Tips for soldering tips..

SunDevil

I buy long life tips, tin them before I use them, sand the crud off and re-tin each time I heat cycle them and still only seem to get 2-3 uses before they are unusable and tun the solder into sludge (flux from core?)

It’s getting expensive - what am I doing wrong?

Nomad

Sanding them. They're plated for longevity, and sanding removes the plating.

While hot, wipe on one of those damp sponge things, or use one of the little tubs with what looks like brass swarf. Clean like this regularly while using it. You can also get tiny little tubs of cleaner that you can poke the tip into - they have a hardish substance in them that gives a bit when hot, and the tip generally comes out shiny. Wipe in brass swarf afterwards if needed.

NeilMcG

Never sand a soldering iron tip. They have an iron and nickel plating that is necessary for good solder wetting and transfer.

SunDevil

Thanks gents - I use the tub of copper wire wool to take off excess, but still end up with an oxidised tip (this is what I’m sanding off)

The tin tipper stuff is incredibly noxious - I’m really allergic to it and it’s not an option. Is there anything else that will do the same?

Sassafras

I once made the mistake of sanding one and just succeeded in making it useless.

RiftAmps

I sand (or file) my tips all the time, they last for ages and rarely have to replace them. I don’t get a performance drop-off either. I think the one on my main iron is now 18ish months old.

ecc83

This is from the top Weller tech who visited the factory where I maintained about 50 Weller Magnastat work stations* so maybe The Full SP?

Never file tips. They are Iron plated to prevent the copper from leaching copper from the PCB (yes, really only matters with very fine tracks but we did those!) .

Do not use a wet/damp sponge to clean them. Brass wool or I use kitchen paper. You can uses a cotton cloth.

Do follow this regime...Keep the tip tinned at all times. Tin, wipe, tin, solder, tin put back on rest. Before you finish work, tin, clean, FLOOD with solder and turn off.

Do NOT leave the Iron 'burning' all day. Modern thermostatic irons get to Op Temp in less than a minute, plan the work!

NB. You do not need to use Lead free solder unless you are a manufacturer. Guys like ICBM can continue with Lead 60/40 for repairs. This is admittedly a grey area for people that build small runs of say, pedals. Pbfree needs higher temperatures and clucks bits up much faster (and NOT cooking them is even more important!)

The tiny tins of tip cleaner ARE very aggressive and should be used very infrequently. If the fume bothers you, do it in the garden with a mask on!

*Have a spare Weller 48W traff, free to collect. PM.

Dave.

SunDevil

Thanks Dave - very useful info

DJH83004

As Dave says 60/40 lead solder is the only option for repairing vintage amps, I buy mine from Poland (Cynel Unipress), 1mm resin cored, ideal for valve amp repairs IMHO  

jpfamps

I'd concur with ECC83.

Using a damp sponge cools the tip down which can reduce tip life, whereas the brass wool doesn't.

As ECC83 says it's good practice to only clean the tip before soldering a joint but to leave the iron tinned at other times.

Our irons are Weller TCPs, and tips last several months even with heavy daily use.

In my experience the lead-free solder seems more aggressive at dissolving the tip; although the higher tip temperture will contribute to this (rates of chemical reaction double every 10degC increase in temp).

Tip life can also be extended by using a Savbit solder. This is has added copper and thus reduces copper dissolving into the solder.

ecc83

DJH83004 said:

As Dave says 60/40 lead solder is the only option for repairing vintage amps, I buy mine from Poland (Cynel Unipress), 1mm resin cored, ideal for valve amp repairs IMHO  

Not QUITE what I meant! AFAIK for repair work anyone can use leaded solder but manufactures have long since been forced to go Pbfree.  Again, AFAIK  even repairs to a modern, lead free amp can be done with Lead solder (but not 'I' for warranty work!)  the grey area could be for the small 'one man band' pedal builder.

In fact you should be very careful when soldering really old gear because Pbfree temperatures can melt  certain insulators!

If anyone is worried about their personal health re Lead solder, I would not be. Don't solder and eat, drink or smoke and wash hands when done. I started soldering at about 15 yoa  and we did ALL those things! At 72 I have my problems, under 3 different consultants, but I do not suffer from Lead poisoning!

Dave.

Misty

Interesting thread, can I ask for some advice? I have a couple of very old soldering irons, a 25 watt and a 40 watt, with old tips which don't help me do a neat job. I'd like to buy one or two new irons to replace them, What do you guys use and would recommend for general use on my guitars, (soldering pots for example), and the odd straightforward job on my amps? Also what shape tips are best....pointed, chisel, etc.? Thanks.

