# basics of Soldering, cleaning the tip



## sambonee (Dec 20, 2007)

I did these video some time ago. I have a bud in Spain who´s totally inept with the electronics. I basically did it for him. 

nevertheless, here it is. I have a few of them . how to change pickups etc..

https://photos.app.goo.gl/WrLCaftQswwRGA8GA


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## greco (Jul 15, 2007)

On the advice of @mhammer, I switched to these from the Dollar Store.
I put one in an empty tuna can as a holder. They last along time and are not expensive.
Something you might want to consider.

You are very correct in that not cleaning and not tinning the iron are often two of the 'steps' most beginners forget/omit.


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## Dorian2 (Jun 9, 2015)

similar to Greco's. I got one of these with my Hakko Soldering station. I think it's more soldering tip specific. Has a funky smell though but works perfectly.

Hakko 599-029 Replacement Cleaning Wire, for 599B Tip Cleaner: Amazon.ca: Tools & Home Improvement


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## sambonee (Dec 20, 2007)

Dorian2 said:


> similar to Greco's. I got one of these with my Hakko Soldering station. I think it's more soldering tip specific. Has a funky smell though but works perfectly.
> 
> Hakko 599-029 Replacement Cleaning Wire, for 599B Tip Cleaner: Amazon.ca: Tools & Home Improvement


You’re supposed to rinse them after doing the dishes and not leave food in them. Perhaps that’s the smell lol


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## Guest (Feb 15, 2019)

sambonee said:


> You’re supposed to rinse them after doing the dishes and not leave food in them. Perhaps that’s the smell lol


Oh I used a full can of wild red Pacific salmon. Nothing but the best for my iron.


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## Boogieman (Apr 6, 2009)

I actually have a Hakko 599B holder. It was a gift and it is still in the original box. I have one that looks quite similar to the 599B and this:











Got mine at a local store for $5 or so several years ago. I get the cleaning wire from Dollarama.


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## Guest (Feb 15, 2019)

Has nobody make a tip cleaning joke yet?


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## sambonee (Dec 20, 2007)

I like the nostalgia I n’expérimente when the top hits the damp sponge it’s auite amazing how many me worries of RC off-road racing I did as a kid. I was so hooked on the 1/10 scale electric. 

I started and ran Sid’s raceway in Mississauga from 2006 to 2010. With music back in my life, I don’t miss it. But man was it addictive. 





This was a layout I designed. The track was at 407 and Britannia.


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## Markus 1 (Feb 1, 2019)

I clean my tip daily with a damp sponge. No steel wool. It's painful


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## bolero (Oct 11, 2006)

I thought brass wool was the best, because steel will wear on the tip?


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## BSTheTech (Sep 30, 2015)

You can get the brass scrubbers at the dollar store. Cheap and WAY better than a dirty wet sponge.

The RC track brings back memories. I was big into airplanes and heli’s for 20 years. I listen to guys talking about their drones these days and just laugh. They have no idea what we went through back in the day.


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## mhammer (Nov 30, 2007)

Markus 1 said:


> I clean my tip daily with a damp sponge. No steel wool. It's painful


I used a damp sponge for a number of years, simply because that's what came with the soldering station so I thought that's what you _had_ to use. I found I had to keep re-tinning the tip, and buying new tips every 6-8 months because somehow they were getting eaten away. Then I switched to the curly pad - a cheap brass one from Dollarama - and have been using the same tip (and curly pad) for about the last 8 years, and it's as good as it was when I bought it.

Use a curly pad.


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## sambonee (Dec 20, 2007)

@mhammer i will take your Advice. I wonder why the sponge one encouraged the deterioration whereas the Curly pad didn’t ?


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## BSTheTech (Sep 30, 2015)

sambonee said:


> @mhammer i will take your Advice. I wonder why the sponge one encouraged the deterioration whereas the Curly pad didn’t ?


Repeated rapid cooling using a dirty substrate?


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## Boogieman (Apr 6, 2009)

Yep.

Damp Sponge Vs Brass Sponge - The Soldering Station


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## Dorian2 (Jun 9, 2015)

Would using distilled water help?


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## BSTheTech (Sep 30, 2015)

Dude....get thee to a dollar store.


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## Boogieman (Apr 6, 2009)

Dorian2 said:


> Would using distilled water help?


No, the use of distilled water does not have a significant reduction of thermal shock.


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## Lola (Nov 16, 2014)

We talking soldering? I love soldering and am really good at it from all the stained glass I do.

I use a curly pad to wipe the tip of the soldering iron. They’re superior to anything else.

