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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.
Nomad
Nobody loves me but my mother... and she could be jivin' too...
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?
Rift Amplification
Brackley, Northamptonshire
www.riftamps.co.uk
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
No, they were not and why are my last 4 words emboldened? I did not do that.
Dave.
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.
I’m using a cheap, non-temp controlled 40W Weller. I’m not doing electronics, just guitar wiring and the odd coupling cap
." 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.