How To Clean Solder Iron Tips

After cleaning the iron its a good idea to tin the tip.

How to clean solder iron tips. First use a wet sponge to wipe off the tip before soldering. How to Clean Soldering Iron Tip. Cardboard works in a pinch.

To use the Tip tinnercleaner heat the soldering iron. Its something of a vi-vs-emacs war about which is better but whatever. How to Tin or Re-Tin Soldering Iron Tip.

This step will coat the iron in a mixture of flux and solder. How to clean and re tin your soldering iron - YouTube. 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.

Leave it there until the paste melts around the tip. Now remove the tip and clean it with a moist sponge to remove the cleaner. Never use abrasives on the soldering iron tip.

This is done by first ensuring the tip is clean and free of surface oxides. Wipe the tip clean and re-tin it between every joint. This should lead to a clean shiny tip ready for use for more info see this video.

This will protect the iron from oxidation as the solder serves as a sacrificial buffer zone against oxidation it oxidizes rather than our tip. To apply the tip cleaner first heat the soldering iron. 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.