Hi,
I've done a lot of soldering over the years and am currently doing wiring/soldering of a DCC layout. I use a 45 watt Weller "pencil" soldering iron, and prefer a chisel tip.
My question is, why does the chisel tip develop a "hole" in the center of the tip's soldering surface? Yes, I wipe the tip on a wet sponge, use the proper solder and flux. And of course I can redo the tip with a file, but I remain curious as to what caused the eating away of the center.
Thanks,
Mobilman44.
ENJOY !
Mobilman44
Living in southeast Texas, formerly modeling the "postwar" Santa Fe and Illinois Central
mobilman44 Hi, I've done a lot of soldering over the years and am currently doing wiring/soldering of a DCC layout. I use a 45 watt Weller "pencil" soldering iron, and prefer a chisel tip. My question is, why does the chisel tip develop a "hole" in the center of the tip's soldering surface? Yes, I wipe the tip on a wet sponge, use the proper solder and flux. And of course I can redo the tip with a file, but I remain curious as to what caused the eating away of the center. Thanks, Mobilman44.
It's caused by the solder flux, and is a hazard of the process. This is why most irons have a replacable tip. An iron clad tip will last longer, but not forever. All solder flux is corrosive, yes, even the one named "No-Ko-Rode." If you look at the MSDS for it, it's listed as (drum roll) a Corrosive.
The solder erodes the tip over time. That is why they are often plated with iron to reduce the erosion.
When you file the tip, you remove any plating, which only speeds up the process.
One way to clean the tip is to use a brass brush, or a little bowl filled with brass shavings. They'll remove the dross without doing much damage to the surface of the tip. That will often get more crud off the tip than the sponge will. (You should also use distilled water to wet the sponge.)
Personally I don't use the sponge, I have the brass tip cleaner, and also use a paper towel to quickly clean the tip. You can even use a rag (natural fibers work better than synthetics for some reason...)
Yes, filing the tip takes off the iron coating and that's what causes the tip to get eaten away. Many, many years ago I used copper tips on my iron and they didn't last too long. The 1/8" chisel tip I've got on my iron now is maybe 20 years old and still in good shape. Like Betamax I use a cotton rag to wipe the tip clean.
..... Bob
Beam me up, Scotty, there's no intelligent life down here. (Captain Kirk)
I reject your reality and substitute my own. (Adam Savage)
Resistance is not futile--it is voltage divided by current.
Hi Mobilman44 and others. I agree the brass shaving pad works the best by far. I have been soldering since I was about 13 years old then through several years as an electronics tech while going to school and then 35 years as an engineer, now as a model railroader. I always used sponges and replaced tips and sponges when they wore out. I just bought a very nice variable power soldering station that came with the brass shaving pad instead of a sponge and it works much better than the sponge.
Further, every soldering iron I have ever used instructs to flood the tip with solder between uses and while idling between work tasks. Even way back when soldering iron holders were porcelain (ya'll remember those don't ya?), there was a small recess where the tip rested to fill with solder. I think the molten solder was to keep the tip tined and regulate the temperature before the electronic regulated irons were available more than to extend tip life.
Synthetic fabrics or sponges will burn quickly and contaminate the solder joint. Natural sponges are used, but the brass pads are terrific. Don't know where you could buy the brass pads. Haven't seen them anywhere sold separately.
Just my 2 cents worth.
jb
My sodlering station came with a stand that has a well to insert a copper/brass 'scouring pad', for want of a better term. I've seen them in stores, I suppose to clean various pots that would be damaged by a pad made from a harder metal. Whatever it is, it is WAY better than any sponge I've ever used. I haven't done too much, instaleld a coupel decoders, built a Locobuffer and LocoIO, and put together a terminal block for a PM-42 for the RCT&HS modular layout, but the tip of the iron is still like new. The controlled temperature helps a lot - a normal iron just keeps getting hotter and hotter the longer you leave it on. Plus when I shut it down at th end of a work session, I coat the tip liberally with solder. WHen I turn it on the next time, I first clean it off with the metal sponge thing, and retin it. It's wlays nice and shiny all around, which greatly helps heat transfer. It's when you have to leave the iron on the joint for a long time that heat spreads everywhere and does things like melt ties. I've been using a 1/16" conical tip for the electronics work, haven't tried soldering track yet but I do have a chisel tip for that.
--Randy
Modeling the Reading Railroad in the 1950's
Visit my web site at www.readingeastpenn.com for construction updates, DCC Info, and more.
Hi!
You all are just amazing! And, this Forum is a terrific plus for the Hobby!!!
Thank you for the answers and tips, and I will implement them ASAP!
betamaxYou can get the brass turning type of soldering iron cleaning device from any electronics supplier. They should have a good selection of soldering accessories, like flux dispensers, flux, flux remover, and other useful things as well. My "Solder Tip Cleaner" was made by Eclipse Tools ( http://eclipsetools.com )
This is always best. Radio Shack ONLY if you need it NOW. For example, the tip cleaner that Radio Shack sells, I found at Mouser for the same price. The difference is, for the same price as Radio Shack, what Mouser sells is 8x the quantity.