How To Clean Your Soldering Iron Tip
If all else fails Soldering Iron tips do not last forever.
How to clean your soldering iron tip. Tip Tinner copper is used to deoxidize and clean your soldering iron tip so that the solder can stick to the iron again. After a while take it our from the gel and clean the tip using brass wools. To apply the tip cleaner first heat the soldering iron.
With the iron tip cold use a polishing bar. Wipe OFF the solder on the Cleaning Sponge or Copper Wool. 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.
If your soldering tip becomes detinned oxidized it can be restored in a number of ways. Each time you clean the soldering iron and put it away apply a fresh solder to the tip. Of the tip regularly.
This is done by first ensuring the tip is clean and free of surface oxides. Now remove the tip and clean it with a moist sponge to remove the cleaner. Switch on the Soldering Station or the Iron and Make sure it is Hot Enough.
ChipQuik is a solder that stays molten for a longer period of time to allow for the removal of components. The iron should NEVER be in the stand without a tinned tip Ie. Take either a wet sponge or wire wool.
This step will coat the iron in a mixture of flux and solder. Electronix Express points out that in order to remove the dirt and debris that accumulates on the tip of a soldering iron it is necessary to wipe it clean with a sponge. Then immediately re-tin the tip with rosin core solder.