Solder noob here. Need help.

[FreedOhm]

Hi! I am new to this site so please bear with me. I bought a new Weller 25 watt iron from ace not too long ago i was wondering how do i properly take care of it? I know that i need these materials.

Damp sponge
Flux
Brass sponge
Solder iron holder
Tip tinner(?)
sandpaper(Heard mixed feelings about this)
Solder braid
Stand
Anything else?

 I know I need to tin the iron first when i first get a new tip, but then how do i take care of it? How do i tin the tip? When do i re-tin it? How do i know when to re-tin it or even if i have to re-tin it? I've heard of special grade tip cleaner only designed for Weller tips. Do i need this?

I have a lot of questions but really don't feel like wasting anymore of your guy's time. I really appreciate your time for reading this for i am a total noob at this. Thank you!

[Fsck]

you don't need tip tinner or sandpaper.

for an iron that's constantly used, just apply an excess amount of solder when you're done (as in turning it off), it'll be the sacrificial coating to protect the tip.

sandpaper is for seriously damaged tips, not a point you should ever get to.
tip tinner is basically similar to solder paste with a much higher acid content, useful for tip revival due to the high acid content.

[rexxar]

Once a tip gets to the point where you need sandpaper, the best thing is probably to just throw it away, its useful life is just about over then.

Some people use tip tinner often, but it can be bad for your tip. I heard someone here say that the plating on their tip had a crack, and the acid from the tip tinner ate the tip from inside out.

The best thing you can do is keep the tip clean while you're using it, then leave a big old blob of solder on the tip when you're done. That way the solder oxidizes instead of the plating on your tip.

[FreedOhm]

you don't need tip tinner or sandpaper.

for an iron that's constantly used, just apply an excess amount of solder when you're done (as in turning it off), it'll be the sacrificial coating to protect the tip.

sandpaper is for seriously damaged tips, not a point you should ever get to.
tip tinner is basically similar to solder paste with a much higher acid content, useful for tip revival due to the high acid content.

Thanks for the quick reply! So after i am done, put solder on the tip and wipe it off?

[GreyWoolfe]

I use liquid flux when I solder.  I only clean the tip on a wet sponge when I take it out of the stand to solder a component, then I just put it back in the stand.  I use the sacrificial coating when I am done.  I shut off my iron and immediately add solder to the tip, rotating the iron to coat it all around.  I stop rotating when the solder is too cool to want to drip.  No need to overthink it.  Taking care of your tips is very simple and soon becomes second nature.  Have tips of varying sizes based on what you want to solder and stay away from conical tips if possible.  By the way, only buy OEM tips, much better than the WunHungLo tips.  A fume extractor is very useful as the fumes from the flux aren't good for you.  I use a Weller WSA350.  They can be had fairly cheaply off of eBay.  Don't forget to wear shorts when soldering so you can drop hot solder on your bare flesh.  Soldering is much more funner that way

[Fsck]

you don't need tip tinner or sandpaper.

for an iron that's constantly used, just apply an excess amount of solder when you're done (as in turning it off), it'll be the sacrificial coating to protect the tip.

sandpaper is for seriously damaged tips, not a point you should ever get to.
tip tinner is basically similar to solder paste with a much higher acid content, useful for tip revival due to the high acid content.

Thanks for the quick reply! So after i am done, put solder on the tip and wipe it off?

no, leave the excess solder on the tip. as rexxar said, the solder will oxidize instead of the tip. you remove the solder when you want to use the iron again.

[ethhanners]

pana vises are helpful also if you are wanting to get something cheaper get a set of helping hands I also recommend getting a solder sucker I use it with solder braid I first use the solder sucker to get most of the solder then the braid to clean up the excess   

[ethhanners]

solder

[con-f-use]

As an alternative to a wet sponge you can use dry Kimwipes to gently get rid of oxidation. In concert with brass wool it, works wonders. It's also less of a thermal shock on your tip.

Isopropanol mixed with Acetone 1:1 is good to clean flux residue.

A tip tinner is nice. You use it when the solder won't stick to your iron properly any more. That's about every 10th - 20th soldering session.

