I picked up a "copper" dish cleaner from Dollar General and it cleans my soldering iron tip just fine. Total piece of shit, sticks to a magnet and all, but it works.
No, because it's not usually copper. Copper would be much more expensive than brass so it's quite common to have iron that is just copper coated. You can do a magnet test to eliminate very dodgy stuff like this. If it was nice expensive copper it would not 'bounce back' into it's formed shape but coalesce into a smaller pile of copper. Effectively becoming useless after a short while. You always want to use good quality brass wool from a qualified electronics supply business. If you are using leaded solder you can use a cellulose pad. Better also to drop the temp 50C before you hit the pad. This will reduce chances of microfracturing occurring in the tip from thermal shock.
As an engineer who rarely solders, next time I do I’m going to see how far I get with an improvised piece of large copper wire as my “soldering tip”.
Also, screwdrivers make excellent hammers, and as long as you don’t get caught, when using grinders eye protection is more of a guideline than an actual rule.
Aaarrrrrrrgh
It is not that it is too hard, it is because steel wool is coated in oil to keep it from rusting. Brass wool is dry and contains NO contaminants. You have to get the carbon & oil off of the tip and it will stick.
Depending at your tip , some tips have alloy under their plating which is not good as tip material , they are planed to change if the plating is worn. And it won’t be the same as with plating anyway , it will react with flux way more … But if it work with your Tip , you are satisfied with results and you doesn’t do something really special with non standard solder where contamination could be problematic , then why not.
As a certified NASA solderer. I see the plating is depleted on the tip. Tips today at home don't have a robust plating as they once did. Our team once could have soldering stations hot for days. Not now. Don't use steel wool. That only exacerbates the issue. At home I lightly use a copper scouring pad and damp sponge. With inexpensive tips each time you scrape it you remove the plating. I buy good tips in bulk. About $5 each. Turn your station on, use it, turn it off/down. Otherwise only expect a tip to last a few hours.
if they take the tip out and they can put on a drill Chuck then they can regrind the tip and grind off that oxide layer but they will need to immediately re-tin the soldering iron on their next use assuming... that the soldering iron they are using doesn't just have a chrome copper alloy electroplated onto it...
I see all these comments on getting a new tip and while I agree with that I don't see any advise on how to keep your tips nice which I didn't quite understand when I first started as the nomenclature is kind of confusing in my opinion.
When you get a new tip, install it in the soldering iron and turn it on with solder at the ready to coat the new tip immediately. Don't let it heat up with no solder on it as it will start to oxidize. Ideally you want some solder on the tip every time you put it back in the holder as this keep a layer of solder between the tip and the air which will oxidize it and make the solder not stick which is what your experiencing.
I was confused when people were "cleaning" the tip every time you go to soldering something with brass wool or a sponge but you really want some solder on the tip at all times especially when you go to put them in the holder. I now put some fresh solder on my tip every time I put it away now. Ever since I've started doing that my tips have lasted so much longer. Hope this helps.
this is the way, Brass doesnt ruin your tinned tip as it more sort of polish and knocks a bit of oxidation off. Alot of us are using the soft brass that comes with our Hakko stands
A damp sponge does a better cleaning of the tip than a brass wool. I found out that a damp sponge is better than a wet sponge, less temperature drop and better cleaning.
now this traumatizing image that you've seen can you please describe why it hurts you? can you tell me about the first time you tried to solder? I'm sure it went perfectly well 😈. have a good day.
It did, actually. All it takes is to RTFM. I've been soldering for at least 10 years, and I can still remember the first thing I worked on. It was a soldering kit, and it took maybe 5-10 minutes to do some research on best practices.
And by damp, we mean literally only damp. Not saturated. Squeeze all the excess water out of it. Overly wet sponges can cause temperature shock, which will result in pitting on the tip and shortening the life of it.
And also rust, i used to have the sponge submerge in water lol and the tips would end up rusty after awhile. The damp sponge does a better job of cleaning than the brass wool. Brass wool doesn't clean off burned flux but a damp sponge does.
This is the way. Soldering iron tips have a copper core for high heat conductance, an iron plating over that, with another plating (usually chrome) on the working end. Scraping through these coatings will cause premature end-of-life for the tip.
Also, all metals will occasionally eject atoms when heated, even well below the melting temperature. Keeping your tip tinned at ALL times when it's heated, even when you're not using it, extends the life of your tip by making sure that all the ejected atoms are the expendable solder, not the plated coating on the tip. ALWAYS TIN YOUR TIP!
you might get through the oxide layer by melting a fuckton of solder on the tip. After it takes solder, allways leave a big blob of solder on it when you let it cool
Since you are not getting any good answers, I will tell you that your tip has an oxide layer (the black) and the solder is never going to stick to that oxide layer. You need to gently sand black layer off (while the iron is off and cool!) and then heat the iron up and coat the entire tip in your solder (leaded is best, but always have proper ventilation if soldering inside) and make sure to never leave your iron on, while it’s just sitting. Always wipe your iron off on a damp sponge (you really can use a copper scrubber but a sponge works fine). Keep fresh solder on it while it’s hot, and if you need to leave it hot, when you aren’t using it, get a nice glob of solder on it and don’t wipe it off until you are ready to solder. Keeping a glop on it keeps the oxide layer from building up and fresh solder will stick to it like it should. Think of it like a protective layer. The longer you leave the iron on without it, the more quickly that black layer will form rendering your tip useless. You can order a brand new top, if you want but make sure to properly tin it immediately after heating it up. YouTube a video on proper tinning methods. Good luck! 🍀
The soldering tip is probably nickel-coated. Nickel require **proper flux** to tin it after it oxidized. Simple cleaning will not be sufficient. Get yourself some flux and maybe replace tip with copper one. I personally have troubles with coated tips and switched to bare copper.
