Brass wool + flux?? - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / beginners

author: RyanT
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: March 25, 2018, 12:10:29 am
content: When I last did any electronics decades ago, all I ever used were wet sponges. Now that I'm back into it again, brass wool is the new order of the day, and it's amazing indeed. But mine is already getting pretty gnarly looking, and I will soon need a replacement.I heard/read something somewhere suggesting that the brass wool sold for use with soldering irons is coated with flux. Really? First time I'd ever heard that, and I'm sorry I can't recall the source now. Was that BS or is that true? And if true, how much does it matter? Because I've also heard people advocate for just using brass wool kitchen scrubbers rather than brass wool specifically marketed for soldering. Obviously the kitchen scrubbers would be cheap and easy to obtain.I haven't been able to conclusively figure out if some brass sponges are coated with flux, nor does any flux vapour come off of mine when I use it, so I'm thinking that advice might well have been a load of crap, but would appreciate expert confirmation!

author: Zero999
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 25, 2018, 12:16:32 am
content: I don't know the answer to your question.I like to use both a sponge and brass wool.I thought kitchen scourers were normally steel or even stainless steel, which I'm pretty sure isn't suitable.If you can get hold of some cheap brass wool, then try it. If it needs flux, then it should be easy to add it, by dissolving some flux in alcohol, dipping the wool in it and leaving it to dry.

author: Shock
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 25, 2018, 12:21:12 am
content: The Hakko brass wool I use doesn'tseem to have flux in it.It's only $5 for just the brass wool, so not hideously expensive. Hakko part # 599-029.

author: RyanT
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: March 25, 2018, 12:29:20 am
content: Quote from: Hero999 on March 25, 2018, 12:16:32 amRight, steel would scratch the tip. Has to be brass as it's softer than the tip. At least around here, brass kitchen scrubbers are common (again, because steel would scratch the pots and pans, so brass is preferred).Pack of 10 for $8 at a local hardware store, and they look identical to the "name brand" Hakko ones@6.25x the price. Preliminary tests seem to indicate they work about as well, plus I get that warm fuzzy feeling knowing I'm a cheap bastard. I'm just curious about that assertion that the name brand ones have flux.Good point about the DIY flux coating. I might try that just for fun. You'd think regardless of how it got there, that the flux would just boil off right away anyway, though, no?

author: vk6zgo
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 25, 2018, 12:40:14 am
content: I would have thought flux was contra-indicated, seeing you want to scrape the excess solder off your tip, not solder to the brass wool.Without flux, the removed solder falls to the bottom of the container---with flux, it may adhere to the wool.I've tried the commercial stuff & it doesn't seem to work any better than supermarket brass wool, or Stainless steel scrubber pads, for that matter!The hardness of Stainless doesn't seem to be a problem, at least, I've never seen any great wear on tips from it.I personally prefer damp sponges.

author: RyanT
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: March 25, 2018, 12:44:26 am
content: Wow, that's quite a difference, blueskull! I wonder why those sponges are so much worse. Is the texture different? Different material, maybe? The sponges look similar enough from online pictures, but that's no substitute for having them at your fingertips. Not that I was thinking of buying that brand, but might help to identify bad traits to avoid, in general.

author: RyanT
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: March 25, 2018, 01:06:21 am
content: Quote from: blueskull on March 25, 2018, 12:55:05 amI really appreciate the info and comparison testing you've done. I'll let the lack of spectroscopy slide.

author: Shock
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 25, 2018, 04:38:06 pm
content: Fatty Acids made from the amputated fingers of solder wick users no doubt.

author: IdahoMan
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: April 22, 2018, 06:07:34 pm
content: Bump. Thanks for the comparisons. It is nice to know the exact material(s) a product is made of.What material is thesponge(a solder station sponge) made of?

author: Eka
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: April 22, 2018, 09:30:46 pm
content: I've been using coarse bronze wool for decades. It's much finer than the stuff sold for solder tip cleaning. When it gets loaded up I tear off the top layer, or a get new piece from the stock of pillow shaped pads I have. I've never put flux on it. Maybe I should experiment.

author: KL27x
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 22, 2018, 10:08:38 pm
content: QuoteI've found the hardness of the stainless steel isn't necessarily a problem, either. The iron and the chrome in a tip are both very hard, and abrasion isn't the issue. It's the stiffness where you can run into a problem. If you use the finer stuff, like 000 or higher, it should be fine. The coarser wool is rigid enough to accelerate chipping/cracking of the edge of the chrome plating. The thicker wool concentrates more force into smaller areas, enough to potentially damage the chrome. I would suppose you could damage a tip the same way on a block of brass with a sharp edge.It sounds stupid, but there's a similar phenomenon when removing rust from blued carbon steel. If you use 00 steel wool, you remove the bluing. If you use 0000, you can remove just the rust. It's the difference between theory and practice, I suppose.Yeah, you can buy bronze wool, commonly sold in marine supply shops and whatnot. If I had to take a guess, I would think it's used to scrub fiberglass. It's super, super fine. There are also some pure copper scrubbers called Chore Boys, but there are a lot of knockoffs that are copper plated steel, too.

author: Eka
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: April 23, 2018, 12:43:31 am
content: Bronze wool is used in marine environments because any bits left behind don't corrode like steel wool does.Bits will break off and get embedded in whatever you are using the steel, brass, or bronze wool on. Yeah, I found out about using bronze wool from a boater. He was using it on a BIG soldering iron. I figured it would work for the small ones too. I never liked the damp sponge. I still have the one that came with my soldering station that I bought back in the '80s. It's barely been used. I used bronze wool instead, and my tips have lasted for ever, except for one I got for the TS100.The tips for the TS100 have a fundamental design flaw. There is a seam right near the tip, and flux can get into it and eat it's way through. If they would flip it around so the wide sheath part and tip are one piece of metal. The seam will then be where the shaft gets narrow and be away from the highest heat. Then they would last much longer. It is also much less likely to get flux on it there. As is the seam is right in the middle of the highest heat zone, and any flux that gets into the seam will get activated, and eat away at the metal in the tip. I have a TS-D24 tip that is nearly one third eaten through. It literally looks like somebody took a saw to it right at that seam.

author: MacMeter
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: April 23, 2018, 01:06:28 am
content: Quote from: Eka on April 23, 2018, 12:43:31 amInteresting, I have a TS-D24 tip and use the Hakko wool. I’m not often soldering, but I’ll keep an eye on this. Thanks.