Is my soldering iron tip ruined?

[kuksul08]

This is my first soldering iron, and I've been using it for about a year now since I bought it.

Just recently, I noticed this black spot that will not tin. Looks like the chrome plating is flaking off. The very tip is breaking apart in a similar manner. Is my only option to buy a new tip now?

What tip would you suggest for general use? This one was a tad big for smaller projects. It's a Weller soldering iron. Also how can I prevent this from happening?

If it's salvageable, what can I do?

Thanks

 

[KC2IXE]

tips are a disposable item. That tip isn't too bad, as you usually don't work with that spot on the tip (or at least I don't)

The idea is buy a few different ones, and use the right size for the job

 

[leeleefocus]

That tip is for the bin. Buy a new tip and be amazed at the difference it will make.

One of the jobs i get to do at work sometimes when it's quiet is rework PCB,s
I can get a tip to look like that in a couple of days of heavy usage.

I can't recommend a decent Weller tip as i dislike almost all of the Weller tip profiles. I find the Pace tips much more versatile but you will need a Pace iron for that.

 

[T0RN4D0]

Uh you should see my tips. Anyone using the solder iron properly would probably get sick Well the one on the iron i got yesterday is still ok

 

[jasonck08]

My last two weller tips literally broke after a while. It's like the metal on the tip gradually disintegrated and the metal became pitted. I ended up grinding the tip down a bit using a bench grinder and now it works ok again. I don't understand why these tips are so crappy. Are there any good ones that will actually last more than a 10x use?

 

[gadget_lover]

They get pitted because they are allowed to sit while hot after the solder is wiped or scraped off. The underlying metal becomes oxidized. After each use, always put a fresh blob of solder on the tip to protect it.


There is a technique used to re-tin it if it's become oxidized.

Quoted from http://yarchive.net/metal/soldering_iron_tinning.html

The proper procedure is to geat a tinner's block. This is a block of sal
ammoniac which is the common name name for the chemical compound ammonium
chloride. It looks like a salt lick used for farm animals. With the
soldering tip hot and with alot of solder adhearing, the tip is scrubbed on
the tinners block. This works best if there is some area of the tip that
has a semblance of tinned area already available. This tinned area will
then spread out as the scrubbing takes place. It is best to use solder that
has an excess of tin for this purpose like the eutectic (58%tin/42lead or
close?) electronic solder or the (98%tin/2%silver) plumbing solder.

I included the quote because I could not remember how to spell Sal Ammoniac.

Daniel

 

[kuksul08]

So I guess I'm lucky it lasted me a year!

I make it common practice to keep the tip tinned in between uses, as well as before storage (basically I try to keep it tinned always).

This tip (.125" x .750") is a bit big but worked surprisingly well for most things I've had to work on. I think I'll get the .9375" or .625" width version next.

 

[StrikerDown]

I have an old Weller with some tips over 20 years old! All the tips are over 20 years but some are still unused. The key to long life is using a lot more solder to tin the tip than you solder parts with. Each time you pick it up to solder it gets cleaned, solder the joint/s, tin and put in the rack. if it does not get used for 20-30 minutes it gets re-tinned or if I know it won't be used for that long it gets turned off and hit with a little more solder before it is too cool. always drown the tip with solder before you store it, even if for just over night. Keeping the tip covered with solder prevents the plating on the tip from oxidizing and going away. Once that happens you might as well replace it. It is considered a consumable.

When I was in depot level maintenance, with the Weller runnng 8 hours a day and the government buying all the tips I could use they would last weeks with proper care, or hours or even minutes without.

With your tip, try thermal shocking it by wiping on a wet sponge when it is really hot then hit it with flux core solder. Try it a few times and if it does not help toss it.

 

[csa]

Some good advice here. I always knew tips were disposable, but I have been lazy about replacing them. Now I've got some ideas for how to help them last a bit longer...

 

[Beamhead]

always drown the tip with solder before you store it, even if for just over night. Keeping the tip covered with solder prevents the plating on the tip from oxidizing and going away. Once that happens you might as well replace it.

Words to solder by. My Weller's are from the 80's and I have only replaced 4-5 tips. The heating elements are another animal.:tinfoil:

 

[darkzero]

Aside from those who have experience with rework, many people use too high of a temperature for the size tip being used or application. The excessive heat leads to faster tip degradation. If you need excessive heat to get the job done chances are you have other factors/issues that need to be addressed.

For irons that don't have heat adjustability, too small of a tip for a high wattage iron is not a good combo, ie using a very fine tip on a 40W iron for fine PCB rework is not a good idea. It's best to have the right size iron for the job. Before I got my own soldering station I had two seperate irons, a 15W & a 30W.

Once a tip starts to pit it's time to replace it, don't be cheap. I would also never file, grind, or sand a tip although you can get away with very minor polishing. Replace it or buy the suitable profile of your preference. Old degraded tips also need more heat to get the job done. You'll be amazed how much better a new fresh tip performs along with the need for less heat compared to your old tip & the dial cranked up.

 

[65535]

By cutting down the heat I have tips that are 4-5 years old going strong.

 

[jasonck08]

Where can you actually buy cheap tips. Home depot and lowes don't have any, and I checked ebay and stuff and they all seem crappy or expensive...

 

[Torque1st]

I am like Ray. I have tips that are 20 years old. They don't get used regularly. I always clean them with a wet sponge before use and afterward then load them up with solder. I have filed the tips also or used sandpaper with no problems. The OP's tip can be salvad with a little sandpaper and re-tinning. The copper tips also seem to dissolve into the solder slowly with use. Some tips are made of plated iron or steel. Personally I dislike them.

I always use the normal white thermal heatsink compound on the threads. It makes changing tips much easier.

 

[65535]

Fry's electronics should, depending on what unit you have. Though they are being phased out my ET* tips are still available around $5 a tip plus shipping.

 

[HighLight]

My tips looks just like yours after awhile. I just very lightly go over that dark spot with very fine sandpaper and then i re-tin the tip with lots of solder. I then unplug the iron and wipe all over the tip with a wet paper towel concentrating on the area with the dark spot. I keep on brushing over the tip with the wet paper towel until its almost cooled off. This works for me.ymmv

 

[Illum]

heh, I've been really bad on my tips, but they seem to hold up well.

I've never seen something like that before, when my tips gets dull I usually chuck them on the drill press and "work it out" using a fine file at an angle, then proceed to tin. hasn't failed me yet

 

[Lynx_Arc]

my iron is an old Ungar and I use iron plated copper tips on it, I have had to replace 1 tip only because it broke off after 20 years of use and the heating element died but I had an element with a tip from my late fathers iron I swapped into it. I don't know if you can find iron plated tips any more but they hold up a lot better than others.

 

[Norm]

I have an old Weller with some tips over 20 years old!

Same here, to me your tip looks fine, I would't be worrying too much about it.
Norm

 

[Aircraft800]

Dam, your tip last that long? I replace mine 2-3 times a year on my 25w iron. I wish there were nice ones like the one you have available for mine.


I really need a quality iron!