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soldering iron tip wear?

absolon

absolon

Super Member
I've been more involved this past winter with some repair and modification projects than I have in the past and have spent a great deal more time with my soldering iron than I have previously. I hadn't realized that tip wear is an issue but I'm finding that it is, and that the tip condition is really important to the quality of the joint.

The latest pencil tip I installed lasted only long enough for the recapping of two CD players before corrosion ate away the point. Filing the point back to a usable configuration lasts only briefly since the corrosion rate seems to increase as the core is exposed.

How long should a tip last and is there anything I can do to increase it's life? I'm using this unit and these replacement tips.
 
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Instructions from my Weller soldering station:

1. Keep tip tinned; wipe only before using.

2. Use rosin or activated rosin fluxes. Acid type fluxes will greatly reduce tip life.

3. Remove tip and clean with suitable cleaner for flux used. The frequency of cleaning will depend on the type of work and usage. Tips in constant use should be removed and cleaned at least once a week.

4. Don't try to clean tip with abrasive materials and never file tip; to do so will greatly reduce tip life. Tip wettability is affected by contact with organics such as plastic rosins, silicone grease, and other chemicals. If the tip becomes unwettable it may be cleaned with a Weller® Polishing Bar Part Number WPB1. Do not overdo this or the iron
plating will be removed and the tip will be ruined. Re-tin tip immediately to prevent oxidation.

5. Don't remove excess solder from heated tip before storing. The excess solder will prevent oxidation of the wettable surface when the tip is reheated.
 
I'm using this solder, a 63/37 mix with activator and synthetic resin core in 22 gauge.

I've looked into it a bit and follow the recommendations. I don't wipe the tip often because of the thermal stress that puts on the plating. When I do, I use a very lightly wetted sponge. I ensure it is well tinned at all times and especially when I put it away. I don't let it sit hot for long if it isn't in use. I know filing the tip will accelerate wear, but I was stuck mid-job with no fresh tips so had to try it; the chisel point was much faster in use than the original pencil point even if it only lasted a couple of dozen joints.

I know it isn't a high quality iron and I'm not averse to upgrading, but I'd like to figure this out first to ensure that an upgrade would actually solve the problem.
 
One thing I've noticed with soldering irons is that for some reason working on old solder joints is tough on tips. When I was an electronics tech I could easily get thousands of new solder joints out of a tip. But as soon as I turned to repairing old stuff it was a battle to keep things clean and the heat flowing.
 
In the past I have used cheap RadioShack and Parts-Express irons and the tip lasted only thru about two major jobs. Now, I have bought BlackJack soldering station (still not that expensive) which is a copy of Hakko and the original Hakko tip (purchased separately) is now in service for well over a year. I do not do a lot of soldering but this tip took me thru two full recaps, couple of partial recaps, assembly of few amplifiers, some misc small jobs and still runs strong. I do follow some of the points listed by ebacon.
 
Thanks - that could be my problem. The last project was the repair of a dead Philips CD104 and that meant desoldering about 18 or 20 of those through-hole griplets, each with 1/4" or larger domes of solder to remove. It was after that point I started noticing the degradation of the tip. Got the deck working like brand new though:thmbsp:

I might have to upgrade the iron anyway. The plating on these tips is difficult to wet out and there are no other configurations than pencil point available. I found the chisel point much more to my liking.
 
Thanks for both the brand recommendations. The Weller would be a treat but I'm not sure I can justify the price. Amazon.ca lists it around $270! The Blackjack looks like a reasonable unit and price is pretty good until I add in the courier and the UPS brokerage charge for getting it across the border. I'll look around a bit locally and see what I can find.

Also, thanks for the explanation of the tip corrosion.
 
My tips are lasting a lot longer since I threw out the wet sponge and went with one of these ...

4767169.jpg


The brass is softer than the tip, so it doesn't increase wear, and it just does a better job of cleaning. Just dink 'n dunk the tip as needed, and it leaves a nice even coat of bright solder, perfect for heat transfer and sealing out oxidation. :thmbsp:

If you think about it, that wet sponge thing makes for some mighty rough temp transitions. Can't see where that helps longevity ...

PS ... little tip on old solder - a small blob of new on the top of a pencil tip transfers the heat a lot faster and breaks thru the glazing that makes it difficult to remove. Sometimes, more IS better ...

And a LOT of the problems people are having nowadays are because of the New! Improved?? synthetic solder blends. Just way more trouble than they're worth for an inferior (but green - joy!) product. Stuff does work ... sort of ... for throwaway SMT construction, but is crap for working on the classics. I'll stick with my Cardas Quad.

cardas-quad.jpg


(You can maybe tell I'm a fan of the stuff.) <G>
 
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