Prepping & Maintaining Your Brand New Soldering Iron

[kaevee]

Here is an video presentation on "Prepping & Maintaining Your Brand New Soldering Iron"

https://www.arrow.com/en/research-and-events/videos/soldering-tip-maintenance

If one is new to soldering and has bought a soldering iron, this video will be useful.

Venkat

[zzattack]

They take 5 minutes to say little more than 'put solder on your tip at low temparature on first use'.

To prevent oxidation I simply follow the general rule: hold solder to tip while it's warming up, and don't wipe when storing.

[alexanderbrevig]

Didn't know about the tinning while heating thing, but I've always left a heavy blob on the tip when I'm done. My tips last long so entirely wrong I don't think it is...?

[stj]

old instructions, all decent tips these days come pre-tinned.

and dont leave solder on the tip after use - it contains activated flux.

[tooki]

old instructions, all decent tips these days come pre-tinned.

and dont leave solder on the tip after use - it contains activated flux.

But you're supposed to re-tin the tip after use, so the tip isn't left oxidizing when hot. The flux burns off in short order.

[MacMeter]

old instructions, all decent tips these days come pre-tinned.

and dont leave solder on the tip after use - it contains activated flux.

But you're supposed to re-tin the tip after use, so the tip isn't left oxidizing when hot. The flux burns off in short order.

Indeed, never seen anyone advise not to coat the tip with solder when you are done.

[stj]

well i wipe the tip on the brass wool when i'm done - and they dont have any problems.

[Ampera]

I personally store my soldering iron in a tub of lard after each use. It doesn't really serve a purpose to protect the iron, but whenever I go to solder I get the wonderful smell of burning fat.

[stj]

maybe you should wrap a piece of bacon around the iron-stand's spring section! 

[GreyWoolfe]

I use brass wool on my Hakko FX-951 and Metcal MX-500 tips and then shut off the stations.  I don't add solder to the tips before powering them off.  I see no issue with oxidation.  I used to add the solder before powering off my Hakko 936.

maybe you should wrap a piece of bacon around the iron-stand's spring section! 

Because everyone know that everything is better with bacon!!!

[P90]

I always store the iron with blob of solder on the tip... my tips seem to last. Also I use minimum temp necessary to solder, and NO lead free crap, and none of that acid flux some guy around here was bragging about using... LOL

[tooki]

I always store the iron with blob of solder on the tip... my tips seem to last. Also I use minimum temp necessary to solder, and NO lead free crap, and none of that acid flux some guy around here was bragging about using... LOL

Ditto. I switched to 63/37 Kester long ago, and now use my remnants of radio shack 60/40 (bought when I was a kid) just for protective blobs.

[RGB255_0_0]

Is there any fact to putting solder on the tip keeps the tip longer or is it placebo and you're just wasting solder?

[alank2]

I use water soluble flux stuff when soldering most of the time, but I have some rosin (flux is stronger) available to keep the tip working well.  I try not to let the tip stay too dry for too long when working with it.  If that happens it needs a bit of cleaning which is put some radio shack rosin solder to it and jam it into the copper mesh a few times, maybe repeat that once, and then it will be back to wetting very well.  Before turning it off I wet it in the same radio shack solder.  I don't leave it on unless I am going to use it.  I use a WES51 with Weller tips and they last forever even with a lot of soldering.  I don't remember the last time one wore out.

[BravoV]

Is there any fact to putting solder on the tip keeps the tip longer or is it placebo and you're just wasting solder?

Remembered I read it somewhere at Hakko documentation or web site, that they recommend to put a small blob covering the solder plating area.

I do it too, besides I don't see its a "huge" waste of solder nor bad effect after years of doing it.

