How To Clean And Tin A Soldering Iron Tip

This should lead to a clean shiny tip ready for use.

How to clean and tin a soldering iron tip. Then immediately re-tin the tip with rosin core solder. It is a much stronger flux that will clean and tin the tip. Never wipe it on the sponge and put it in the holder.

The flux in tip cleaner removes the oxidation and build up from the soldering iron tip and then the solder re-tins the tip ready for use. Using water soak the sponge that comes with the iron and squeeze it out a little. First you will want to heat the iron up to operating temperature and wipe the tip on a damp soldering sponge to gently clean it.

You can file the black stuff off and make the surface smooth again. This should lead to a clean shiny tip ready for use for more info see this video. Sit for a few minutes before wiping it clean.

Alternatively you can use a special polishing bar particularly of. Typically advised to be conducted after unpacking a brand new tool here are the steps on tinning a soldering iron. This step will coat the iron in a mixture of flux and solder.

If all else fails Soldering Iron tips do not last forever. 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. Iron again which means adding a fair amount of solder and letting it.

Plug in the iron and turn it on. That way the solder on the surface oxidizes rather than the tip itself. You also can clean your soldering iron tip with a sponge while using it to keep it clean.