What do you use for cleaning your tips - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: Deathwish
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: September 07, 2015, 09:03:55 pm
content: Of the choice of copper / Brass or wire ( steel ) brillo pad type soldering iron tip cleaners which is best and what are the pros and cons of each.

author: apelly
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: September 07, 2015, 09:11:11 pm
content: The good brass ones are covered with flux. This is a good thing.People will tell you that steel ones will damage your tips by slowly wearing the plating away.Personally I use the brass scrubbers that came with my irons and follow up with a damp sponge. Sometimes a wipe with some damp tissue held between my fingers.Extremely rarely I resort to a small tin of tip tinner. Even then, it's only required on tips that I've abused with gross overheating.

author: Deathwish
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: September 07, 2015, 09:30:34 pm
content: For some reason I always thought soldering iron tips were iron plated not tinned, once the iron is gone through its merely a case of how much longer till the copper underneath wears away and tinning will not stop it.

author: DimitriP
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 07, 2015, 09:43:52 pm
content: I dunno about pros and cons and such. I use a damp sponge. I keeps it clean.Well Ok...Pros.: It keeps it clean, I don't have to spend any time worrying about it.Cons: Entering a discussion about it might lead to a lengthy thread that will not keep the iron any cleaner than using a damp sponge.

author: Deathwish
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: September 07, 2015, 09:45:15 pm
content: wel lat least with a copper / brass ball on my stand I dont have to have a jug of water about.

author: klunkerbus
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: September 07, 2015, 09:47:28 pm
content: Been using the brass brillo-pad type of tip scrubber for years. I don't believe mine has any flux in it. Recently, however, purchased DeoxIT brand Tip Tinner & Cleaner. I was skeptical, but I was shocked at how easy it was to clean up and re-tin the tip now, at least on an occasional basis. Standing by for the naysayers describing how bad similar tip cleaners are for your tips or other issues...

author: zapta
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 07, 2015, 09:50:45 pm
content: Look here at 1:20

author: Aodhan145
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: September 07, 2015, 09:56:03 pm
content: Quote from: zapta on September 07, 2015, 09:50:45 pmIs he actually serious? What a f**king waste of time.

author: Augustus
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: September 07, 2015, 09:57:45 pm
content: Weller sells both sorts of dry-cleaners, brass wool and stainless steel wool. They claim the brass is more gentle to the tips while the stainless steel lasts longer.I don't like either of them and still use my good old wet yellow sponge... Gets the tip way cleaner, imho... After the solder session is done, I give the (cold) tip a good scrub with a fine brass brush to remove build up burnt flux

author: KL27x
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 07, 2015, 10:14:39 pm
content: QuoteLOL. +1 Maybe with some more context, he wouldn't appear to be completely insane? (Maybe he's building a rectal probe?)I use the brass wool with no complaints. But sometimes it leaves some crusty solder bits. To get a really clean and wet tip, I might melt a big blob of fresh flux core solder all over the tip and then flick it off onto my bench, immediately prior to a tight connection.

author: Melt-O-Tronic
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: September 07, 2015, 10:36:19 pm
content: Quote from: Aodhan145 on September 07, 2015, 09:56:03 pmNotice the word"Avionics"in the title. He is teaching a NASA-specified methodology for soldering things that are kind of important.

author: daybyter
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: September 07, 2015, 10:57:08 pm
content: I use a ammonium chloride soldering stone:http://www.amazon.co.uk/Weller-LS25-Ammonium-Chloride-Soldering/dp/B002JEA4TChttps://eshop.wuerth.de/Ammonium-chloride-soldering-stone-SALAMONBLCK-100X45X20MM/098730.sku/en/US/EUR/And then my watered sponge after that.

author: DimitriP
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 07, 2015, 11:09:16 pm
content: Quote from: Melt-O-Tronic on September 07, 2015, 10:36:19 pmI do wonder though what the chem wipe will remove from the stripped wire that the solder won't vaporise once you tin it.Or why you would clean the flux from the tinned wire when you are going to reapply flux in order to solder it to wherever it needs to be soldered."Best practices" are best not practiced. © Dimitri 2015

author: zapta
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 07, 2015, 11:49:07 pm
content: Quote from: KL27x on September 07, 2015, 10:14:39 pmImagine that guy soldering this:BTW, I noticed that some people refer to cleanup with a wet sponge as 'socking', as if there is some chemical reaction involved, not just a simple wiping. In my experience, the brass wool remove the extra solder and stuck 0402 components better than the wet sponge. Luckily, my solder iron holder has both.

author: Deathwish
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: September 07, 2015, 11:55:40 pm
content: Somewhere I have an old Gas portable iron, the only time I ever cleaned the tip was when I was trying to light a cigarette , damn near choked to death on the fumes.

author: Mechanical Menace
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 08, 2015, 12:21:38 am
content: Wet folded up newspaper....I'll get my coat...