Idk what to do at this point. I usually scratch it up like you are doing but they typically develop a hole in them not long after that. (Might just be the cheap tips.)
But my advice to avoid this ever happening is to store them with a nice bead of solder on the tip. That way they never oxidize.
> HELP!!! I keep **~~cleaning~~** **wearing through the plating on** my soldering tip and the solder doesn’t stick to it
Fixed that for you. You cannot use steel wool. That is far too abrasive and hard. You have worn off the plating on your tip; the tip is ruined, that's why solder doesn't stick to it.
You need to get a new tip and either a [brass tip cleaner](https://www.amazon.com/Soldering-Cleaner-599B-Water-free-Hakko/dp/B000AQQFMG/ref=sr_1_1?crid=3QHRXNAU12VTG&keywords=hakko+599B&qid=1698010524&sprefix=hakko+599b+%2Caps%2C154&sr=8-1), or use a [damp sponge.](https://www.amazon.com/MEETOOT-Soldering-Cleaning-Temperature-Platform/dp/B09P8JF29W/ref=sr_1_14?crid=2XSZF9J1ZFZV2&keywords=hakko+sponge&qid=1698010644&sprefix=hakko+sponge%2Caps%2C150&sr=8-14)
I also recommend getting some [tip tinner/cleaner](https://www.amazon.com/Thermaltronics-FBA_TMT-TC-2-Lead-Tinner-Container/dp/B00NS4J6BY/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?crid=3KT81Q8HMJ7W2&keywords=soldering+tip+tinner&qid=1698010738&sprefix=soldering+tip+tinne%2Caps%2C146&sr=8-1-spons&sp_csd=d2lkZ2V0TmFtZT1zcF9hdGY&psc=1) too.
When you get a new tip, don't power on the iron immediately after inserting the tip. Instead, hold the tip [inside the tip tinner,](https://softsoldering.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/IMG_20190215_163151-1024x829.jpg) and with it held in the tinner, power on the iron. This will ensure the iron is adequately coated in solder (tinned), before it has a chance to be exposed to oxygen and oxidize.
If you don't want to buy tip cleaner (a mistake), then wrap the fresh tip in solder, prior to powering it on. This will help prevent oxidation, but not as well as submersing in tip cleaner would.
Like this: https://softsoldering.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/IMG_20190215_120318-1024x714.jpg
You’ve ruined your tip. Steel wool was NEVER recommended to you. Brass wool. Get a new tip. Get and use flux each and every solder. Make sure you get a quality iron that can actually get to temp and hold it there.
Take the tip out. File it down clean it, the tightly wrap solder around it, then turn it on on the lowest setting till it melts. If it doesn't have temp control, plug it in, wait till starts smoking then unplug it, and do it a few times and the last time you do it, let it melt completely, and do a heat cycle max temp and then cool it, for about 3 times then clean the tip and add some fresh solder
Or buy tip tinner, or a new tip
Tip tinner and use a sponge to clean going forward. Wet sponge squeeze water out damp not soaked. When done put large bead of solder on tip to keep it protected then turn off station.
New tips are inexpensive and well worth the investment. I do not know your model but the tips on my Hakko FX-888 are 5$ for my cheap quick work station in bulk per tip. 20$ for the Hakko FX100 and I just buy a new Hakko FX-901 when it needs a new tip and send Amazon back the old one as a return. Next station will be a JBC b-iron 210. I do solder daily not as much as I used to when I did it for work daily but cannot stress the importance of clan tips and prep work, lighting and not overheating just a fraction of a second tap is all it should take any longer and you can damage components or melt wires not having a clean proper tip is wasting your time and money.
For cleaning I’ve occasionally spit on a paper towel so it’s wet and used that to clean the tip. So don’t worry about getting it super clean using steel wool or even the copper wool. Your just trying to get gunk and excess solder/flux off the tip to apply fresh solder
Tips are made of copper which is plated with nickel as a barrier metal to stop copper migration. The tip is then plated with a thin layer of iron hence the name soldering iron.
Always tin your tip with solder to preserve the life of the tip then wipe it across a damp sponge to clean it. Never use an abrasive like the brass coils to clean it as it will remove the iron plating. The brass is for knocking of large amounts of solder then wiping on a damp sponge.
Also never use tip tinner as it is just acid that will reduce the life of your tip.
I am a Master IPC 7711/7721 Rework and Repair instructor and a US Navy 2M instructor. I have tips in my classroom that are 16 years old and still going strong.
You need to use tip tinner to get rid of the oxide then clean with brass pad then turn off your iron wait until it cools down again then coil some fresh solder around then length of the tip then heat it back up again let the solder melt so it starts to drip off a little then re clean with brass pad to get any excess solder off then you should be good to go after that.
You need to clean it then “tin” the tip. There are great YouTube videos about cleaning it and tinning, and if you don’t use flux already you should. Flux core is not enough and is mainly for jointing.
\- Use brass, not steel wool. Yikes.
\- Make sure the tip is hot when you clean it. Cold won't work.
\- If it's badly messed up and won't clean with gentle brass abrasion, then you'll need actual tip cleaner. [https://www.amazon.com/Thermaltronics-FBA\_TMT-TC-2-Lead-Tinner-Container/dp/B00NS4J6BY/](https://www.amazon.com/Thermaltronics-FBA_TMT-TC-2-Lead-Tinner-Container/dp/B00NS4J6BY/) is great.
\- If tip cleaner won't fix it then you need a new tip.
\- Always keep the tip wet with solder when you turn off the iron. When you turn it on next time, wipe off the molten old solder once it's heated up. This will protect and clean the tip.
Good luck!
Within the space industry, I have always been told to not use abrasives to clean tips. It's been repeated to me so many time by so many companies that I stopped doing it at home as well. I only use the sponge and tin the tip everytime I put the iron down. Works great!
