How To Use Soldering Iron Sponge

Old soldering iron may have flux stick to it.

How to use soldering iron sponge. You have to clean it before tinning and the easiest way is to dab it on a wet sponge. So I set out to find my own. The wick will fill up so kindly pull the wick over the joint and your iron and the solder will move into it as it relinquishes.

Using a brass sponge requires no water. Turn of the iron if it remains inactive for 3-5 minutes. It will also start to break up from all the times it has dried up and was re-soaked.

Wait till the Solder melts. The wire should be thick enough 032 inches or larger to apply adequate flux on the tip. The main reason is that the built-in sponge tray of a soldering stand has to be designed with high enough raised edges to keep the sponge from getting pushed out of the tray when it is wiped with a soldering iron.

A normal practice is to run the tip through the damp sponge every time you pick the solder iron up. It prolongs the life of the tip and keeps it well-maintained after each use. A wet sponge can also come in handy for cleaning the irons metal tip before each use.

And by doing that we remove that oxide layer and expose fresh un-oxidized metal and thatll be much more effective at transferring heat to the work piece. If all else fails Soldering Iron tips do not last forever. These are often sold in a kit consisting of a cleaning tray and either a sponge material of flux and powdered solder or a spiral ball of dry metal wool.

This should lead to a clean shiny tip ready for use. When soldering periodically wipe your soldering tip on the damp sponge to clean it. Procedure to remove mild oxidation.