[dimkasta]

I never liked the wet sponge.
Using cool water randomly on a metal surface with a delicate coating does not sound like a very good idea (perhaps only for the guy selling the tips )

I use the cheapest tissue I can get to clean the tip. I also have some of that dry brass sponge, but it seems to lose its effectiveness fast for its price. I still have a couple in their plastic bags... I do not care to use them. Tissue works fine, is dirt cheap and I use it already around the house so no need for extra supplies.

And I put a nice blob of solder on the tip after use. The flux burns and loses its activation agents quickly so no reason to worry about it.
If it did not, then it would oxidize the pcb too.

[tooki]

Is there any fact to putting solder on the tip keeps the tip longer or is it placebo and you're just wasting solder?

Yes. It's so that the solder blob oxidizes in the heat, as opposed to the tip itself.

[Someone]

I never liked the wet sponge.
Using cool water randomly on a metal surface with a delicate coating does not sound like a very good idea (perhaps only for the guy selling the tips )

I use the cheapest tissue I can get to clean the tip. I also have some of that dry brass sponge, but it seems to lose its effectiveness fast for its price. I still have a couple in their plastic bags... I do not care to use them. Tissue works fine, is dirt cheap and I use it already around the house so no need for extra supplies.

And I put a nice blob of solder on the tip after use. The flux burns and loses its activation agents quickly so no reason to worry about it.
If it did not, then it would oxidize the pcb too.

There was a long thread on this:
https://www.eevblog.com/forum/reviews/soldering-sponges-the-'thermal-shock'-myth/?all
In reality a sponge for cleaning a soldering iron should not be wet, it should be damp.

[dimkasta]

Good points about the sponge. Thanks for the link

But still, still too much hassle for something trivial. The only positive thing I see about the sponge (brass or otherwise) is that you can use it with one hand.

[tautech]

The only positive thing I see about the sponge (brass or otherwise) is that you can use it with one hand.

You overlook it's the fastest way to clean a tip. Two quick stabs into brass or stainless wool that I use and the tip is clean, all solder and crud wiped off and you're ready to go.
I'll let you figure out why I use stainless wool. 

[dimkasta]

You overlook it's the fastest way to clean a tip. Two quick stabs into brass or stainless wool that I use and the tip is clean, all solder and crud wiped off and you're ready to go.
I'll let you figure out why I use stainless wool. 

The old school sponge is not much slower to use. The ones I used had a hole in the middle and a cut, so I did not have to swirl and drag the tip to get it clean. Most of the time it took just one swipe inside the cut.

Stainless wool? Probably because it is cheap, available everywhere, and not much different than the brass wool marketed as a dry solder cleaning solution.
But I would worry a bit about how abrasive it is and what that means for the tip.
Do you use any flux with it?

[P90]

You overlook it's the fastest way to clean a tip. Two quick stabs into brass or stainless wool that I use and the tip is clean, all solder and crud wiped off and you're ready to go.
I'll let you figure out why I use stainless wool. 

The old school sponge is not much slower to use. The ones I used had a hole in the middle and a cut, so I did not have to swirl and drag the tip to get it clean. Most of the time it took just one swipe inside the cut.

Stainless wool? Probably because it is cheap, available everywhere, and not much different than the brass wool marketed as a dry solder cleaning solution.
But I would worry a bit about how abrasive it is and what that means for the tip.
Do you use any flux with it?

I bet he uses zinc acid flux with that stainless scrubber...

[stj]

the stainless will almost last forever, because the solder wont stick to it.

[P90]

the stainless will almost last forever, because the solder wont stick to it.

the reason for the brass is that it's a softer metal and thus less likely to damage the iron plating on the tip.
if you're going to use ss, might as well use 40 sandpaper...   

[tautech]

the stainless will almost last forever, because the solder wont stick to it.

the reason for the brass is that it's a softer metal and thus less likely to damage the iron plating on the tip.
if you're going to use ss, might as well use 40 sandpaper...   

The Hakko and clone tips haven't complained about stainless yet and I consider a highly efficient tip cleaning method and the time it saves more important than the cost of tips.
The value of your time might be different.