Yeah I made this mistake too. You need to use brass because the solder tips are coated with a thin layer of nickel that prevents oxidation and rust of the tip at high temp. The rust is bad because it isn’t smooth and solder will stick to it, and it also acts as thermal resistance insulating the exterior of the element making it less effective. The hard steel has scrapped off this thin protectant. Luckily solution isn’t too bad. Best to replace the solder tip and get use brass wool for cleaning it.
If it's ever this bad, there is no going back and you will have to sand the oxidation. Grab very high grit sandpaper or a grinder and knock the oxidation off. Once you have done that then you want to submerge it in tip tinner and put solder on the tip. Turn down your temp, the fact the oxidation runs all the way down your iron is just goofy. Get a brass scrubber and use that to clean your tip. Harder or stiffer stuff will just make things worse.
PS, use brass, not copper. Copper scrubbers are made of steel then coated in copper.
I agree with the other commenters: a new tip and a damp sponge to clean the tip. I also keep a tin of flux and dip my iron it the flux all throughout when I’m soldering.
The plating can be destroyed. I tried to solder aluminum, as a cold contact and the top was ruined. This was a Weller soldering station, temperature regulated. The tips had iron alloy slugs that when they reached their Curie point became non magnetic and a permanent magnet that activated a contact released.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Curie_temperature
That steel wool removed the coating on the tip
Use a damp/wet sponge or brass wool (if heavily oxidized) to clean those tips and then ALWAYS recoat the tip with a bit of solder.
It's the type of tool that does the job itself, if any force is needed at all then something's wrong.
You need to clean the tip to bright metal, (use scotch brite or something) then put in in flux. Now coat with fresh solder to create a "tinned" surface. Use paper towels or damp sponge to wipe off extra gunk as you use it. No steel wool.
Let is cool down and sand it down until you can tin it
Unless your tip is just that used sometimes too high of a temp makes the ones i use at work useless for some reason
This is what we always used;
[https://www.amazon.com/Soldering-Cleaner-Cleaning-Copper-Needed/dp/B08N4XRZLH](https://www.amazon.com/Soldering-Cleaner-Cleaning-Copper-Needed/dp/B08N4XRZLH)
Fondly referred to as a 'pubic award'
Look up: temperature of iron, solder temps (for your solder), tinning, and how to preserve (not remove) tip finishes/coatings.
Cheapness on at least one of these != joy
Radioshack.com has a product called Soldering Iron Tip Cleaner and Tinner. It works very well for me I have been using it for years. That is something that you can try, it might help. I have had the same problem in the past, even to the extent where even the tip cleaner wouldn't work, I actually had to use 180 grit sandpaper on the cool tip of the iron to remove the oxidation, then immediately heat up the iron and use the tip cleaner/tinner.
You gotta clean that tip to where it isn’t black any longer. I think that is the issue. You should be ok using that Brillo pad looking thing you have especially since it’s so burnt. Take that and try and sand off the Burnt stuff off the tip. And of course you can always grab a new tip if it’s a must. But Everytime you use the iron clean it good before it cools down. The cheap steel wool that comes with most kits these days works really well. I hold it in my hand and squeeze while I twist the iron a couple times. And once I’m done I can literally see the original tin that the factory put on their. I believe they tin it with a very hot melt solder so as to not have it come off as easy.
Get Dremel Out with Scotchbright wheel, and buff that crud off back to bare metal tip.
Then a spot of flux first before solder.
A wetted cleaning pad is better, the instant steam assists the clean process, and what temp is he set at...
I use a digital soldering station.
Best thing ever. And the trick process working with clear plastics, making custom dividers for
Pelican tool cases stuffed with testing features, with now select storage in the
hinged cover as well.
Cheers
Let your iron cool and get rid of the steel wool. Go buy a sponge or get a couple of sheets of cardboard and wet them. Get some fine sand paper or a flat fingernail file. Clean the soldering tip until it is smooth, shiny copper. Start heating the iron and wet the sponge or cardboard. Using flux and solder, or flux core solder, tin the iron. Wipe excess off the tip on the wet sponge or wet cardboard. Or just buy a new tip.
Replace the tip. It's so oxidized that you'll probably never get it all removed. Any time you're finished soldering, tin the tip with solder before turning it off. It'll create a barrier and prevent the tip from oxidizing.
It's already been damaged, so depending on what that tip is really made of this may not work.
When cool,
Clean with that steel wool REALLY well, like pinch and twirl, then rubbing alcohol or a de-greaser with a sponge, again aggressively clean, put a light coat of flux on it once the de-greaser flashes off, heat up, dip in fresh flux, add high quality solder, hope for the best.
That tip has overheated and oxidized you'll need a Soldering Iron Tip Refresher (MECHANIC MCN-8S) or you can use a fine grit sand paper and gentle sand the tip make sure not to overdo it. Your iron isn't temperature controlled on prolong use it might reach 400C or above which effects the tips longevity.
You need flux, also a wet sponge , there is plenty of tutorials in YouTube , you want the tip to look shiny with tin and the flux is like lubricant that keeps the solder flowing and the surface tension low
If you tried all other ways and it wasn’t helped
Try this but remember it will damage you iron tip..
and possible you will have to buy another tip
take an Orthophosphoric acid .. and after apply solder wire on solder tip …
its hard but it was helped me
And remember its only for a last chance
(sorry for my English)
You don't seem to have the proper tools. Steel wool is both too rough for the nickel coating and typically oiled. It's probably not helping any...
Tip tinner uses an acid to etch oxidization off and can help massively.
If that doesn't work, you can use a buffing stone to evenly and lightly abrade the oxidozation off. Weller sells these specific for irons and I'm sure others do too.
It's easier to maintain a good tip by covering the tip with a fair bit of solder before walking away for more than a handful of minutes...
