Extending Soldering Tip Life

[D from BC]

I'm currently using rosin core solder and sometimes I use no clean
flux and water soluble flux..

I wonder if I could add sometime to that damp sponge on the solder
station to help with tip life..
Maybe neutralize the flux with some household item?.
Maybe add machine dish washer soap? NaOH, NaH3?

No I haven't been using my solder tip to melt open power adapters


D

 

[Joerg]

I'm currently using rosin core solder and sometimes I use no clean
flux and water soluble flux..

I wonder if I could add sometime to that damp sponge on the solder
station to help with tip life..
Maybe neutralize the flux with some household item?.
Maybe add machine dish washer soap? NaOH, NaH3?

Don't know what you are doing but my tips live almost forever. AFAIK
lead-free solder can ruin them faster.

No I haven't been using my solder tip to melt open power adapters

So you only used it to light cigarettes then

 

[Nico Coesel]

I'm currently using rosin core solder and sometimes I use no clean
flux and water soluble flux..

I wonder if I could add sometime to that damp sponge on the solder
station to help with tip life..

Buy an Ersa soldering iron and tips. The tips usually last longer than
the iron.

 

[Jon]

Visit http://www.glassmart.com/salammoniac.asp.
..
Sal Ammoniac is Ammonium Cloride (NH4Cl). Rubbing a hot tip on a block
of Sal Ammoniac is a very efective way of cleaning the tip. You can
also dissolve a few tablespoons in a cup of water, and quickly immerse
and remove the tip from the solution. If you do this slowly, it
doesn't work. You might try absorbing some of the solution into your
cleaning sponge. I haven't tried this, so I don't know if it works or
not. Sheet metal workers and stained glass artisans have been using
this stuff for years. The fumes are obnoxious, but not extremly toxic.
Regards,
Kral

 

[D from BC]

I'm currently using rosin core solder and sometimes I use no clean
flux and water soluble flux..

I wonder if I could add sometime to that damp sponge on the solder
station to help with tip life..

Buy an Ersa soldering iron and tips. The tips usually last
longer than
the iron.

--
Reply to nico@nctdevpuntnl (punt=.)
Bedrijven en winkels vindt U op www.adresboekje.nl

-----------
Ooops typo in my original post..."add something to the sponge.."
(I can multitask if I can blend everything...

I'm using a Cooper/Weller long conical tip from Digikey in a
temp station set at the lowest practical temperature. Lately,
this past year...I've killed 3 tips...The plating on the tip
goes and a ridge forms. So...I'm suspicious.. I've only made
about 10 PCB's this year.

I'll check out Ersa..Thanks..
D
---------------------

 

[[email protected]]

Ooops typo in my original post..."add something to the sponge.."
(I can multitask if I can blend everything...

I'm using a Cooper/Weller long conical tip from Digikey in a
temp station set at the lowest practical temperature. Lately,
this past year...I've killed 3 tips...The plating on the tip
goes and a ridge forms. So...I'm suspicious.. I've only made
about 10 PCB's this year.

I'll check out Ersa..Thanks..
D
---------------------

Hakko is also nice. Inexpensive but perform very well. Tons of tips
available. I have two stations, this helps a lot since you don't stress
out one iron with all the work, esp heating up large mass.
I find Weller to be "eh", I don't like the system for the tips, looks
like there can't be too much heat transferred from the heater.
No-clean is damaging to the tips, a black substance forms on the tips
that's hard to get rid of and seems to be harmful.
Use brass wool "sponge" instead of cellulose.

 

[Joerg]

Buy an Ersa soldering iron and tips. The tips usually last longer than
the iron.

Now I just wish Ersa was available in the US. That's what I had in
Europe a lot, now it's all Weller. The big Bertha is still an Ersa and
needs 230V. Almost big enough to do a plumbing job.

Anyhow, even though I use Kester No-Clean the tips remain in good shape.
Of course, I don't let the iron idle through a lunch hour and stuff like
that.

