How To Clean Solder Iron Tips

Once the re-tinning product melts around the tip hold it for several seconds and then clean the tip using dry cleaning methods like brass wool or an automatic.

How to clean solder iron tips. A solder pot may also be used to tin or re-tin your soldering iron tip. First use a wet sponge to wipe off the tip before soldering. This should lead to a clean shiny tip ready for use.

If the tip loses its tin you want a product called tinning salts or sal ammoniac to restore wettability then re-tin with your usual solder. 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 working area. If all else fails Soldering Iron tips do not last forever.

Use the Hakko FS100 Tip Polish as a supplement to regular cleaning Use clean damp sponges for regular cleaning Use a nonabrasive tip cleaner as an alternative to a damp sponge Hakko 599B Tip Cleaner Flood the tip with solder after cleaning to cover the entire working surface of the tip. This is done by first ensuring the tip is clean and free of surface oxides. Once clean and shiny perform tinning and now your tool is ready to use.

You also can clean your soldering iron tip with a sponge while using it to keep it clean. Then dip the tip in the cleaner and do a slight twist action. Wipe the tip clean and re-tin it between every joint.

Heat your soldering iron up to the low end of a typical work range generally between 280 and 320C. Its something of a vi-vs-emacs war about which is better but whatever. Use fluxes Spongeless and metal wool to remove small amounts of contaminants from your soldering iron tips during soldering circuit board or any other components.

It took a lot of effort with tip tinnercleaning compound to make the solder wet the tip again. 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. This should lead to a clean shiny tip ready for use for more info see this video.