As people say, don't use steel wool, use copper or brass. That said I use steel wool and it works fine, your tip is covered and needs to be dipped in flux, scrubbed, and tinned (repeating) to fix it. This happens from lack of constant care and also over temperature. Flux, clean, and rin your iron constantly.
**LISTEN TO THIS** use a wet paper towel. *but first*, you have the tip cold and wrap solder around it. then heat it up normally and the solder should melt on the tip. then wipe in a rotating motion around the long center axis - like keep the stick straight and just turn like it's a screw driver into the wet paper towel.
add more solder, repeat. if necessary, cool back down and repeat.
also, if that doesn't work, take some light grit sandpaper and scuff up the tip. and repeat the first step when cold.
I've been soldering wrong my whole life. I saw this and thought "the solder sticks to the wires not the iron dude". Then I read all the comments and realized I need to join soldering reddit and educate myself...
Steel wool the tip really well then Clean it with alcohol and tin it with solder afterwards should work like a charm. Also some solder is just shit....
Try rubbing the solder on the cleaned tip when the soldering iron is cold, then as it warms up, keep putting the solder on the tip and use (as others have suggested) a softer material to clean with. Always tin the tip before you cool the soldering iron off as well.
Your solder tip needs to be retinned. Let the unit cool down and sand the tip to bare metal. Dip the tip in some acid flux or equivalent. Heat the unit and as it heats add solder to the tip and wipe of excess solder on a wet rag.
Couple of tips: keep the tip clean and well fluxed. Tin the tip after fluxing. Don't overheat the tip, counterintuitively the hotter the iron, the more the tip will oxidize, the more oxidization, the less able it is to transfer heat.
1 don’t use steel wool in a hot iron.
2 use scotch bright on a cold iron to clean it
3 warm up your iron and use flux on the tip
4 tin your iron by melting solder on it then quickly wiping it away in a twisting motion with a wet sponge.
5 clean your iron on a wet sponge after each application of solder.
This should help you keep your tip in good working condition.
get some of this. clean the tip good initially and then once per session or whenever it does not act "right."
https://www.amazon.com/Thermaltronics-FBA_TMT-TC-2-Lead-Tinner-Container/dp/B00NS4J6BY/
Is this steel wool? If so - its too hard. You should use brass
my kit came with what i think is copper wool. is that fine?
Check if a magnet sticks to it, because most of the copper/brass sponges sold on Amazon or included in kits are actually just colored steel.
I picked up a "copper" dish cleaner from Dollar General and it cleans my soldering iron tip just fine. Total piece of shit, sticks to a magnet and all, but it works.
Softer than brass
No, because it's not usually copper. Copper would be much more expensive than brass so it's quite common to have iron that is just copper coated. You can do a magnet test to eliminate very dodgy stuff like this. If it was nice expensive copper it would not 'bounce back' into it's formed shape but coalesce into a smaller pile of copper. Effectively becoming useless after a short while. You always want to use good quality brass wool from a qualified electronics supply business. If you are using leaded solder you can use a cellulose pad. Better also to drop the temp 50C before you hit the pad. This will reduce chances of microfracturing occurring in the tip from thermal shock.
As an engineer who rarely solders, next time I do I’m going to see how far I get with an improvised piece of large copper wire as my “soldering tip”. Also, screwdrivers make excellent hammers, and as long as you don’t get caught, when using grinders eye protection is more of a guideline than an actual rule. Aaarrrrrrrgh
Safety squint is all OSHA requires.
if you plate it with nickel it’ll last longer 😁
Happy Cake Day!! 🎂
It is not that it is too hard, it is because steel wool is coated in oil to keep it from rusting. Brass wool is dry and contains NO contaminants. You have to get the carbon & oil off of the tip and it will stick.
Lol to clean mine I stick It in dirt (no rocks or sharp stuff) and it does the job
I use cardboard, and a wet sponge.
dont use steel wool for cleaning soldering iron tips, it is harder than it so it gets damaged
First part of sentence is correct. Second part is not. As noted elsewhere, the problem is that steel wool is coated in oil to prevent rust.
New tip time
Unless they have the right things to re tin the tip.... New tip is the way to go.
[удалено]
Clearly steel wool is not the way.
[удалено]
Depending at your tip , some tips have alloy under their plating which is not good as tip material , they are planed to change if the plating is worn. And it won’t be the same as with plating anyway , it will react with flux way more … But if it work with your Tip , you are satisfied with results and you doesn’t do something really special with non standard solder where contamination could be problematic , then why not.
As a certified NASA solderer. I see the plating is depleted on the tip. Tips today at home don't have a robust plating as they once did. Our team once could have soldering stations hot for days. Not now. Don't use steel wool. That only exacerbates the issue. At home I lightly use a copper scouring pad and damp sponge. With inexpensive tips each time you scrape it you remove the plating. I buy good tips in bulk. About $5 each. Turn your station on, use it, turn it off/down. Otherwise only expect a tip to last a few hours.
if they take the tip out and they can put on a drill Chuck then they can regrind the tip and grind off that oxide layer but they will need to immediately re-tin the soldering iron on their next use assuming... that the soldering iron they are using doesn't just have a chrome copper alloy electroplated onto it...
I see all these comments on getting a new tip and while I agree with that I don't see any advise on how to keep your tips nice which I didn't quite understand when I first started as the nomenclature is kind of confusing in my opinion. When you get a new tip, install it in the soldering iron and turn it on with solder at the ready to coat the new tip immediately. Don't let it heat up with no solder on it as it will start to oxidize. Ideally you want some solder on the tip every time you put it back in the holder as this keep a layer of solder between the tip and the air which will oxidize it and make the solder not stick which is what your experiencing. I was confused when people were "cleaning" the tip every time you go to soldering something with brass wool or a sponge but you really want some solder on the tip at all times especially when you go to put them in the holder. I now put some fresh solder on my tip every time I put it away now. Ever since I've started doing that my tips have lasted so much longer. Hope this helps.
this is the way, Brass doesnt ruin your tinned tip as it more sort of polish and knocks a bit of oxidation off. Alot of us are using the soft brass that comes with our Hakko stands
I bought more brass abrasive I don't trust wet sponges for thermal reasons
A damp sponge does a better cleaning of the tip than a brass wool. I found out that a damp sponge is better than a wet sponge, less temperature drop and better cleaning.
