A soldering iron tip having a copper or copper alloy core and a metal particle sintered member connected to the core to transfer heat therefrom to form a working soldering tip. The sintered member can be manufactured by powder metallurgy from a base material (iron, nickel and / or cobalt particles) and an additive (silicon, copper, silver, tin, boron and / or carbon particles) where needed. The sintered member can be formed as a cap which is fitted onto the working tip with a silver paste sandwiched therebetween, a brazing filler metal ring is positioned between an abutment shoulder and the cap, flux applied to the joint and the cap brazed into place. A metal, cermet or ceramic coating sprayed on the outer surface of the core, except for the (masked) working tip end, is not wettable by solder. An Ag—Al—Cu alloy coating layer in the rearwardly-disposed cavity improves heat conduction from the heater therein.