Hi,
Soldering irons are pretty much the same, a heating element is wound around a portion of the iron (either a socket the tip screws in to, or tail end of the working tip) that can retain a certain amount heat, while being able to transfer the heat efficiently to the actual soldering tip. Usually those elements will break at a thin spot,, kink, or bend- or other defect that reduces the strength of the wire in that portion. If you are able to open up the portion that retains the heating element (this is not always possible), it is then a matter of finding the break and either bypassing a short portion of the element to make complete the circuit, or twisting/crimping the broken section together (if it is more towards the center of the windings) to complete the circuit. I have done this with a number of small irons, and they are really basic in this regard, and it does increase their wattage slightly as there is less resistance in the heating circuit. The real trick is not breaking the mica insulation.
:is company out of business?mold 3176 repaired how can i do this?