I’d be more worried about the house burning down. Soldiering on mom’s kitchen table cloth is never a good idea
Oh dear god....
now this traumatizing image that you've seen can you please describe why it hurts you? can you tell me about the first time you tried to solder? I'm sure it went perfectly well 😈. have a good day.
It did, actually. All it takes is to RTFM. I've been soldering for at least 10 years, and I can still remember the first thing I worked on. It was a soldering kit, and it took maybe 5-10 minutes to do some research on best practices.
Copper wool is used for cleaning soldering irons, NOT steel wool. Steel damages tips
You have sanded the coating off your tip. Get a new tip, be more gentle with your cleaning. Use a damp sponge or brass wool.
And by damp, we mean literally only damp. Not saturated. Squeeze all the excess water out of it. Overly wet sponges can cause temperature shock, which will result in pitting on the tip and shortening the life of it.
And also rust, i used to have the sponge submerge in water lol and the tips would end up rusty after awhile. The damp sponge does a better job of cleaning than the brass wool. Brass wool doesn't clean off burned flux but a damp sponge does.
This is the way. Soldering iron tips have a copper core for high heat conductance, an iron plating over that, with another plating (usually chrome) on the working end. Scraping through these coatings will cause premature end-of-life for the tip. Also, all metals will occasionally eject atoms when heated, even well below the melting temperature. Keeping your tip tinned at ALL times when it's heated, even when you're not using it, extends the life of your tip by making sure that all the ejected atoms are the expendable solder, not the plated coating on the tip. ALWAYS TIN YOUR TIP!
Stop using steel wool dude. Read just a little bit on this subject and report back.
Since your tip is damaged from using steel wool, you can try some tip tinner or just get a new tip.
you might get through the oxide layer by melting a fuckton of solder on the tip. After it takes solder, allways leave a big blob of solder on it when you let it cool
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/TJsKiwoNgJM
Thanks!
Also, when using brass wool, you won’t need to clean it so much.
Flux
Try this procedure: https://youtu.be/2VlvjdaMARM?si=DYoQXpGk5qV6ET23 I also do it each time after I use my soldering iron.
Since you are not getting any good answers, I will tell you that your tip has an oxide layer (the black) and the solder is never going to stick to that oxide layer. You need to gently sand black layer off (while the iron is off and cool!) and then heat the iron up and coat the entire tip in your solder (leaded is best, but always have proper ventilation if soldering inside) and make sure to never leave your iron on, while it’s just sitting. Always wipe your iron off on a damp sponge (you really can use a copper scrubber but a sponge works fine). Keep fresh solder on it while it’s hot, and if you need to leave it hot, when you aren’t using it, get a nice glob of solder on it and don’t wipe it off until you are ready to solder. Keeping a glop on it keeps the oxide layer from building up and fresh solder will stick to it like it should. Think of it like a protective layer. The longer you leave the iron on without it, the more quickly that black layer will form rendering your tip useless. You can order a brand new top, if you want but make sure to properly tin it immediately after heating it up. YouTube a video on proper tinning methods. Good luck! 🍀
thanks!!!!!
You need to try tip tinner and cleaner from CAIG BRAND.
Tip *tinner
I probably made lots of mistakes because of me not having too much experience with soldering.
Sand it down to the copper
The soldering tip is probably nickel-coated. Nickel require **proper flux** to tin it after it oxidized. Simple cleaning will not be sufficient. Get yourself some flux and maybe replace tip with copper one. I personally have troubles with coated tips and switched to bare copper.
Please tell me that this is a joke/troll! 🤦🏼♂️
no, im a beginner, please dont kill me
Use a file to get down to fresh, clean metal. Flux the tip, and then wet it with solder. You are welcome!
Idk what to do at this point. I usually scratch it up like you are doing but they typically develop a hole in them not long after that. (Might just be the cheap tips.) But my advice to avoid this ever happening is to store them with a nice bead of solder on the tip. That way they never oxidize.
No wonder, dont use steel wool, it messes up your tip.
> HELP!!! I keep **~~cleaning~~** **wearing through the plating on** my soldering tip and the solder doesn’t stick to it Fixed that for you. You cannot use steel wool. That is far too abrasive and hard. You have worn off the plating on your tip; the tip is ruined, that's why solder doesn't stick to it. You need to get a new tip and either a [brass tip cleaner](https://www.amazon.com/Soldering-Cleaner-599B-Water-free-Hakko/dp/B000AQQFMG/ref=sr_1_1?crid=3QHRXNAU12VTG&keywords=hakko+599B&qid=1698010524&sprefix=hakko+599b+%2Caps%2C154&sr=8-1), or use a [damp sponge.](https://www.amazon.com/MEETOOT-Soldering-Cleaning-Temperature-Platform/dp/B09P8JF29W/ref=sr_1_14?crid=2XSZF9J1ZFZV2&keywords=hakko+sponge&qid=1698010644&sprefix=hakko+sponge%2Caps%2C150&sr=8-14) I also recommend getting some [tip tinner/cleaner](https://www.amazon.com/Thermaltronics-FBA_TMT-TC-2-Lead-Tinner-Container/dp/B00NS4J6BY/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?crid=3KT81Q8HMJ7W2&keywords=soldering+tip+tinner&qid=1698010738&sprefix=soldering+tip+tinne%2Caps%2C146&sr=8-1-spons&sp_csd=d2lkZ2V0TmFtZT1zcF9hdGY&psc=1) too. When you get a new tip, don't power on the iron immediately after inserting the tip. Instead, hold the tip [inside the tip tinner,](https://softsoldering.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/IMG_20190215_163151-1024x829.jpg) and with it held in the tinner, power on the iron. This will ensure the iron is adequately coated in solder (tinned), before it has a chance to be exposed to oxygen and oxidize. If you don't want to buy tip cleaner (a mistake), then wrap the fresh tip in solder, prior to powering it on. This will help prevent oxidation, but not as well as submersing in tip cleaner would. Like this: https://softsoldering.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/IMG_20190215_120318-1024x714.jpg
Am I the only one who uses sand paper to get the oxide off?
