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what causes those holes to form on my soldering tips? — Parallax Forums

what causes those holes to form on my soldering tips?

MatthewMatthew Posts: 200
edited 2005-03-30 04:09 in General Discussion
Does anyone know what causes those holes/divots to form on my soldering tips? Every time I set my tip done, I place solder on it, and when I'm about to use it, I wipe the solder off on a wet sponge. Isn't this supposed to prevent corroding?
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I think the corrosion is caused by me forcing solder onto the tip, instead of setting the solder on the tip to melt. Is this possible?
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Any ideas?
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Thanks,
Matthew

PS: I'm using one of those cheap $6, 30w irons.

Comments

  • MacGeek117MacGeek117 Posts: 747
    edited 2005-03-27 21:20
    You should tin, or put solder on the tip before turning the iron off.
    bugg

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  • Jon WilliamsJon Williams Posts: 6,491
    edited 2005-03-27 21:31
    Cheap iron = cheap tip. See if you can get a better tip for your iron; if not, get a better iron. I've had the same 40W Weller (standard pen, no temp control) for years an it has never given me a lick of trouble. I change the tip ever two years or so.

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  • ForrestForrest Posts: 1,341
    edited 2005-03-28 01:03
    Well, the good news is a soldering tip for a $6 soldering probably costs $1 or less. On a $400 soldering iron, the tip will cost you about $30.

    What type of flux are you using? No clean flux is more corrosive to the tip and you'll probably get 1/3 the life compared to aqueous flux.
  • Fe2o3FishFe2o3Fish Posts: 170
    edited 2005-03-28 01:50
    What type of solder are you using? I s'pose you should be using rosin-core, with a 60-40 mixture of Tin (Sn) and Lead (Pb). Some people prefer the Lead-less solder. If yer using acid core RUN, DO NOT WALK, that stuff away from your circuits as that's not the application for which it's intended.

    Just an idear,

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  • Paul BakerPaul Baker Posts: 6,351
    edited 2005-03-28 15:17
    Everything everyone has said has validity, cheap tips oxidize faster, acid core solder (plumber's solder) is a big no no, wet your tip amply with solder before turning it off, and I have one final thing to add: get a brass scouring pad. You can find them in various places online for under $10, but I just ran across some at my local "Everthing's a dollar" store. When you tip has cooled (with the liberal amount of solder on it) use the brass scouring pad to remove the oxidation from the surface which isn't covered by your solder. If you find it impossible to get enough oxidation off so that the solder will melt on that portion, it's time to get a new tip.

    My RS cheapy iron got so oxidized after about a half dozen uses, no amount of cleaning would deoxidize the tip. Thats when I opted to get a decent iron. With the amount of soldering I've ended up doing I would have had to replace the old tip at least a half dozen times. My nice iron, with regular maintenence still functions perfectly, plus I have +/- 2C control of the temperature, that the cheapy iron didn't have. In my view the iron has already paid for itself.

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  • MatthewMatthew Posts: 200
    edited 2005-03-30 04:09
    Thanks for all of the advice. I can't seem to find my solder at the moment, I think my parents hid it after they got mad at me for soldering in the bathroom. But yes, it was lead free.
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