April 2009

We’ve written about tips for your soldering tips before but Cooper Tools (more specifically, Weller) recently came out with a new list of tips to get the most out of your soldering tips…and some of the tips are ones we have not addressed in the past.

Soldering tips are a consumable item meaning that they are designed to be used and worn out so it’s important to get the most soldering time out of one tip. Here’s what Weller recommends for making soldering tips last longer.

• This may seem obvious but it is important to use the correct tips to get the most out of your soldering iron
• Invest in “intelligent” tools i.e. safety rests and stations. These new tools use technology to include a setback function to lower the temp. of the tip when it’s not in use. The same is true for the safety stands that reduce the temperature of the tip when the iron is placed in the stand
• Use a heating plate to reheat a board to reduce the risk of overheating
• This tip is one of the most common but it is important… use the lowest possible temperature to get the job done
• When choosing a tip, select one with the largest dimension and shortest length that will work for the task
• Make sure the tip is well “wetted”  (Wondering what wetting a soldering tip means? Here’s a good basic soldering guide)

Cleaning is also important when it comes to the life of a soldering tip, keep this tip in mind:

Lead-free soldering = dry cleaning

Leaded soldering = wet cleaning

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