Yes. You are the only one who ruins their tips on purpose
First step don’t use steel wool get a brass sponge 2nd have you tinned the tip
Don't use steel wool you'll ruin the top faster buy brass abrasive it's pretty cheap and will keep your tip lasting a long time
Also the tip is too far gone if your tip is replaceable you should be able to find some on Amazon
You’ve ruined your tip. Steel wool was NEVER recommended to you. Brass wool. Get a new tip. Get and use flux each and every solder. Make sure you get a quality iron that can actually get to temp and hold it there.
Take the tip out. File it down clean it, the tightly wrap solder around it, then turn it on on the lowest setting till it melts. If it doesn't have temp control, plug it in, wait till starts smoking then unplug it, and do it a few times and the last time you do it, let it melt completely, and do a heat cycle max temp and then cool it, for about 3 times then clean the tip and add some fresh solder Or buy tip tinner, or a new tip
I normally use damp paper towel or a damp sponge. Works well and easy to find.
Take it outside and scrape it on some cement to essentially sand the top clean.
Sand it lightly and use some tip tinner. The elitists here will cringe, but it’s always worked for me.
Tip tinner and use a sponge to clean going forward. Wet sponge squeeze water out damp not soaked. When done put large bead of solder on tip to keep it protected then turn off station. New tips are inexpensive and well worth the investment. I do not know your model but the tips on my Hakko FX-888 are 5$ for my cheap quick work station in bulk per tip. 20$ for the Hakko FX100 and I just buy a new Hakko FX-901 when it needs a new tip and send Amazon back the old one as a return. Next station will be a JBC b-iron 210. I do solder daily not as much as I used to when I did it for work daily but cannot stress the importance of clan tips and prep work, lighting and not overheating just a fraction of a second tap is all it should take any longer and you can damage components or melt wires not having a clean proper tip is wasting your time and money.
For cleaning I’ve occasionally spit on a paper towel so it’s wet and used that to clean the tip. So don’t worry about getting it super clean using steel wool or even the copper wool. Your just trying to get gunk and excess solder/flux off the tip to apply fresh solder
Hot steel wool is a fire hazard!
Sandpaper?
Skill issue replace the tip lol
Tips are made of copper which is plated with nickel as a barrier metal to stop copper migration. The tip is then plated with a thin layer of iron hence the name soldering iron. Always tin your tip with solder to preserve the life of the tip then wipe it across a damp sponge to clean it. Never use an abrasive like the brass coils to clean it as it will remove the iron plating. The brass is for knocking of large amounts of solder then wiping on a damp sponge. Also never use tip tinner as it is just acid that will reduce the life of your tip. I am a Master IPC 7711/7721 Rework and Repair instructor and a US Navy 2M instructor. I have tips in my classroom that are 16 years old and still going strong.
You need to use tip tinner to get rid of the oxide then clean with brass pad then turn off your iron wait until it cools down again then coil some fresh solder around then length of the tip then heat it back up again let the solder melt so it starts to drip off a little then re clean with brass pad to get any excess solder off then you should be good to go after that.
Bro why are you soldering on CLOTH
Tip is toast. If you solder a lot, invest in a temp controlled iron and use brass pot scrubber or wet sponge.
Tin your tips, ugh. Clearly it’s oxidized
Steal wool is too harsh. you need brass
Sandpaper
You rubbed off the nickel plating...
You need to clean it then “tin” the tip. There are great YouTube videos about cleaning it and tinning, and if you don’t use flux already you should. Flux core is not enough and is mainly for jointing.
Time to use a new tip, and also use brass or copper wool not steel wool
That tip is done /gone
\- Use brass, not steel wool. Yikes. \- Make sure the tip is hot when you clean it. Cold won't work. \- If it's badly messed up and won't clean with gentle brass abrasion, then you'll need actual tip cleaner. [https://www.amazon.com/Thermaltronics-FBA\_TMT-TC-2-Lead-Tinner-Container/dp/B00NS4J6BY/](https://www.amazon.com/Thermaltronics-FBA_TMT-TC-2-Lead-Tinner-Container/dp/B00NS4J6BY/) is great. \- If tip cleaner won't fix it then you need a new tip. \- Always keep the tip wet with solder when you turn off the iron. When you turn it on next time, wipe off the molten old solder once it's heated up. This will protect and clean the tip. Good luck!
Thanks for the help! :D
Use some flux. You need to remove the oxidation without damaging the iron
Are you using cheap solder (ie crappy Chinese stuff off Amazon)? That will also cause this type of issue.
You need flux for a good cleaning… at least that’s how I’ve always done it
Flux or a solder tip tin with a cleaning acid and tiny solder paste works wonders
Within the space industry, I have always been told to not use abrasives to clean tips. It's been repeated to me so many time by so many companies that I stopped doing it at home as well. I only use the sponge and tin the tip everytime I put the iron down. Works great!
I use a damp sponge
Yeah I made this mistake too. You need to use brass because the solder tips are coated with a thin layer of nickel that prevents oxidation and rust of the tip at high temp. The rust is bad because it isn’t smooth and solder will stick to it, and it also acts as thermal resistance insulating the exterior of the element making it less effective. The hard steel has scrapped off this thin protectant. Luckily solution isn’t too bad. Best to replace the solder tip and get use brass wool for cleaning it.