The most important tips to take good care of your iron are:
 - Solder at the lowest temperature that still gives you good results
 - Try to minimize the time spend when the iron is hot
   (e.g. lay out everything you need before turning the iron on, make a plan before soldering)
 - Clean your iron about every 3-4 joints with brass-wool/sponge/wipes, then re-tin it
 - Make sure the iron is tinned every time you put it back in its stand
   (especially before turning it off)
 - After it's turned off, when it's cool enough, wipe off any flux residue
 - Don't use crappy flux or crappy solder
 - Don't use lead-free solder on a lead tip

[nanofrog]

It's been mentioned, but get good quality supplies (solder, flux, wick), not Wun Hung Lo specials. You'll thank yourself later for avoiding the aggravation and potential damage that can result from poor quality supplies.

BTW, when you mentioned stand, do you mean for the iron, or a work holder?

[FreedOhm]

Thanks, everything is starting to make sense. What tip is good for SMD soldering? I know smd soldering is for the pros and the experienced, but i am just asking because smd looks a lot cheaper and smaller when finished. MT1 and chisel tip looks good, but which is the easiest to use? I will also stay away form pointy tips because i heard they dont transfer heat very well.

Is stainless steel sponges good for cleaning irons? The ones you use for pans and stuff.

[rexxar]

Thanks, everything is starting to make sense. What tip is good for SMD soldering? I know smd soldering is for the pros and the experienced, but i am just asking because smd looks a lot cheaper and smaller when finished. MT1 and chisel tip looks good, but which is the easiest to use? I will also stay away form pointy tips because i heard they dont transfer heat very well.

Yes, avoid conical tips. They have applications, but they're not very useful for general work, certainly not through-hole stuff.

I use a 1.6mm chisel tip for general work, it works well for 0603 SMD parts; I've not tried any smaller than that, yet. It's also just small enough to tack bodge wires on to .5mm pitch pins without much trouble.

I found working with SMD is actually fairly easy-- with large-ish components, anyway. Passives like capacitors and resistors are easy, just solder one leg at a time. It's often not the prettiest, but it works. For ICs, chec Dave's videos on drag soldering. It's a bit annoying, but it gives good results (good solder wick is a necessity here).

Is stainless steel sponges good for cleaning irons? The ones you use for pans and stuff.

My instinct is that it's too abrasive, but I'm not sure.

[nanofrog]

Thanks, everything is starting to make sense. What tip is good for SMD soldering? I know smd soldering is for the pros and the experienced, but i am just asking because smd looks a lot cheaper and smaller when finished. MT1 and chisel tip looks good, but which is the easiest to use? I will also stay away form pointy tips because i heard they dont transfer heat very well.

Not sure of the exact iron you have, but if it's what I think, there's only 4 tips offered anyway (MT1 = conical, MT2 & MT3 = chisel, HK11 = knife). You'd want to get both chisels to give you some options for better sizing of the tip to the pad, and the knife blade would be usable for drag soldering.

As per SMD, it just needs a bit of practice, just like thru-hole does. If anything, it's actually a bit easier IMHO, as you don't have to flip the board over and worry about parts falling out like you do with thru-hole. Drag soldering might take the longest to perfect, but it's quite doable as well (good quality supplies really help here).

Where it can get difficult, is when the packages are really tiny. 0402 is probably about as small as most can go without magnification and still get good joints (assumes good eyesight).

Is stainless steel sponges good for cleaning irons? The ones you use for pans and stuff.

I'd stay away from it. Bit too abrasive IMHO, and no flux (good quality ones for soldering tend to have flux on the wool). Brass is softer than steel.

[breadbox]

Here's a well-made introduction-to-soldering video--lots of closeups and commentary:



Check the fellow's youtube channel for in-depth videos on related topics, e.g., desoldering:

[FreedOhm]

Thanks for the reply. I have a question about tinning. With the video you showed me, he put solder on the tip then put on the joint and he called it tinning. Then he put it on the joint. But he only did it with a little bit of solder. Isnt that a cold solder joint? Also, how do i tin the tip of a new tip? I heard that if your wrap a small diameter solder around the tip and plug it in. Of what is the best way to do it?

[IanB]

Tinning is just the word for pre-coating something with solder, or for adding a little bit of fresh solder before working.

In the video, if he put a little bit of solder on the tip before touching it to the joint, this was to help the heat flow from the iron to the work. Heat won't flow well across an air gap, so you place a little solder on the iron to create a heat bridge. After he touched the iron to the joint he should have added more fresh solder from the solder wire to properly make the joint.