soldering tip question

[coachers]

 Is there any reason not to clean your soldering tip with sandpaper? After soldering a few boards I just clean my tip with 220 sandpaper to lengthen the life of my tips and I'm cheap.

just wondering if there some reason not to.

AL

[egenoup]

you are not supposed to.... use a damp sponge or like I do, I use a damp napkin...  You do not want to remove the tin of the tip... I'm sure someone will correct me if I'm wrong!

 

Charles

[coachers]

I tin my tip often but after a while carbon builds above the tin. That is what I clean with sandpaper.

 

[crazybob]

I've been wondering the same thing. I was told to heat mine up and scrub it with some steel wool. Eventually it will need replaced, of course.

[Dennis Cherry]

If you are using the tin coated tips you do not clean them with sandpaper or steel wool.

Only use a damp sponge or napkin and only clean it before soldering a part to the PCB.  The tip will last for years if you use the sponge cleaning.

If the tip is just copper then it will need the sandpaper or steel wool to clean occasionally but you can still use the damp sponge to clean while soldering. The cooper tip will not last long either.

Been soldering for 50+ years.

[deplanche]

If it's a plated tip (which is common on the cheap irons, like I initially bought), then sanding the tip will actually shorten the life... not to mention the tip after several times.

[crazybob]

Good to know!

[bisquit476]

It took me a while to find the pic, but here are 3 different tips, the first 2 are for a 25 watt Weller Iron, the third is a 40 watt tip. The first shows what happens when you grind the coating off a tip. At one time it was pointy like the 40 watt tip, and as long as the original 25 watt tip. The pic doesn't show it, but the ground tip is about 1/4 inch shorter than the unground one.

[coachers]

Wow! Picture worth a thousand words....

[n1ist]

On the other hand, using brass wool is OK.  I have one of these
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/mike