To file or not to file?

[nomad]

I bought a new Weller 40 watt soldering iron not long. I have built 4 turnouts and the tip is already pitted and the iron isn't working as good. The instructions say not to file the tip. Is this just to get me to buy new tips, or is filing a bad idea? I have filed the tip on other irons and never had a problem.

Loren

[upnick]

Hi Loren,

I have filed tips before to get them to work as they did when new ...... it doesnt always work but its worth a try.

Dont forget to file it when its disconnected from the wall socket ....... also changing over tip is the same as some years ago i gripped the hot tip with pliers .... a bang followed and it never worked again of course

[doctorwayne]

I think that the "do not file" admonishment is for plated tips (which includes most nowadays). I file mine when they get badly pitted, and as long as you re-tin the tip, you should be able to get more service out of them.
I have a 200 watt iron, which I use for detailing brass locos, that had a plated tip. Unfortunately, the plating was pitted enough that it was eaten right through in some spots, with the result that it wouldn't stay clean for more than a minute or so. Since I was unable to locate a replacement tip, I filed off all of the plating, then covered the copper tip in a solder-bearing flux. A minute or so after plugging it in, the tip tinned itself, and has been pretty low-maintenance since then.

Wayne

[Ralph]

Ah! I thought you might be wondering whether to do your taxes or not.
Ralph

[nomad]

Ah! I thought you might be wondering whether to do your taxes or not.
Ralph

All ready done Ralph.

Thanks Guys. It WAS a plated tip. I got tired of waiting for the rail to heat up, so I filed it anyhow. Works much better now

Loren

[woodone]

Loren:
Try keeping the tip clean. I use a sponge that has been wet with water. Wipe it off before each use. There is also a tip cleaner that you might want to try, not real sure of the correct name might be called tip saver or tip cleaner. Try some place that has soldering equipment and I think you will find it.
BTW I solder every day doing DCC installs. I just replaced my firt tip the other day. It lasted almost a full year before I had to replace it. You can also use a paper towel ( wet with water and a little soap detergent) to wipe the tip after (and) before each use. ALSO if you have a adjustable temp soldering station try to keep the heat down. This will save the tip too.

[nomad]

Thanks Woodone. I do use a damp sponge, but now that you mention keeping the temp low I think that iron is running to hot. I quess I will have get a station some day.

Loren

[jim currie]

if you do file them its best to re-tin with a sal ammoniac block its a white square block , available at most real hardware stores or welding supply shops once you file tip down heat it up rub it in the sal ammoniac block then apply solder rub on block again . a block will last the average person a life time . some including me dissolve a bit of the sal in water them put on sponge ( only need to do this on new sponge) then wipe it on sponge before you start to solder. if sponge drys out just re-wet with water.
Jim

[nomad]

Thanks Jim.
Never heard of that but will get some. I think I have seen it at Ace.

Loren

[ezdays]

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.

[Steamtrains]

A "tip" for Weller soldering gun users....I've noticed that sometimes the tip doesn't heat up as hot as it should....A good re-tightening of the nuts that hold the tip in place takes care of that. Also...if you use acid core solder, the acid will eat through the copper tip to the point where it breaks....Need a new tip then...

[ezdays]

A "tip" for Weller soldering gun users....I've noticed that sometimes the tip doesn't heat up as hot as it should....A good re-tightening of the nuts that hold the tip in place takes care of that. Also...if you use acid core solder, the acid will eat through the copper tip to the point where it breaks....Need a new tip then...

One should never use acid core solder to solder anything but plumbing anyway, and in that case, a blowtorch is the best way to get it to melt properly anyway. Soldering irons are for rosin core solder or for use with other non-corrosive flux solder. We sued solder with a water soluble flux in order to make it easy to clean up afterwards. Rosin flux requires the use of a solvent based cleaner to do a proper job.

[nomad]

I went ahead and files the tip. I tinned the tip with rosin core solder after filling and it worked like it used to for awhile. Now I keep getting this black crud built up on the tip and needed to file again. I am using a wet sponge every time, and a paste flux with zinc chloride along with the rosin core solder. That is the only solder I can find that is small enough. Now I am back to filing the tip to clean the crud off or the rail doesn't heat up.
What am I doing wrong ?

Loren

[ezdays]

That "black crud" is oxidation. Normally, if a tip is tinned properly, it will wipe off with the wet sponge. If it doesn't, that means that the solder is not adhering to the tip. My thought is that you need to replace the tip and don't file it this time. Just make sure that when you put the solder to it, the solder will flow on the tip and even give you a small blob of solder at the end of the tip. Wipe it on the sponge and it should look really shiny. You can then touch the tip to the work and then put the solder on sparingly. If the iron becomes too hot, it will also cause oxidation on it. In any event, you cannot tin through the oxidation and removing it with a file is futile as you are finding out. Just replace the tip, or if the iron is a cheap one, get a new iron, but perhaps one with a changeable tip.

[nomad]

Thanks everyone. I will get a new tip. This time I will follow everyone's advice and hope the tip last longer.

Loren