 

[Jim Yanik]

[email protected] (D from BC) wrote in

I'm currently using rosin core solder and sometimes I use no clean
flux and water soluble flux..

I wonder if I could add sometime to that damp sponge on the solder
station to help with tip life..
Maybe neutralize the flux with some household item?.
Maybe add machine dish washer soap? NaOH, NaH3?

No I haven't been using my solder tip to melt open power adapters


D

molten solder leaches metal away from the iron tip,that's what causes the
tip to degrade,not the flux.

 

[D from BC]

[email protected] (D from BC) wrote in

I'm currently using rosin core solder and sometimes I use no clean
flux and water soluble flux..

I wonder if I could add sometime to that damp sponge on the solder
station to help with tip life..
Maybe neutralize the flux with some household item?.
Maybe add machine dish washer soap? NaOH, NaH3?

No I haven't been using my solder tip to melt open power adapters


D

molten solder leaches metal away from the iron tip,that's what
causes the
tip to degrade,not the flux.

--
Jim Yanik
jyanik
at
kua.net
..
----------------
Thanks Jim
Lost my soldering manual long ago..Probably had a list of proper
practice..
Guess I shouldn't leave a hot iron on with a big blob of solder
on the tip and go on vacation..
D
---------------

 

[Boris Mohar]

[email protected] (D from BC) wrote in


molten solder leaches metal away from the iron tip,that's what causes the
tip to degrade,not the flux.

I have been searching for a while for a decent recipe for iron plating
soldering iron tips. I have a large collection of eroded Metcal tips. These
are quite expensive and would be worth cleaning and re plating them in one
go.



Regards,

Boris Mohar

Got Knock? - see:
Viatrack Printed Circuit Designs (among other things) http://www.viatrack.ca

void _-void-_ in the obvious place

 

[Jan Panteltje]

Buy an Ersa soldering iron and tips. The tips usually last longer than
the iron.

mmm last ersa I had the iron lasted a week....
But that was long ago.
Indeed I suspec ttips is big bussiness, many 'long life' tips start corroding
rather fast at the not prepared end it seems.
Yes I use them to weld plastics too ;-)

 

[Arlet]

Now I just wish Ersa was available in the US. That's what I had in
Europe a lot, now it's all Weller. The big Bertha is still an Ersa and
needs 230V. Almost big enough to do a plumbing job.

Anyhow, even though I use Kester No-Clean the tips remain in good shape.
Of course, I don't let the iron idle through a lunch hour and stuff like
that.

I have a Weller station and tips. Current tip has been in there for
about 2 years now, and still looks fine. It's on for 10-20 hours a week
at 350 deg C. I don't bother turning it off when I expect to be using
it again, so on some days it stays on all the time. Sometimes I forget
to turn it off, and it even stays on all night. The first time that
happened, I noticed the tip had actually cleaned itself.

Occasionally I even use it to melt plastic or to fix hot-melt glue. I
just wipe the tip off as best as I can, and leave it on for a few hours
to clean itself. I have no special cleaners, and use regular tap water
on the sponge.

 

[Adrian Tuddenham]

[email protected] (D from BC) wrote in


molten solder leaches metal away from the iron tip,that's what
causes the
tip to degrade,not the flux.

Use "Savbit" solder, it is already saturated with copper and doesn't
cause nearly as much erosion. With Weller TCP iron-plated bits and
Savbit solder, I was getting over 200 days' use from each bit a few
years ago when I was soldering for several hours a day.

 

[Nico Coesel]

Buy an Ersa soldering iron and tips. The tips usually last
longer than
the iron.

--
Reply to nico@nctdevpuntnl (punt=.)
Bedrijven en winkels vindt U op www.adresboekje.nl

-----------
Ooops typo in my original post..."add something to the sponge.."
(I can multitask if I can blend everything...

