How To Clean Soldering Iron With Flux

Its something of a vi-vs-emacs war about which is better but whatever.

How to clean soldering iron with flux. Once the soldering process is done some flux residue is seen on the surface. Using a specially designed cleaner or brass to clean the soldering irons tip. Wipe the iron on a damp sponge to remove the excess.

Follow these steps to clean a soldering iron. While it can be useful in certain situations it is not enough to remove oxidation from a soldering iron tip. Flux is for dissolving surface oxides on the joint and tends to foul the iron.

The sponge should not be dry as it will get charred. The tinning process protects the tip from oxidation reduces wear and enhances heat transfer. Tinning is the process of applying a thin layer of solder to the soldering iron itself.

Modify the soldering irons temperature to a standard work temperature of around 300 degrees Celsius. If all else fails Soldering Iron tips do not last forever. Im currently building a prototype device at work that involves a QFN-64 05mm pitch IC a PIC microcontroller soldered onto a SchmartBoardez prototyping board.

Apply to the oxidized tip a thin layer or flux-cored solder. If youre using solder with a flux core start cleaning your soldering iron by following the tinning steps above. The flux will be activated by the heat that will start a chemical reaction to eliminate the oxidation.

Cardboard works in a pinch. Flux isnt for cleaning the iron though. This should lead to a clean shiny tip ready for use.