I have been hooking the wires of my control panel for my layout to the terminal strips. There’s a lot of soldering to toggle terminals and splicing wires, etc. I’m using a Weller 35 watt soldering iron.
My problem is that I am having a hard time keeping the tip clean. It seems to constantly build up carbon deposits. I try to keep it clean by dipping it in flux then using a wire brush to brush it off. That seemed to work for a while, but it gets to the point that I can’t get it to tin. This makes soldering very difficult and a very slow and frustrating process. I’ve still got a lot of soldering points to go, so it seems overwhelming. Any help on this would be greatly appreciated.
It will seem kinda pricey – last one I bought was like $8? – but find a Radio Shack (if you still can) and get their 64-020, Tip Tinner and Cleaner. You simply dip and roll the hot iron tip in the little tin of stuff and it instantly is cleaned and prepped. You’ll wonder how you ever did without it. The tin is small, but trust me it lasts and lasts. The amount of time and frustration avoided is well worth the cost.
It’s actually pretty easy. The trick is to get an old wash cloth and get it wet, squeeze out the excess water so it isn’t dripping or saturated but wet. Then take the tip of the hot iron and rub it on the rag round the different sides. Do it fairly quickly so you don’t burn up the rag, but enough to quickly rub it and it will come fairly clean. Some soldering stations even have a spot for a sponge used for the same purpose, but I don’t have one of those so I use use the old wet wash cloth method.
I have a 40 Watt Weller and it seems to work well with it. Tips can wear out too - I had an old Radio Shack soldering iron and used it for years and even took a file to the tip to abrade off the bad and carbonized surface, but it was very old and worn out now. The new Weller works quite well as long as I clean it as I described. After cleaning the tip on the damp cloth, tin it with a bit of solder to help it flow when solding wire etc.
It’s also important the the metal you solder be clean too and apply flux with a bursh, and it should flow well.
The sponge or rag trick does work, but there’s something relatively new out there that’s better IMO. Radio Shack and others sell a weighted round thing that holds what is basically a metal pan scrubber thingee. I don’t think it’s copper, maybe aluminum? In any case, you use it like a sponge, but it’s dry so avoids the water needed with the sponge. And none of the general nastiness the sponges take on after a few months.
I use the tip cleaner for cleaning the tip, but the metal “sponge” to do light cleaning and to remove the excess solder that builds up on the tip.
The damp sponge does work, but I prefer using the handy item that I think Mike is describing. The little curls of metal may be brass or bronze? The Radio Shack tip cleaner/tinner in the little can works good too, but too much use seems to accelerate degradation of the tip.
I have one of these “pot scrubber” things like Mike mentioned and I like it quite a bit. If I’m doing several joints in fairly quick succession I’ll just give the tip a quick wipe on the slightly damp sponge but if the iron has been idle for a few minutes or more, I’ll poke the tip around in the “scrubber”.
I opened the housing up and added a pretty hefty weight into the bottom of it.
As others have pointed out, the slightest bit of contamination will cause rapid oxidation that turns into nasty gunk on the tip.
Sometimes, it seems to me anyway, the tip just gets too nasty and needs to be replaced. I’m talking about after several years, of course, but some tips seem to last longer and others have disintegrated a little sooner.
You’re likely right in your caution to not overuse the tip cleaner stuff. It is a chemical reaction of some kind, so it may very well erode the tip over time. I tend to use it for heavy cleaning and the springy metal stuff for standard tip cleaning.
But I tend to think of tips as a wear item to be replaced as needed after suffering with a bad tip for far too long before figuring all these options out. If you have a worn tip, best to start fresh for good results.
That image you have of the curly wire in the container is likely a brass pan scrubber - I read that they are good for cleaning soldering irons but never got around to buying one.
I have the copper wool thing, it came with my soldering station. I find this superior to wet sponges or rags since it doesn’t cool down the tip. Also to wet the sponge you use use distilled or de-ionized water so as to not have contaminents that will jsut corrode the tip. The tip cleaner stuff is sal ammoniac, I use it fairly frequently and I’m still using the same tip on my soldering station that came on it 7 years ago. I don’t think it will eat the tip or the plating.
If you’ve used sandpaper or other abrasive and worn off the plating, just get a new tip, you will NEVER be able to keep the exposed copper tip clean.
A true temperature controlled soldering station is almost a must. I did without until about 7 years ago, and the first time I used it I was kicking myself for not buying one sooner. A regular soldering iron just heats constantly, as long as it is plugged in, until it reaches an equilibrium with how fast the heat is given off vs how fast the element can heat it up. This doesn;t occur until the temperature is WAY beyond what you need to solder. ANd it just encouraged the tip to oxidize that much faster. A true temperature controlled unit (Those $40 or so Weller ones where the soldering iron itself has a standard 3 prong plug that plugs in to the base with the control knob are NOT temperature controlled!) cycles the element on and off and keeps the temperature at a relatively precise setting. Insanely expensive ones can regulate to a degree ror less, whcih is definitely not needed for model railroad work. They’re not expensve - my Xytronics was $49. Unlike an old regular iron,w hile I am working I find the tip stays fairly shiny between connections without having to constantly wipe it down. If I need to do some manula work between soldering joints, I can turn it all teh way down to help prevent oxidation. On the lowest setting it even shrinks heat shrink without melting it. I learned to solder with the plain irons, but like I said, I could kick my
I have a couple of other questions: I’ve been using a brass wire brush to clean the tip, every time I use the soldering iron. Will that damage the plating on the tip? I don’t see any exposed copper (I don’t think). Also, from what I see in these posts, it appears exposed copper will not take tinning, Should I get a new tip if this is so?
I have used heavily eroded tips and the tip cleaner and they still work. The tip can get a bit wonky as it erodes. Part of the reason you don’t want the exporuse is because it’s softer metal and wears faster than the outside.
Personally, I rely on the stip cleaner until things get that bad, then I just take a file to it as a holding pattern until I get around to buying a new tip in relatively short order.
With the tip cleaner, you’ll find the need to brush the tip reduced. Now when you dip it, you leave some “skull” as they call it in the steel mills, a crusty deposit right above the depth you plunged the tip to. I leave it, but a light brushing just to knock that off won’t hurt anything if you still felt the need to put that brush to use.
BTW, I’ll second the recs to try a temp controlled sodlering station. Got mine from Radio Shack and it’s much nicer to use than the big ol’ iron. Keep the iron, as some bigger jobs will still need it. I build brass kits from time to time and they’re still handy for the bigger parts.
I use the damp sponge method, and know about the brass dish cleaning sponge
While looking around for some tutorials on good soldering techniques, I came across this oldie but goodie url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vIT4ra6Mo0s&list=PL926EC0F1F93C1837 video tutorial series from PACE[/url] concerning soldering for electronics (it’s 9 parts, but they go fast).
I think even the most jaded of us can get something out of the series (there are others series as well).
resistance soldering is fine on brass engines putting parts on, stay out of electronics or you may fry some circuits. I’ve been using a cheapo iron with a replacable tip, the flux and/or paper towel/sponge will help keep it clean, never expect the tips to last expect to change them and have a spare ready. Often I nab a file and clean it while hot. My cheapo iron isnt wimp tho, it heats in a hurry, its a pointy tip and I can solder up them super tiny bright LED’s.
