Tinning a new soldering iron

[Martin Kelly]

A potentially daft question: I've recently bought a new soldering iron. Obviously, I need to tin the tip before using it in anger. The instructions on the box say that I should use flux cored solder to to this. Is there any reason why I can't use "normal" non-flux cored solder and flux to do the job?

What techniques do use use for this job?

[Suffolk Dave]

A potentially daft question

Not a daft question but one that might well generate multiple and sometimes contradicting replies...

So, here goes with my two penn'orth worth: I've taken to tinning new soldering tips, in my case Antex, with Carr's solder paint. It has worked well for me so far. With a cold iron I dip the point of the tip into the solder paint. Place the iron somewhere safe, switch it on and let it melt the paint. Clean afterwards with you preferred method and you should be good to go...

[Paul Willis]

A potentially daft question

Not a daft question but one that might well generate multiple and sometimes contradicting replies...

So, here goes with my two penn'orth worth: I've taken to tinning new soldering tips, in my case Antex, with Carr's solder paint. It has worked well for me so far. With a cold iron I dip the point of the tip into the solder paint. Place the iron somewhere safe, switch it on and let it melt the paint. Clean afterwards with you preferred method and you should be good to go...

I'm with Dave on this. He has described exactly what I do. One slight enhancement I will suggest - as the iron heats up, the solder paint may spit, so you may want to place it on a surface where this doesn't matter, like a piece of hardboard.

This technique of solder-paint-from-cold also works very well if a used bit is really cruddy - say after using a lot of resin cored solder for electrical work. Clean it back carefully with gash files and/or a fibreglass brush, then re-treat as from new.

Cheers
Paul

[John Bateson]

There are some videos on YouTube showing this. Basically, you wrap cored solder around the tip when cold. Then switch on.
This technique can also be used for cleaning the tip later.

I suspect when using separate flux it will evaporate long before the solder can get a chance to meld with the tip. It needs needs a chance for the solder to leach onto and into the surface of the tip and cored solder will do this.

I now use Tip Cleaner from Amazon, which has brass swarf on top to scrape rubbish off the tip and beneath that is some solid resin with gives the tip a nearly new shine. See https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B07FYGCXWT/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
It can be cheaper with a local shop.

And of course there will be other opinions ...

John

[Daddyman]

In my (admittedly) possibly imperfect understanding of this, tinning has always seemed to me a solution in search of a problem. Plus, I'm pretty sure Antex bits come ready-tinned anyway. I watched the youtube videos years ago, and concluded that what they recommended was no different from simply picking up a piece solder with the iron and getting on with soldering. That's certainly been what I've done ever since. It might help to run the iron around on a piece of fluxed scrap with a bit of solder first. The tip needs to be shiny to work; if it's already shiny, why do anything to it? Clean the tip of crud with a suede brush - takes it back to shiny.

[Winander]

Clean it back carefully with gash files and/or a fibreglass brush

Antex and Hakko tips are plated and taking any kind of file to them will, according to the manufacturers, ruin them. Better to use a brass brush (which is what I think a suede brush is). I regularly have to re-tin the tip of my Hakko as I use lead free solder a lot and it doesn't 'wet' as well as leaded. A fresh application of leaded with silver solder works a treat. I would also recommend brass swarf for regular cleaning.

[Paul Willis]

Clean it back carefully with gash files and/or a fibreglass brush

Antex and Hakko tips are plated and taking any kind of file to them will, according to the manufacturers, ruin them. Better to use a brass brush (which is what I think a suede brush is). I regularly have to re-tin the tip of my Hakko as I use lead free solder a lot and it doesn't 'wet' as well as leaded. A fresh application of leaded with silver solder works a treat. I would also recommend brass swarf for regular cleaning.

Exactly - which is why I said "clean it back".

Sometimes you can get a lot of crud on the tip of the iron, and you need to remove it before cleaning up the plated surface. I could have said "clean it back until to reach the original surface" but I didn't think that it would need spelling out so clearly as I was talking about a used bit that was significantly dirty.

Cheers
Paul

[bécasse]

Twenty five years ago I treated myself to a new Antex iron with a temperature-controlled bit and a full range of bits (which get changed over depending on the size of the job in hand at any one moment). I religiously wipe the bit in use on the supplied damp sponge every time that I take the iron out of its holder or put it back - and it is always switched off when in the stand. I have been amazed to find that the bits are as good and clean now as they were when I bought them. I assume that the temperature control tends to avoid them being "cooked" - I normally set the bit temperature at 100° higher than the MP of the solder in use and I use Power Flow flux in its yellow tub. I can't remember for certain now but the bits were probably originally tinned with HMP silver-content solder which won't, of course, melt when using 145° or 188° MP solder.

[Jol Wilkinson]

I have used Antex irons for several decades and use Multicore soldering iron tip cleaner for tinning new bits and refreshing one is use. I also use one of those stand/cleaners that has a "brass" scrub bud in it, instead of a sponge. This is good at removing tired or excess solder from the tip. I got these from Phil Atkinson at Hobby Holidays, preferring to support one of the hobbies suppliers than the US owned global internet traders.

[Martin Kelly]

Jol, do you dip the tip of the iron in the tip cleaner/tinner when it's cold and then turn on the power? Or do you heat the iron first before dipping it in the tip cleaner/tinner? I see Eileen's Emporium sell this stuff:

https://www.eileensemporium.com/materia ... thway-1124

Is that what you use?

[John Palmer]

I too use a Hakko iron. Changing/replacing bits is straightforward enough, but I'd rather not have to do so due to the plating becoming damaged. Satisfactory re-tinning of a bit that's been abraded down to the base copper isn't something I've found easy with previous irons, so I try to take good care of my Hakko bits.

Here's what I use as a tip tinner:

Tip and tinner.jpg

Mine came from https://www.railroomelectronics.co.uk/Solder-Soldering/Tip-Tinner/Product-88536.aspx# (no connection other than as a satisfied customer). I take the iron up to 350 degrees, wipe the bit against the surface of the tinner, then wipe it in the brass swarf contained in the Hakko's holder. When cold, I also give the tip of the iron a scrub with a brass-bristled suede brush. Seems to produce a good enough finish on the bit.

[Jol Wilkinson]

Jol, do you dip the tip of the iron in the tip cleaner/tinner when it's cold and then turn on the power? Or do you heat the iron first before dipping it in the tip cleaner/tinner? I see Eileen's Emporium sell this stuff:

https://www.eileensemporium.com/materia ... thway-1124

Is that what you use?

Hi Martin,

I let the the iron get up to temperature and then push into the tip cleaner, which is similar to the one from eileensemporium. Comparable products available from a variety of suppliers under different brands and different prices.

Jol

[Martin Kelly]

Thank you all for your responses. I went for the suggestion made by a couple of you to use Carr's Solder Paint and it worked really well.