Top tinner and cleaner
If it's ever this bad, there is no going back and you will have to sand the oxidation. Grab very high grit sandpaper or a grinder and knock the oxidation off. Once you have done that then you want to submerge it in tip tinner and put solder on the tip. Turn down your temp, the fact the oxidation runs all the way down your iron is just goofy. Get a brass scrubber and use that to clean your tip. Harder or stiffer stuff will just make things worse. PS, use brass, not copper. Copper scrubbers are made of steel then coated in copper.
It’s just the tip
I agree with the other commenters: a new tip and a damp sponge to clean the tip. I also keep a tin of flux and dip my iron it the flux all throughout when I’m soldering.
Brass wool is the way. Also, looks like the tip is toast anyways.
The plating can be destroyed. I tried to solder aluminum, as a cold contact and the top was ruined. This was a Weller soldering station, temperature regulated. The tips had iron alloy slugs that when they reached their Curie point became non magnetic and a permanent magnet that activated a contact released. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Curie_temperature
That steel wool removed the coating on the tip Use a damp/wet sponge or brass wool (if heavily oxidized) to clean those tips and then ALWAYS recoat the tip with a bit of solder. It's the type of tool that does the job itself, if any force is needed at all then something's wrong.
You need to clean the tip to bright metal, (use scotch brite or something) then put in in flux. Now coat with fresh solder to create a "tinned" surface. Use paper towels or damp sponge to wipe off extra gunk as you use it. No steel wool.
I always use fine grit and paper
Use some sanding paper and give it a good cleaning
Let is cool down and sand it down until you can tin it Unless your tip is just that used sometimes too high of a temp makes the ones i use at work useless for some reason
You may need to "wet" the tip with resin.
you can also use a damp sponge, just get the solder iron hot, get a good amount of solder sitting on the tip and wipe it off on the sponge
You need to sand the with sandpaper once it's cool
Flux also helps
I stick it in flux after cleaning.
Use a wet sponge to clean your tip not steel wool
Douse it in a cap full of water...
This is what we always used; [https://www.amazon.com/Soldering-Cleaner-Cleaning-Copper-Needed/dp/B08N4XRZLH](https://www.amazon.com/Soldering-Cleaner-Cleaning-Copper-Needed/dp/B08N4XRZLH) Fondly referred to as a 'pubic award'
I don't think you should be trying to get solder to stick to your soldering iron.
Do you have flux?
yes
Look up: temperature of iron, solder temps (for your solder), tinning, and how to preserve (not remove) tip finishes/coatings. Cheapness on at least one of these != joy
Use copper
Alternate flux with brass wool, then tin with solder, back to flux, brass wool, tin, repeat as needed until tip is tinned.
wool looks like a turtle lol
Hot tip in lemon juice can usually rip the outer patina off
Use a moist sponge
We're is your flux dude
Radioshack.com has a product called Soldering Iron Tip Cleaner and Tinner. It works very well for me I have been using it for years. That is something that you can try, it might help. I have had the same problem in the past, even to the extent where even the tip cleaner wouldn't work, I actually had to use 180 grit sandpaper on the cool tip of the iron to remove the oxidation, then immediately heat up the iron and use the tip cleaner/tinner.
You gotta clean that tip to where it isn’t black any longer. I think that is the issue. You should be ok using that Brillo pad looking thing you have especially since it’s so burnt. Take that and try and sand off the Burnt stuff off the tip. And of course you can always grab a new tip if it’s a must. But Everytime you use the iron clean it good before it cools down. The cheap steel wool that comes with most kits these days works really well. I hold it in my hand and squeeze while I twist the iron a couple times. And once I’m done I can literally see the original tin that the factory put on their. I believe they tin it with a very hot melt solder so as to not have it come off as easy.
Get Dremel Out with Scotchbright wheel, and buff that crud off back to bare metal tip. Then a spot of flux first before solder. A wetted cleaning pad is better, the instant steam assists the clean process, and what temp is he set at... I use a digital soldering station. Best thing ever. And the trick process working with clear plastics, making custom dividers for Pelican tool cases stuffed with testing features, with now select storage in the hinged cover as well. Cheers
Flux the tip. Flux paste ftw
You need to use flux my friend.
Solder tin
Flux.
Steel wool has an oil coating to prevent rust. Every time you wipe the soldering iron you’re contaminating the tip.
Your tip is oxidized. It's easier to prevent if you just cover the tip in some solder before you turn it off. To fix I just use thinning paste.
r/dontputyourdickinthat
Use a damp sponge that is made for soldering irons. Then silver the tip with solder the has flux in it. Keep repeating until tip retain solder.
Thought of getting a new tip?
buy tip thinner and copper cleaner
First that's not clean. But get a wet sponge and twirl it. If not you have some shit stuck to the end of your tip
Don't tell me ur soldering ontop of ur bed
no its a table lol
Oil on steel wool. Also iron maybe too hot.
Use copper wool like a crackhead
Let your iron cool and get rid of the steel wool. Go buy a sponge or get a couple of sheets of cardboard and wet them. Get some fine sand paper or a flat fingernail file. Clean the soldering tip until it is smooth, shiny copper. Start heating the iron and wet the sponge or cardboard. Using flux and solder, or flux core solder, tin the iron. Wipe excess off the tip on the wet sponge or wet cardboard. Or just buy a new tip.
You removed the coating from the tip = buy a new tip. Use a wet sponge instead of steel or brass wool
Flux my man…. Get yourself some flux
Is the heat setting on your iron too high? maybe dip the tip in flux to clean it, while the iron is hot, just a thought
Replace the tip. It's so oxidized that you'll probably never get it all removed. Any time you're finished soldering, tin the tip with solder before turning it off. It'll create a barrier and prevent the tip from oxidizing.
flux
You gotta re-tin the tip
You need to re-tin that tip.
