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Took me 5 years to figure out I was cleaning my soldering iron tip wrong
I always wiped the tip on a wet sponge right after finishing a joint, then tinned it. Last week a guy at a repair shop in Phoenix saw me do it and said I was shocking the tip with that fast cool down. How long do you let your iron cool before cleaning it?
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ninam865mo ago
Right? I had the exact same "aha" moment a couple years ago. Someone told me the wet sponge was basically heat shocking the tip every time and I felt so dumb for not realizing it sooner. Now I just let it sit on the stand for a minute or so, then wipe it on a dry rag and add a tiny bit of fresh solder.
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wrenh795mo ago
Wait, for real? So using a wet sponge all these years has actually been bad for my tips? I've been doing that since I started soldering, and I've gone through like 6 tips in the past 3 years, always wondered why they kept pitting and getting crusty. I just let it sit on the stand for maybe 30 seconds after I turn the station off, then wipe it on a dry paper towel and add a little new solder. Seems to work way better than the old wet sponge trick.
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