Hubby uses my skills whenever he needs to solder. He admitted that I am a way better at it then he is.


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## Chitmo (Sep 2, 2013)

Player99 said:


> Has nobody make a tip cleaning joke yet?


Just the tip?


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## Markus 1 (Feb 1, 2019)

The tip is important. It's the main working surface
Pay attention the rest of the tool too. Don't use abrasives they may cause long term damage
Remember it's your only tool and while others may not value it , it has always been a friend to you


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## Lola (Nov 16, 2014)

Markus 1 said:


> The tip is important. It's the main working surface
> Pay attention the rest of the tool too. Don't use abrasives they may cause long term damage
> Remember it's your only tool and while others may not value it , it has always been a friend to you


It’s a tool that I could not do without. I haven’t made any stained glass it for awhile though, too busy playin’ guitar. I just learned Kim Mitchell’s Rock n Roll Duty. What a killer song to learn and play! This song has great energy!

Went off topic. Oops!


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## rhh7 (Mar 14, 2008)

For my next magic trick, I am going to learn soldering. I love mixing and matching pickups in my cheap Teles and Strats. This will be fun, and save me money.


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## oldjoat (Apr 4, 2019)

don't forget to re-dress the tip once in awhile ... and use rosin solder to re-tin .... (I'm still not RoHS compliant )


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## mhammer (Nov 30, 2007)

Since we are talking soldering, I'll throw in a few more tangential aspects.

1) Get yourself a small bottle of liquid flux. It'll last you the rest of your life, but even tiny bits will come in handy, especially for soldering stranded cable that has tarnished a bit over time. I apply the stuff with a Q-tip.

2) For years, I used to rely on solder-suckers. But there were two things about them that didn't help. First the teflon tips dull down over use. Second, even new, they are often too wide to get into some of the spaces we need to get into. You CAN improve their "sucking" capacity by lubricating the inside of their cylinder with WD-40 or similar so that the plunger moves faster and creates more "tug". Take them apart from time to time and clean out all the accumulated crap.

3) After having solder wick for that.foolishly relied on solder-suckers, I learned to love solder wick. This is the braided stuff that comes in a variety of widths. If the solder joint is a big blob, I may remove a big share of the solder using the sucker, but there will still be more left, and I use the solder wick for that. Most will come with flux already embedded, but I will sometimes dab more liquid flux on the braid as an "accelerant". The braid ain't cheap, but it provides for a cleaner pad/trace when used. As well, it helps extend the life of solder-sucker tips, and can often mean applying less heat to the board and potentially damaging/lifting pads.

4) I also like to keep a small container of methyl hydrate around. Whether the flux comes from this source or that, when it dries, it is shiny, and that can hide/obscure little webs of solder that bridge places that shouldn't be bridged. It's like a strip-search for the PCB. 

5) When I make PCBs, after they are etched I will tin them by immediately wiping the pads and traces with thinned liquid flux (after I have buffed the etched board), and then applying solder. There are liquid tinning fluids you can get, and they work, but I find they don't take solder as well after a few months. The fluxed board helps even tiny amounts of solder spread quickly and efficiently. One of the reasons I tin this way is because there is a good chance I will attempt a mod later on, and need the existing pads and traces to be able to take another solder joint in an unanticipated location. Once tinned, I drill, with carbide bits. The solder surface allows the drill bit to seat at the desired target nicely. If I need to be precise, the soldered surface also lets my spring-loaded center-punch leave a nice visible dimple to aim for. Once drilled, I buff with Scotchbrite pads, and then clean all remaining flux with methyl hydrate, for a clean board that will be easy to solder to, no matter how long it takes me to get around to it.


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## High/Deaf (Aug 19, 2009)

+1 on liquid flux and solder wick (and 99% isopropyl for cleaning). 

Gotta be careful with flux - it is as sticky as tree sap. If you spill it, it seems to stick to your fingers and then transfer to everything else. But isopropyl cleans it off. 

I've used high end Pace solder suckers and still prefer wick. Even big blobs of solder can be removed, it just takes more wick. You can make your own by putting liquid flux on braided shield from a cable, but hardly worth it compared to just buying wick.


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## vadsy (Dec 2, 2010)

do it like a man, when it gets nice and hot pinch the tip between your fingers and pull all the schmutz off


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## sambonee (Dec 20, 2007)

No between your thighs !!!


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## vadsy (Dec 2, 2010)

sambonee said:


> No between your thighs !!!


why not? could save a lot of the dudes on here some gender reassignment money


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