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Soldering question.


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Please can any of you experts out there tell me how long the replaceable tips on a soldering iron should last. I seem to be replacing them quite frequently so I think I am probably doing something wrong.

Temperature seems to be a factor so is there a preferred temperature for electrical soldering as opposed to say soldering rails to brass screws at baseboard joins.

Sorry if these are stupid questions but as a relative newby to the world of soldering, I would appreciate some guidance.

Thanks in advance Rilksy.

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Soldering iron tips don't last forever but should last a reasonable time.  If yours is a stand alone iron, you can't do much about tip temp.  Keep the tip clean (if you can).  I find a brass wire brush works well.  If you can find a tin of cleaner/tinning compound, get that.  If your tip is black with oxidation this will interfere with performance.

 

I think a big factor in tip life is flux.  Acid flux will shorten tip life.  I stopped using acid flux (ie phosphoric acid) a long time ago.  Look for non acid fluxes, they are readily available from DCC Concepts.

 

You can use rosin flux for electrical work but it gets messy.  Cored solder contains rosin but if you have to do the joint again, you need to re flux.  I don't use cored solder. 

 

I mostly use 60/40 solder which melts at about 188C.

 

John

 

 

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Smaller tips tend to fail quicker than large ones. I have found that with a temperature controlled iron and a small tip,  I can get a bit more life out of it if I turn the temperature down a little bit. Experimented by slowly turning the temperature down until the solder was just solidifying on the tip and then turn it up a bit.

 

 

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Many modern irons have plated bits which protect the core but once the plating is worn down they can erode very quickly. They also become much harder to tin.

Abrasive cleaning (e.g. wire brushes) will shorten the life quicker than just using a damp sponge.

 

I still have several tinned copper bits which don't keep their tip as long as plated iron bits but can be re-tinned as they wear away

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2 hours ago, Steamport Southport said:

Some very useful tips on the Connoisseur Models website about soldering irons. Mainly aimed at those building etched kits, but relevant to all users.

 

http://www.jimmcgeown.com/Questions.html

 

This bit in particular.

 

http://www.jimmcgeown.com/FAQ Answers pages/FAQ Answer 2 Soldering Irons.html

 

 

 

Jason

Nice unintended pun there.

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It's worth turning a soldering iron off whenever possible, rather than leaving it cooking away in the stand if the next joint is some minutes away.  Apparently helps, so I'm told....

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Note that copper literally dissolves in molten solder, which is why most electronics bits are iron-plated.

 

As melmerby says, they erode quickly once the plating has perforated - but from the inside, with the copper dissolving away and leaving an empty iron shell. 

 

 

I use an Antex TCS 50W temperature controlled iron for both large quantities of electronics work and soldering brass up to moderate sizes.

Also all white metal work with low melting point solder and 6% phosphoric acid solution flux.

The temperature scale is worn off the iron as it's around 20 year old, but visibly it's around 2/3 max.  (It's a self contained iron with the temperature control in the handle).

 

I've not noticed any difference in bit life since I started using it with other flux, compared to normal cored solder; they last something like a year with regular use.

 

I do keep it in a stand with a damp sponge and it is frequently wiped clean and re-tinned.

 

 

For electronics or general brass work, you can use "Savbit" type solder which contains somewhere around 1% copper. That reduces or stops copper "leeching" from the iron bit, if any copper is exposed.

https://uk.rs-online.com/web/p/solders/0554951/

 

I also always use leaded solder as it flows much better than lead-free types. Leaded solder is only banned in consumer goods, not industrial, research, prototyping or DiY etc. 

 

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Many thanks to all of you who took the trouble to respond, the information you have provided has not only confirmed what I had been thinking but has given me the wherewithal to understand the principles involved.

I think I shall probably invest in a much better quality soldering iron and also pay more attention to the solders and fluxes I use.

 

Once again, thanks to all of you and also to RMWeb for bringing all this knowledge together in one place.

 

Brian (aka Rilksy)

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I came across this issue and found if I kept a plated tip clean with a wet sponge (not any of the brass wire wool devices) it both laster longer and worked better. As soon as the plating on the tip is breached the end of the tips life is in sight. Good house keeping is the name of the game

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I would concur about using leaded solder as I too found unleaded does not flow as well and is more difficult to get a good joint with.

I bought mine from Rapidonline.

 

The ideal joint is one that can be made quickly, with a hot enough bit so the amalgam of solder and material is carried out as quick as possible.

Having to keep the iron on the  workpiece for any length of time to get the solder to flow is not good practice.

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A jar of tip cleaner (I use Carr's) helps a great deal as you never have to use an abrasive on the bit - when it gets black and claggy and the solder will no longer stick on it, just dip it into the jar, it sizzles and comes out gleaming silver and tinned.

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