Homebrew PCBs

> i wonder which chemical is needed to plate iron.
> (and i wonder if it would be useable at all, if the coating
> is really iron..)

Believe they call it Iron Clad.  If you break the coating the tip 
will not last long.

I use to use the copper tips in my old Ungar (now owned by Weller) 
irons, they worked great but did require reshaping with a file at 
times.  You had to keep it clean and tinned, but that is true for 
any iron to work well.

Also think that the hollow tips provide faster reheating or recovery 
time.