Soldering iron with flat blade heating element

In an electric soldering iron having an elongated handle, an electric heating element, attachment means serving to mount said heating element on said handle, a tip member located so as to receive heat from said heating element, and holding means for holding said tip relative to said heating element, the improvement comprising:

• said heating element being an elongated heating element having an elongated flat planar heated surface, said heating element extending outwardly from said attachment means and said handle;
• said tip member including a body having an elongated flat planar heat transfer surface and an operative tip extending outwardly away from said body and separated from said body by a shoulder;
• said tip member located with respect to said heating element such that said heated surface and said heat transfer surface are coplanar with each other with at least a portion of said flat heated surface proximate to at least a substantial portion of said heat transfer surface;
• an elongated retaining tube having ends, one of said ends being provided with an internally extending flange, said retaining tube being positioned around said body of said tip member and said heating element so as to hold said tip member relative to said heating element in a position wherein said flange rests against said shoulder and said tip extends outwardly away from said heating element through one of said ends of said tube;
• spring means located in said retaining tube and extending between said retaining tube and said heating element, said spring means for holding said portion of said heated surface and said substantial portion of said heat transfer surface intimately contiguous with each other;
• and
• said holding means comprising means connecting the other end of said retaining tube with said handle so as to prevent movement of said retaining tube and said tip member generally away from said handle.