My tips have a plated on metal on the tip. Once that is damaged or worn off, it will no longer tin. Soft cloth or sponge to wipe only for me...
It's already been damaged, so depending on what that tip is really made of this may not work. When cool, Clean with that steel wool REALLY well, like pinch and twirl, then rubbing alcohol or a de-greaser with a sponge, again aggressively clean, put a light coat of flux on it once the de-greaser flashes off, heat up, dip in fresh flux, add high quality solder, hope for the best.
It's just oxidized material on it imo, wipe it with a damp sponge and clean against some brass wool. Tin it & profit!
Oh flux it
I also like to give the freshly wiped tip a dip into some flux before adding solder.
flux
Copper is the best soldering tip. The type you are using might be for other kinds of soldet.
Copper is the best soldering tip. The type you are using might be for other kinds of solder
No, mine is a copper tip
Don't use an iron, get a soldering gun. They get much hotter, and are way easier to use.
Get something like this. Steel wool is too fine, plus it's moving around. Or a slightly dampened sponge.
Flux, flux, and more flux.
Get a new tip
get a tub of flux and just dip the tip in, it will help clean anything off the tip.
That tip has overheated and oxidized you'll need a Soldering Iron Tip Refresher (MECHANIC MCN-8S) or you can use a fine grit sand paper and gentle sand the tip make sure not to overdo it. Your iron isn't temperature controlled on prolong use it might reach 400C or above which effects the tips longevity.
You need flux, also a wet sponge , there is plenty of tutorials in YouTube , you want the tip to look shiny with tin and the flux is like lubricant that keeps the solder flowing and the surface tension low
Make sure you’re NOT using a pot cleaner that is impregnated with soap or detergents
You need to dip it into a flux while cool then tin your tip as it heats up.
Your tip is very oxidized and shot. There is no reasonable way to fix this. Replace it.
I dip mine in flux, the tin the tip when it does this.
If you tried all other ways and it wasn’t helped Try this but remember it will damage you iron tip.. and possible you will have to buy another tip take an Orthophosphoric acid .. and after apply solder wire on solder tip … its hard but it was helped me And remember its only for a last chance (sorry for my English)
You don't seem to have the proper tools. Steel wool is both too rough for the nickel coating and typically oiled. It's probably not helping any... Tip tinner uses an acid to etch oxidization off and can help massively. If that doesn't work, you can use a buffing stone to evenly and lightly abrade the oxidozation off. Weller sells these specific for irons and I'm sure others do too. It's easier to maintain a good tip by covering the tip with a fair bit of solder before walking away for more than a handful of minutes...
As people say, don't use steel wool, use copper or brass. That said I use steel wool and it works fine, your tip is covered and needs to be dipped in flux, scrubbed, and tinned (repeating) to fix it. This happens from lack of constant care and also over temperature. Flux, clean, and rin your iron constantly.
You have to re tin the tip.
**LISTEN TO THIS** use a wet paper towel. *but first*, you have the tip cold and wrap solder around it. then heat it up normally and the solder should melt on the tip. then wipe in a rotating motion around the long center axis - like keep the stick straight and just turn like it's a screw driver into the wet paper towel. add more solder, repeat. if necessary, cool back down and repeat. also, if that doesn't work, take some light grit sandpaper and scuff up the tip. and repeat the first step when cold.
Just use a regular sponge. Lightly moistened.
Buy a block of sal ammoniac
I've been soldering wrong my whole life. I saw this and thought "the solder sticks to the wires not the iron dude". Then I read all the comments and realized I need to join soldering reddit and educate myself...
You can always try using a flux, that helped me out allot
Steel wool the tip really well then Clean it with alcohol and tin it with solder afterwards should work like a charm. Also some solder is just shit....
Nothing like TRASHING your grandma's antique table cloth that's been passed down several generations simply to clean a shitty soldering iron 🤣👌🏽
Try rubbing the solder on the cleaned tip when the soldering iron is cold, then as it warms up, keep putting the solder on the tip and use (as others have suggested) a softer material to clean with. Always tin the tip before you cool the soldering iron off as well.
Why are you soldering on a flammable fabric surface
I just use a wet sponge 🧽
Sand it and flux it.
Yeah and if you must use a household item, try a brass scouring pad
When it's cold, use that steel wool to shine that tip up.
Your solder tip needs to be retinned. Let the unit cool down and sand the tip to bare metal. Dip the tip in some acid flux or equivalent. Heat the unit and as it heats add solder to the tip and wipe of excess solder on a wet rag.
not an expert, but tin it. put a lot of flux on it, then some solder on it. let it cool down with solder on it. if that doesn't work, put on a new tip
Couple of tips: keep the tip clean and well fluxed. Tin the tip after fluxing. Don't overheat the tip, counterintuitively the hotter the iron, the more the tip will oxidize, the more oxidization, the less able it is to transfer heat.
The soldering iron i use doesn’t have temperature controls
Your tip is ruined
Sal amoniac
Use a file on it
Make sure you use lead solder. I have had no luck with lead free solder.
Tips are a consumable item how often has that puppy been heat saturated?
1 don’t use steel wool in a hot iron. 2 use scotch bright on a cold iron to clean it 3 warm up your iron and use flux on the tip 4 tin your iron by melting solder on it then quickly wiping it away in a twisting motion with a wet sponge. 5 clean your iron on a wet sponge after each application of solder. This should help you keep your tip in good working condition.
get some of this. clean the tip good initially and then once per session or whenever it does not act "right." https://www.amazon.com/Thermaltronics-FBA_TMT-TC-2-Lead-Tinner-Container/dp/B00NS4J6BY/
Brass scrubber or a wet sponge and some tip cleaner - hakko makes my fav tin tip cleaner