04-01-2009, 06:26 AM
Boy, I don't know how I missed this thread, but I did. To start with, most soldering irons now days do not require pre-tinning, so filing the tip will change its properties so that it will require tinning before having solder adhere to it. And yes, that's what's required in order to transfer the heat from the iron to the item being soldered. Solder sticks to the iron (tinning) and It's this that causes the heat transfer that allows the solder to melt. A clean surface will allow the melted solder to flow and actually bond to the surface of the metal being soldered, and a clean tip will allow this all to happen. You can clean the surface of the item to be soldered by roughing it up with something abrasive, but the use of soldering flux also helps a heap. Woodone's and Jim Currie's advice about using a wet sponge to keep the tip clean is a good one, but I think they both can also testify that I never solder a joint without applying flux first.
We used Weller soldering irons in our electronic manufacturing business for a good 25 years, and in all that time, I cannot recall ever taking a file to a solder tip. Most of our irons were temperature controlled, some by turning a dial on the unit, but most by changing out the iron tip. Keeping the tip clean using by wiping it on a wet sponge right before using it each time was enough to allow us to use a tip several years before having to replace it. Sometimes cleaning the tip requires a bit of elbow grease, but do not attempt to clean it when it's cold, it just doesn't work. Sometimes a wet cloth will do better than a sponge.
I have a tutorial on soldering track that we published a year or so ago in the old Gauge eMag. Posting that tutorial here is on my todo list.
We used Weller soldering irons in our electronic manufacturing business for a good 25 years, and in all that time, I cannot recall ever taking a file to a solder tip. Most of our irons were temperature controlled, some by turning a dial on the unit, but most by changing out the iron tip. Keeping the tip clean using by wiping it on a wet sponge right before using it each time was enough to allow us to use a tip several years before having to replace it. Sometimes cleaning the tip requires a bit of elbow grease, but do not attempt to clean it when it's cold, it just doesn't work. Sometimes a wet cloth will do better than a sponge.
I have a tutorial on soldering track that we published a year or so ago in the old Gauge eMag. Posting that tutorial here is on my todo list.
Don (ezdays) Day
Board administrator and
founder of the CANYON STATE RAILROAD
Board administrator and
founder of the CANYON STATE RAILROAD