CountryDave

Following to see what is recommended as I need something too.

Modulus_Amps

@ecc83 said:

 This is admittedly a grey area for people that build small runs of say, pedals.

Dave.

Great post Dave, Only thing is this is I don't think RoHS is a grey area for new products, not sure why you think it is?... other than small builders can fly under the radar

ecc83

Modulus_Amps said:

@ecc83 said:

 This is admittedly a grey area for people that build small runs of say, pedals.

Dave.

Great post Dave, Only thing is this is I don't think RoHS is a grey area for new products, not sure why you think it is?... other than small builders can fly under the radar

There are usually Turnover or employee number limits for all sorts of regulations? But as I say, I don't know.

Excepting its use in petrol many people think the restriction on lead to be OTT? The rifle range where I was a safety officer has been shot over since the Great War. You cannot lift Sod One without finding a bullet or/and casing and yet! The grass grows, the flowers bloom, the trees still reach for the sky and the bloody rabbits thrive!

Dave.

Mickeyji

Misty said:

Interesting thread, can I ask for some advice? I have a couple of very old soldering irons, a 25 watt and a 40 watt, with old tips which don't help me do a neat job. I'd like to buy one or two new irons to replace them, What do you guys use and would recommend for general use on my guitars, (soldering pots for example), and the odd straightforward job on my amps? Also what shape tips are best....pointed, chisel, etc.? Thanks.

I recently bought one of these:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/ERSA-0710CD-Ersa-Soldering-Ptc70/dp/B00505FOF6/ref=sr_1_47?ie=UTF8&qid=1519154215&sr=8-47&keywords=ersa+soldering+iron

It's far better quality than the cheap, crappy Chinese irons and soldering stations I had before. The pros I know all recommend either Weller or Ersa.

Sassafras

ecc83 said:

Excepting its use in petrol many people think the restriction on lead to be OTT? The rifle range where I was a safety officer has been shot over since the Great War. You cannot lift Sod One without finding a bullet or/and casing and yet! The grass grows, the flowers bloom, the trees still reach for the sky and the bloody rabbits thrive!

Dave.

Are you sure they're not March Hares?

ecc83

Sassafras said:

ecc83 said:

Excepting its use in petrol many people think the restriction on lead to be OTT? The rifle range where I was a safety officer has been shot over since the Great War. You cannot lift Sod One without finding a bullet or/and casing and yet! The grass grows, the flowers bloom, the trees still reach for the sky and the bloody rabbits thrive!

Dave.

Are you sure they're not March Hares?

No, they were not and why are my last 4 words emboldened? I did not do that.

Dave.

hywelg

You shouldn't need to decrud the tip every time you do a joint, if this is really the case your solder is crap. If you are using iron plated tips get yourself a sal ammoniac block for re-tinning, shouldn't need doing moire than once a month. If I need to I use a damp kitchen towel, folded into a pad.  I use Weller 200w temp controlled irons (not for electronics obvs) with their chisel bits and they rarely need cleaning other than a brass wire brush and a dunk in some Fluxite, however when we first use them we tin them right up to the shank as Weller only tin  the tip and often an acid flux will erode the iron plating bedind the tinning and wreck the tip.

I think your iron is probably getting too hot so do consider a properly temp controlled iron and have an old tin lid with some flux and solder on it to take the heat out of your bit before doing a sensitive item.

You will not get lead poisoning from solder if you are sensible. However some separate fluxes are pretty nasty, rarely those found in cored solder though. I work with lead/solder all day every day have done for 25 years, and my lead levels are normal. 60/40 Sn/Pb is the best solder unless you can find eutectic solder which IIRC is 63/37. 40/60 requires more heat and is often made with recycled lead and if the quality control is poor you will get a lot of crud. I hate Pb free, it is shite compared to the best traditional solder.

SunDevil

Thanks @hywelg - crap solder is very possible as I’ve been using some loose stuff I bought off eBay a couple of years ago. Actually bought a roll of Stannol 60/40 but yet to use it.

I’m using a cheap, non-temp controlled 40W Weller. I’m not doing electronics, just guitar wiring and the odd coupling cap

ecc83

." I hate Pb free, it is shite compared to the best traditional solder^

Like Lead Hy' ^ there is good and bad. When I started at Blackstar the Pbfree solder in the W/S was crap. Puddeny and would not flow. The quality of the production soldering on the Artisans was impeccable so we got some of their solder and things were great.

Lead free not only needs the higher temperature than 60/40 but also a slightly different technique, hard to define but you soon learn it, it 'freezes' much faster.  Great for lashups! I think you need a decent Silver content?

Dave.