I have acquired an American Beauty 200w soldering iron. It works but I would like to replace the cord. The cord is functional but there is at least one spot where the cloth outer cord is worn through to the asbestos underneath. I know that there is a nut inside the wooden handle which should turn if you hold the body of the iron and twist the handle. Unfortunately it has been stored in damp conditions and I suspect there is some rust on the threads which prevents being able to turn the nut.
I suppose if I can't get it apart I could slide some shrink tube over the worn spot on the cord but I would rather replace the entire cord.

Any ideas or suggestions would be appreciated.

best regards,
Sandy

Have tried to call American Beauty, they have been helpful in the past?

FWIR A-B has a repair service...

I priced a new 250 iron (an iron with a LARGE copper bolt) a while back. Just about a dollar a watt!

GL

Chas

Thanks for the replies. I stood the iron with the tip up and introduced some penetrating oil down into the handle. From the diagrams I have found the oil has a reasonable chance of making it to the captive nut inside the handle. I'll leave it overnight and see if it helps.

I will check and see if a new handle is available. It would be easy to split the wooden handle and start over with a new one.

best regards,
Sandy

I'm a bit surprised but the penetrating oil made it to where it needed to be and I managed to get everything apart without damaging anything. The plan is to clean it up and replace the cord. I already tested it and it works.
I've wanted one of these for a while and this was given to me by a friend who was cleaning out his shop.

best regards,
Sandy