I'm using a Cooper/Weller long conical tip from Digikey in a
temp station set at the lowest practical temperature. Lately,
this past year...I've killed 3 tips...The plating on the tip
goes and a ridge forms. So...I'm suspicious.. I've only made
about 10 PCB's this year.

Thats what I suspected: Weller makes you pay for their tips until you
stop soldering.

 

[Jan Panteltje]

Thats what I suspected: Weller makes you pay for their tips until you
stop soldering.

I have this one, it is great, switches off automatically, was only 65 Euro,
and now is it its fifth year? Not sure.
http://www.testberichte.de/test/produkt_tests_conrad_electronic_voltcraft_ls50_p59358.html
Still OK after >3 years....
Very nice thing, very good temp control, had to modify the stand so it
would not slide.
I threw the Weller out, this is much better value for money.

 

[Joerg]

Joerg wrote:




I have a Weller station and tips. Current tip has been in there for
about 2 years now, and still looks fine. It's on for 10-20 hours a week
at 350 deg C. I don't bother turning it off when I expect to be using
it again, so on some days it stays on all the time. Sometimes I forget
to turn it off, and it even stays on all night. The first time that
happened, I noticed the tip had actually cleaned itself.

Over night? I wouldn't do that.

Occasionally I even use it to melt plastic or to fix hot-melt glue. I
just wipe the tip off as best as I can, and leave it on for a few hours
to clean itself. I have no special cleaners, and use regular tap water
on the sponge.

While you mentioned tap water: In the US that is often heavily
chlorinated. In our area the chlorine content can be higher than the
pool water. So I use filtered water for the iron sponge.

 

[Arlet]

Over night? I wouldn't do that.

I don't do that on purpose, but it has happened two or three times.
However, it is sometimes on continuously during the day. I know it's
not recommended, but after 2 years, the tip is still shiny and has good
wettability. In fact, when I turn it off right after using it, it will
start to accumulate black crud that is hard to remove later. When I
leave it on, it apparently burns off all the crud.

While you mentioned tap water: In the US that is often heavily
chlorinated. In our area the chlorine content can be higher than the
pool water. So I use filtered water for the iron sponge.

I live in the Netherlands, and our tap water isn't chlorinated, or at
least not to a level where you can detect it.

 

[GregS]

I don't do that on purpose, but it has happened two or three times.
However, it is sometimes on continuously during the day. I know it's
not recommended, but after 2 years, the tip is still shiny and has good
wettability. In fact, when I turn it off right after using it, it will
start to accumulate black crud that is hard to remove later. When I
leave it on, it apparently burns off all the crud.


I live in the Netherlands, and our tap water isn't chlorinated, or at
least not to a level where you can detect it.

I don't ever recall seeing an iron clean itself. If left on and above 600
drgrees, I see my tips get black and form a very hard layer.
I have a solder sucker iron that stays on about 800, and is terrible
to clean. I usually use a brass sink cleaner or a watered sponge.


greg

 

[Adrian Tuddenham]

[...]

I live in the Netherlands, and our tap water isn't chlorinated, or at
least not to a level where you can detect it.

It doesn't need to be - it's already been filtered through three
Germans.

 

[Nico Coesel]

I have a Weller station and tips. Current tip has been in there for
about 2 years now, and still looks fine. It's on for 10-20 hours a week
at 350 deg C. I don't bother turning it off when I expect to be using
it again, so on some days it stays on all the time. Sometimes I forget
to turn it off, and it even stays on all night. The first time that
happened, I noticed the tip had actually cleaned itself.

Sorry, I just don't believe this. Every Weller magnastat soldering
iron I've used needed its tip replaced on a regular interval. After a
while the tip just won't wet properly at some locations and this gets
worse over time. If you use a big tip on big joints, this isn't a
problem because in most cases you can find a spot that will wet.
However when you use a very fine tip to solder 0.5mm SMT devices
you'll find the tip will go bad (become useless) very quickly! This is
why I throw out the Weller soldering stations whenever I can.