Soldering iron tip refresher

Flashlight Modding and DIY Parts
1

I have this (BS-2): http://www.bestofferbuy.com/solder-tip-refresher-p-7846.html which is good but it doesn't have much material in it. (here's a video about it: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0hTTYIeI8Q8)

I found a "refill" on eBay (similar dimensions but not circular): http://www.ebay.com/itm/Double-sided-Refresher-RoHs-For-Iron-Tip-/370532776637

And a much larger can (FHG-5A): http://www.ebay.com/itm/Soldering-Iron-Tip-Refresher-FHG-5A-/400269545329

Anyone has any experience with the "refill" or the FHG-5A? How do they compare to the BS-2?

2

I just dip in flux paste all the time and wipe the tip. Probably the same stuff better packaging and some lanolin :P

this looks like my can too (old)..

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Vintage-Burnley-Soldering-Paste-Can-/320895582940?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item4ab6de02dc

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Acid-Paste-Flux-2-oz-Kester-SP-30-/110855561631?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item19cf81a19f

Same thing just newer . i think the small bit of acid is all it takes to clean your tip...like I said it's probably all the same stuff

I won't solder without flux

you're right you can't solder with a dirty tip

3

Actually, it is composed of ammonium phosphate and tin powder, so it should clean the tip of corrosion and put some tin on it to protect it from oxidizing further.

I don't use it a lot (I just tin my iron tip at the end of a soldering session and it's usually enough), but it did revive an older tip I had which was unusable as the tin couldn't stick on it and flux didn't help to clean the rust. Maybe I should've used a different kind of flux...

4

When my soldering tipgets really gummed up I take some sandpaper and clean it up that way. Some flux to clean it before I re-tin the tip with solder. It works well and I find i regain the heat transfer linews new.

Edit: like new. (damn auto spell check)

5

I use a soldering stone, selmiak they say. I don’t know the composition. It is a solid block and if you touch it with the hot iron you can see it brighten up and tin flow over it again.

6

I have never heard of such a thing! Where can these be obtained? I checked eBay and couldn't find anything like that listed for sale...

<edit>I just found this! Interesting...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ammonium_chloride

<edit><edit>Found it! http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_nkw=sal+ammoniac&_sacat=0&_odkw=soldering+iron+cleaner&_osacat=0&_from=R40

7

does sound interesting, but no link there keltex :)

8

9

I use a copper dish scrubber from the dollar store. It is glued to the shelf next to my soldering station. Just stab the scrubber a couple times with hot iron, dip tip in flux and tin

10

This is how we did it in all of our EE labs at school.

11

yeah I use steel wool I got from the dollar store..seems to work ok..

12

I use steel wire like the one here: http://www.buyincoins.com/details/heavy-duty-soldering-solder-iron-tip-cleaner-steel-wire-with-stand-set-product-7770.html to avoid the thermal shock to the iron tip when using the usual wet sponge.

Got several at 1$ each, should last a long time.

13

I got a brass scrubber when I bought a temp-controlled Hakko iron; this will find them.

Hakko-Soldering-Iron-Tip-Cleaner-Brass-Sponge-and-Holder

Works great.

Aside --- a bit of boiling water will blast any extra flux right off a newly soldered or brazed join; once it cools, the flux excess glues itself to everything.

(Can't promise anything about what it'd do to electronics, of course!)