How to tin a soldering tip and keep it from deteriorating?

[EddieNewYork]

I'm not new to soldering. Been doing it for about 20 years, but I never understood something...

I understand you are supposed to keep the tip "tinned" by melting solder on it, but you're not supposed to melt solder on the tip because that deteriorates it correct? So how does one keep the tip "tinned" without the tips from deteriorating?

[Ron van Sommeren]

The deteriorating occurs because every time you solder, a bit of copper 'dissolves' in the solder. Use long life tips.

Prettig weekend ;) Ron

[EddieNewYork]

Thanks Ron, where does one buy these "long life tips"? Do they make them for Antec soldering irons?

[Rodney]

Some companies make what is called iron plated tips which do last longer but are much harder to tin and keep tinned.

[EddieNewYork]

Is it safe to assume then...

The tip deteriorates faster if you don't tin the tip? Is there any way to prolong the life span of my tips? Cause it seems to not last very long. It's almost ridiculous. :D

[Ron van Sommeren]

You have to tin the tip to keep it from burning and for better heat transfer.

[vintage1]

Some companies make what is called iron plated tips which do last longer but are much harder to tin and keep tinned.

I've never found that.

I haven't used a copper bit for years...not since the 60's.

Been using mainly weller irons ever since..teh tips ecentually wear ouy, but not from solder or flux - its from prying up bits of spiky wire when removing bad components.

Wipe the iron on the damp sponge, and add a little resin cored solder, shake off the excess and off you go.

Stubborn crud can be scraped off a limited number of times with finest grit carborundum paper.

[infopimp]

PS: carefull when shaking off liquid solder!

/stating the obvious

[Gary Warner]

..The tips eventually wear out, but not from solder or flux - it’s from prying up bits of spiky wire when removing bad components.

Wise words. I see people blaming the rosin for 'eating up' tips, but this is a false truth. Rosin doesn't eat any tips - rosin only reduced the surface tension of the solder so that it flows easily - like detergent in water reduces surface tension.

Gary
--

[50+AirYears]

You also might see if you can find a tin of a tip cleaning paste. I startd using one several years ago. It really helps clean off the black crud that builds up on the tip.
Another thing that leads to shortened tip life is too high a tip temperature. Since I learned to keep my adjustable irons set to about 640-650 F, the only reason I change tips is to change to different size and shape tips.
Those 60 hour MIL-Spec soldering classes I took were a very worthwhile time investment.

[RussellK]

The quickest way to kill a tip is to use it to melt foam.

For cleaning the tip, rather than using a wet sponge or tapping, you can get tip cleaners that are a bundle of brass ribbons - you just poke the tip into it and it comes out clean of excess solder.

[olmod]

You might try using multicore savbit solder and try running your iron at the lowest temperature needed for the job at hand ,iron clad tip are worthwhile also along with a fine brass wire scratch brush that look like an oversize tooth brush to occasionally clean your tip with. :) cheers.

[andrew b]

Get a tin of ROSIN flux, them just dip the tip in flux and wipe with a cotton rag, then just apply a little solder to the tip to keep it "wet"

[Acetronics]

Hi, Soldering kids

What about ceramic tips ??? I' d appreciate some info about.

Alain

[smoffo]

I use a standard Weller iron and the tips lasts for many years, some of my tips are close to 15years old.
I leave the tin on the tip when I put the iron in the stand the I clean it on damp sponge (not wet) and the solder.
Leaving the tip heated and not used for long times will reduce the life of the tip.
In the industry the tip lasted for approx a year of 8 hours a day use (was weller too).

Happy soldering.
Michael

[Gary Warner]

Hi, Soldering kids

What about ceramic tips ??? I' d appreciate some info about.

Alain

I'm not familiar with ceramic tips. I do know about ceramic heating elements and the tips designed to be used with them, but the tips themselves are not ceramic.

What can you tell me about ceramic tips?

Gary
--

[westfw]

The solid copper tips just deteriorate quickly, with the copper disolving in the solder
as some others have said. You need to keep them properly tinned to make good solder
joints, not to preserve the tip; the tips are considered sacrifical.

Popular brands of soldering pencil wil have "iron clad" tips available, which last much
longer and are somewhat stronger (both aspects are important as the tips get finer.)

However, if you do much soldering, it is REALLY worthwhile, IMO, to get a better
soldering iron. A $70 temperature-controlled soldering iron will have iron or nickle
tips by default, and the lower temperatures it will run at while idle will also help to
improve tip lifetime. If all you've ever used is an unregulated pencil or soldering
gun, you'll find the "professional style" MUCH nicer to use all around...

[AndyOne]

I agree that a copper bit will waste away much quicker than one of the plated types. There does seem to be a difference in the quality of plated bits though, I adapted a Weller bit to fit on my cheap Antex iron because I was fed-up with having to change it every few months. It's a lot better now, in fact running them at the lowest useable temperature allows Weller bits to stay in virtually new condition for years.

Andy.

[50+AirYears]

We usually leave our Wellers around 640 degrees, and turn them off when not using them. If we remember, we put a blob of solder on the tip before turning them off.
A co-op, who was not invited back for another term, always insisted on leaving his iron around 750 to 800. A couple days after he left to go back to school, we found the iron tucked into the corner of a work bench, still turned on too high, with the tip burned up, and the control unit also toast.

[Markz]

Almost any weller tip kept at no more than 640f will last a very long time.

Heat kills tips. You need enough mass to transfer the heat properly. If you need to crank the heat for any reason, it might simply be that you're not using a big enough tip.

I use a tip cleaner (I don't recall the name) it's like powdered tin or something, perfect to get rid of the crud and to keep the tip wet

Marc

[Bob Chiang]

Why can I remember bizzare things like this, yet be unable to remember somebody's name after 10 seconds?

I used something called sal ammoniac decades ago, and sure enough, an Internet search shows several sources:

http://www.glassmart.com/salammoniac.asp