factor]]" of the vast majority of current Japanese and Chinese irons: Hakko, Baku, etc... The now-expired patent, which even Weller has stopped using on some models, described an outer tube holding the coated copper tip, clamped with a nut to the handle.<ref name="Google Patents 1964 e808">{{cite web |date=1964-07-13 |title=US3287541A - Temperature controlled soldering iron |url=https://patents.google.com/patent/US3287541A/en?q=(weller+soldering+iron)&before=priority:19711231&after=priority:19710101&oq=weller+soldering+iron+1971 |access-date=2023-09-08 |website=Google Patents}}</ref>

{{Blockquote|''Located at the remote rear end of draw tube 26, and held thereto by peripheral flange 27, is a freely rotatable threaded nut 28 adapted to be threaded about nut receiving stud 29 of cover flange 21 to draw the tip 11 into proper engagement''}}