We often visit my sister-in-law's family in Pittsburgh at Christmas time. While there, I like to visit Barno Electronics in McKeesport. It's like stepping into a time machine back to an independent electronics parts retailer in the mid-1960's. The shop walls are full of displays of new-old-stock tools and parts.
I didn't take any photos of the shop, but I found one on Flicker, thanks to someone named Sanhelsington.
I picked up some Ungar soldering iron parts while I was there.
A #777 handle, the "clean room" contemporary of the old style #776 red handled cork insulated Ungar "Standard Line" soldering iron handle.
I guess the "clean room" feature was the replacement of the cork insulated grip with a polypropylene grip.
It was almost like being able to place an order from the 1965 Allied Radio catalog ...
... or relive a childhood visit to Baynesville Electronics.
A fellow nicknamed "Pixellany", one of the regulars on the Antique Radio Forum, posted about the Ungar high-power heating elements with integral tips (most Ungar heaters used one of a selection of screw-on or screw-in tips), saying that they were very good for soldering to steel chassis. Since then, I've kept my eye out for some, and Barno had a bunch in stock.
I picked up two of the older-style elements with the ceramic heater. The #4036 and #4039 are both 50 watt (or 47 1/2 W to 56 1/2 W, according to the card on the #4036), but one has a chisel tip and the other has a pyramidal tip. I also bought one of the newer all-metal elements, 45 watts but it has a very high tip temperature.
I also picked up a spare "Princess Line" heater for my "Princess Line" soldering iron. I think these are all long out of production, although I believe the Apex catalog still lists some Ungar "Standard Line" parts.