Keeping Tip Clean?

[bigbeark]

I am using Hakko 936 with chisel tip on the iron.

In the old days, the soldering iron tips were made of copper, and it was a simple process to tin the tip surface and the tip would stay pretty clean.

With the Hakko, the tip appers to be made of some grey metal (iron?) and I find it hard to tin the tip. The tip tarnishes very easily and I have to constantly clean the tip with the sponge, which of course removes the tinning and I have to do it all over again.

Do you clean the tip with a stand-alone flux paste or use one of those "special" tip-cleaning solutions I see advertised.

Bottom line for me is that the tip does not want to tin, and won't hold it's tin.

What's the solution?

[Krankshaft]

Re: Keeping Tip Clean?

Cleaning the tip properly has always been a must copper tips don't last very long because they oxidize very quickly so modern tips are plated with iron which extends their life. Hakko tips are pretty well made and have a nice thick coating of iron. Mine seem to last forever.

Sponges are a very old method to clean tips and I can't stand constantly having to keep them moist.

Get a brass shaving tip cleaner Hakko makes one:

http://www.hakkousa.com/detail.asp?PID=2989&Page=1

The brass is hard enough to clean the oxidation off the tip but is softer than the iron plating. Just plunge the tip into it once or twice every once in awhile tin it and you're done. The bottom of the case opens up to dump out the solder and oxidation blobs.

If the tip won't hold solder anymore either you're not cleaning the tip thoroughly enough and too much oxidation has built up or the iron plating has been eroded from inadequate cleaning. In the first case you may be able to save it with a tip cleaner like this:

http://www.radioshack.com/product/in...ductId=2062721

Afterward you can use a brass shaving cleaner to maintain it.

If the iron plating is toast you'll need a new tip.

Removing the tinning solder cleaning the tip and retinning is how you clean the tip there's no getting around that.

Why are you using chisel tips lots of desoldering on large traces? I find the conical tips are pretty good for general purpose use and are a cinch to clean and tin.

[bigbeark]

Re: Keeping Tip Clean?

Krankshaft, thanks for the info. I ordered the Hakko tip cleaner, also found Hakko tip cleaning paste and ordered that too.

I know that with a well-tinned clean tip I could use less heat (smaller tip). If I load up the tip with a solder "ball", it's much easier to remove the old caps, so it follows that a well-tinned tip would help installing new caps.

[mockingbird]

Re: Keeping Tip Clean?

I use copper/brass tips and I shave the oxidation off regularly throughout the job. So what if it eats away the tip after 10 or so jobs. New tips are only $4.

[Pyr0Beast]

Re: Keeping Tip Clean?

I have some old iron tip and each time I use it it gets better !

It is 4 cm long and now tinned all the way from bottom to the top.

[yyonline]

Re: Keeping Tip Clean?

As a long-term solution... Heat oxidizes tips faster. Don't solder at a higher temperature than is needed. If you're doing prep work, switch the iron off until you're ready to use it.

My 937 uses the same tips, and I'm still on the original tip after a year and maybe 30 recaps, and many smaller projects.

My 808 desoldering iron on the other hand kills tips...the thing needs to be hot to desolder things reliably. Plus I seem to clog them occasionally by accidentally sucking up things other than solder...mostly broken off component legs.

[ratdude747]

Re: Keeping Tip Clean?

i made a homeade coil cleaner... i found out that i can get 3 packs of stainless steel scrubbers for $1 and made a holder out of a popcan.

my concern is the brass might wick the solder, since brass instruments (like tubas) are soldered. and $10 sounds a bit steep for what you get.

[Krankshaft]

Re: Keeping Tip Clean?

A very clever invention I only see one issue.

Steel is harder than iron and will scrape away at the the iron plating while cleaning the tip. Reduced tip life can be expected can't say how much it depends on how often you use the iron and clean the tip.

As for the price I think it's pretty reasonable and the brass shaving refills should they ever be needed are around 4 bucks. When the shavings get a bit compacted I just open it up refluff the brass ball and put it back in.

The the brass doesn't seem to wick at all the blobs of solder removed from the tip during cleaning fall to the bottom of the container the bottom pulls off so you can dump them out every now and then.

[dobber]

Re: Keeping Tip Clean?

I just clean my tungstun tip with a damp spunge when it is hot. I was told to do that at work by a Vendor of them. Not sure that it is the best way, but I use my iron every day and never had a problem with it.

[ratdude747]

Re: Keeping Tip Clean?

A very clever invention I only see one issue.

Steel is harder than iron and will scrape away at the the iron plating while cleaning the tip. Reduced tip life can be expected can't say how much it depends on how often you use the iron and clean the tip.

As for the price I think it's pretty reasonable and the brass shaving refills should they ever be needed are around 4 bucks. When the shavings get a bit compacted I just open it up refluff the brass ball and put it back in.

The the brass doesn't seem to wick at all the blobs of solder removed from the tip during cleaning fall to the bottom of the container the bottom pulls off so you can dump them out every now and then.

i have not had issues with tip wear... the iron plating is still there