Knowing when to replace your soldering iron tips can be
tricky. Tips develop different discolorations and marks depending on how you
use them, and some tips last much longer than others. Luckily, knowing when to
replace your tips isn't so hard if you follow some basic maintenance
guidelines.
Most tips manufactured today are a copper core surrounded by iron, and a tip with good-quality iron plating should last a long time if you take care of it. To maintain your tips, you’ll need to tin then after every use. Tinning involves cleaning the tip with a damp sponge and flooding the tip with solder before unplugging the iron. Proper tinning technique is vital to making your tips last as long as possible; if you’re not familiar with tinning, learn how to do it correctly before continuing with any soldering projects.
If you’ve been tinning your tips, don’t worry if they develop some blue or purple discoloration. This coloring is the result of a thin oxide layer and isn’t a sign that your tips have gone bad. What you do need to watch out for are abrasions or mechanical damage to the iron plating on the tips. Once this plating is breached or damaged, the tips will corrode quickly. As soon as you see damage to the iron plating on your tips, it’s time to start thinking about replacing them.
Most tips manufactured today are a copper core surrounded by iron, and a tip with good-quality iron plating should last a long time if you take care of it. To maintain your tips, you’ll need to tin then after every use. Tinning involves cleaning the tip with a damp sponge and flooding the tip with solder before unplugging the iron. Proper tinning technique is vital to making your tips last as long as possible; if you’re not familiar with tinning, learn how to do it correctly before continuing with any soldering projects.
If you’ve been tinning your tips, don’t worry if they develop some blue or purple discoloration. This coloring is the result of a thin oxide layer and isn’t a sign that your tips have gone bad. What you do need to watch out for are abrasions or mechanical damage to the iron plating on the tips. Once this plating is breached or damaged, the tips will corrode quickly. As soon as you see damage to the iron plating on your tips, it’s time to start thinking about replacing them.
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