Cheap pseudo temp. controlled soldering (was: Spending)

This trick (or the similar one of using a tirac-based 'dimmer switch' in series with the soldering iron) is well-known to UK modelmakers who want to solder 'white metal' kits. I am not sure what the US name for 'white metal' is, it's a low-melting-point lead alloy... However, for electronic work, this is nowhere near as good as a real temperature controlled iron. Consider the normal 15W iron sold to hobbyists. It's designed to run at just above soldering temperatures with the bit in free air. Now, if you put a significant 'load' on the bit (say an IC pin soldered to a ground plane in a PCB), then the temperature of the bit drops. The result, if you're soldering, is a dry joint. If you're desoldering, it's a ruined IC, PCB, or both due to the amount of time you hold the iron on the joint to melt the solder. What you need is a higher power iron for this application, but such an iron would normally get far too hot. Now consider the temperature-controller, thermostatic, iron. The one I use is something like 50W. When the tip is in free air, the element is only swithced on for part of the time, so the mean power is probably something like 15W. But if you put the tip on said IC pin on the ground plane, then the element is turned on for a greater proportion of the time. The mean power goes up as you'd want. -tony