author: GreyWoolfe
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: September 08, 2015, 03:38:59 am
content: I used the yellow wet sponge for years. My Hakko FX-951 came with dry flux coated brass curls. I like the job the curls does much better. No going back to wet sponges for me.

author: IanB
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 08, 2015, 04:02:27 am
content: My understanding is that the brass curls and the wet sponge are both used. Just prior to applying fresh solder for a new joint, you first use the brass curls to remove the old solder from the tip leaving it dry, and then use the wet sponge to remove the surface oxide layer from the tip.

author: SteveyG
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: September 08, 2015, 09:29:24 am
content: Quote from: Aodhan145 on September 07, 2015, 09:56:03 pmOther than wiping the soldering iron with a tissue first, that is exactly the way it should be done and pretty similar to the IPC training which I have been on.Never use those tip tinners that you can buy unless your tip is well and truly screwed, they're highly activated solutions which will cause much faster damage to the tip.A damp sponge should be all you need, and remember to leave a nice blob of solder on the iron like he did after use.People often wipe the iron after each connection, but actually the correct method is to wipe clean BEFORE the next connection reducing the time for which oxidation can occur to the tip.

author: RobertHolcombe
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: September 08, 2015, 09:34:50 am
content: Sponge vs wool preference to me is based on what work I'm performing. I prefer a sponge with a hole in the center because it suits both assembly and rework - particularly useful during rework as it gives you somewhere consistent to deposit excess solder, components, component leads etc. Wool does not offer the same flexibility and is only really suitable for assembly IME - full of debris their cleaning performance isn't great!

author: SteveyG
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: September 08, 2015, 10:03:22 am
content: Quote from: RobertHolcombe on September 08, 2015, 09:34:50 amIndeed. The problem is you also cross contaminate with potentially old bits of solder and god knows what else. A sponge should be being rinsed and squeezed out at a sink, not just adding water each time.

author: RobertHolcombe
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: September 08, 2015, 10:40:57 am
content: Yah I keep a wash bottle at my bench to keep it damp but run it under a tap at the end of each day, they last for months... my colleagues by comparison are probably growing forests in theirs'

author: Aodhan145
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: September 08, 2015, 04:51:44 pm
content: Quote from: zapta on September 07, 2015, 11:49:07 pmHahaha

author: nctnico
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 09, 2015, 01:02:57 am
content: Quote from: Deathwish on September 07, 2015, 09:03:55 pmA wet sponge (with the rugged part up instead of down as you see in many places) does just fine.

author: DenzilPenberthy
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: September 09, 2015, 11:13:24 am
content: Personally I prefer the brass curly stuff. Haven't used a wet sponge since I started using the brass stuff. Generously tin the tip before replacing in the holder then when you want to make a joint give the iron a couple of quick dabs in the brass and it's in perfect condition. Then re-tin before replacing in the holder.

author: Deathwish
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: September 09, 2015, 01:08:03 pm
content: on offer from cpchttp://cpc.farnell.com/multicore-solder/ttc-lf/15g-lead-free-tip-tinner-cleaner/dp/SD0162206?ost=sd0162206

author: SteveyG
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: September 09, 2015, 04:20:53 pm
content: Quote from: Deathwish on September 09, 2015, 01:08:03 pmThat's the stuff you should never use, unless the tip is already beyond use. It kills the plating on modern tips.edit: actually in the description:Quote

author: AF6LJ
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: September 09, 2015, 04:31:41 pm
content: Quote from: Aodhan145 on September 07, 2015, 09:56:03 pmThat is like watching those videos that teach you how to do it the NASA way.Although when you see someone with a NASA card do it in real life it goes much faster.

author: Augustus
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: September 09, 2015, 04:34:33 pm
content: Quote from: SteveyG on September 09, 2015, 04:20:53 pmThe worst are the ones with added abrasives (usually sand), they should really only be used as an absolute last resort

author: Sbampato12
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: September 09, 2015, 07:33:58 pm
content: I've been using wellers tips by 5 to 6 years, the only thing I use is the wet sponge that came with the soldering stations.I have non constant use, 3 to 4 times a week, some times big boards, some times just replacing a component. I never changed the tips yet...I read somewhere else that the 'news' tips (from good companies) came with some kinds of plating, that wear out if you use something more hard. Because that I keept the wet sponge.Always wet, and daily cleaned after work. If I had to choose another, I would go with the brass, because it is softer than other metals...

author: AF6LJ
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: September 09, 2015, 09:59:16 pm
content: I also use nothing more than a wet sponge.Always have, that could be why I have had my tips for decades. (the old Weller types with the alloy plug in the end.) I remember being taught to never use a metal object on a hot soldering tip.I have worked for a few two way radio shops (two small ones and one big one) I have always found the soldering irons that I started out with to have trashed tips, I would get new tips and never have to replace them.My thermal strippers...That is a different issue those tips get chewed up and usually won't last more than three years or so.