How To Keep Soldering Tip Clean
When pre-cleaning is necessary for plated tips they should be cleaned with a mildly abrasive emery cloth and may require an acid flux to remove the oxides before tinning or re-tinning.
How to keep soldering tip clean. Cleaning with steel wool will be faster as it tends to keep the soldering tip at a high temperature while its being cleaned. This step will coat the iron in a mixture of flux and solder. You can dampen it somewhat but keep any water drips away from the electrics.
Cover the tip immediately with solder after cleaning to prevent further oxidation. Switch on the Soldering Station or the Iron and Make sure it is Hot Enough. This is done by first ensuring the tip is clean and free of surface oxides.
Wipe OFF the solder on the Cleaning Sponge or Copper Wool. Solder if you get excess solder on tip clean it. You should not have to do more than periodically wipe the tip clean with a damp sponge then re-tin with fresh solder.
Never file the tip to clean it or form a different shape. Use pliers to keep the start of the solder at place. If some of the oxides are just sticking really well you could try to mildly abrade them on a brass sponge copper braid or similar but you cant be too hard or you will damage the iron plating good tips are typically copper core plated with iron then chromium everywhere but the.
I use another Hakko product to clean the iron - rather than a wet sponge I have what my friend says looks like a mini pot of gold. Then dip into the tin of tinner cleaner with a slight twisting action. Its also important the the metal you solder be clean too and apply flux with a bursh and it should flow well.
How to Clean Soldering Iron Tip. If your soldering tip becomes detinned oxidized it can be restored in a number of ways. New tips require an initial seasoning which is simply heating to operating temperature then applying fresh.