On May 17, 7:00*pm, wrote:
On Fri, 17 May 2013 14:40:18 -0400, "Wild_Bill"





wrote:
You're right about digital temperature readouts for soldering iron tip
temps.. Depending upon the quality of the controller design, the readout may
only be accurate for a (small) portion of the span of the temp control.

One can periodically check the tip temp at various settings with a
thermocouple, in the way that routine calibrations are required in some
areas of assembly work.
The tip temp will show a lower temperature with the thermocouple readout if
the tip is basically dry.
A decent sized blob of solder on the tip will improve the heat transfer to
the thermocouple junction, for a more stable and accurate reading.

FWIW, I stopped using dampened sponge tip cleaners a number of years ago,
and instead use the kitchen pot scrubber type of tip cleaner.
The damp sponges tend to drop the tip temp quite a bit, and I suspect the
thermal shock probably impacts the service life of the iron clad/plated
tips.
The Edsyn plated tips I've been using for maybe 8 years have been greatly
outlasting any other tips I've used in the past.
Some sellrs refer to these types of materials as wool, although metal ribbon
might be more accurate. It has the appearance of lathe turnings.
There are several metals used for the commercial tip cleaners and the pot
scrubbers, but I've been using the stainless steel ribbon without any
problems.

Many years ago I used steel wool for tip cleaning until a tiny piece of a
strand was transferred to a circuit board unnoticed, and the signal
generator suddenly developed new faults. It took quite a while to find the
fine wire bridge, and that was the last time I used steel wool.

Another Tip tip I picked up here in SER (Andy Cuff used to mention it) is to
leave a blob of solder on the tip when shutting the iron off. I'll do a
final couple of jabs into the metal tip cleaner, then add solder to the tip
and turn the power off.
The tip is protected by a thick layer of clean solder until the next use...
and easily cleans off leaving a bright well-tinned tip.

A cleaned tip won't be protected by only a thin film of solder, which will
oxidize and be more difficult to clean off, IME.

I guess you're so emphatic about proper soldering iron use that you
felt you needed to post it twice! Har Har. Anyway, that bit about
leaving solder on the tip is a good tip and I do it. I also have found
that when soldering somewhere, like under the hood of a car, where it
is inconvenient to wipe the iron tip I just apply fresh solder to the
tip and shake it off. This then leaves the tip clean and ready for
fresh solder and the next joint. It does leave solder spatters on the
driveway though.
Eric- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

With my luck, the solder splash would somehow short two electrical
terminals together, resulting in a dead battery the next day after an
unseen light was turned on all day and night g.