Over cleaning the tip can leave the iron plating exposed to oxidation - and then it won't tin.I'm new to soldering and when I bought a cheap 5 dollar iron on ebay I quickly realized all irons are not created equally. I shelled out 45 bucks on Amazon for a Weller soldering station. I was impressed with the performance at first and found myself soldering like a pro but quickly (in the first use) I noticed that the tip only holds a tin shiny for the first 4 or 5 minutes (or less) after which the tip turns dull/green/black/grey burnt uglyness.
I clean the tip on a wet sponge and again I tin the tip. Both the solder an the tip become burnt even quicker. It always seems like the sponge makes it worse.. The only way to make another good solder is to turn off the iron, let it cool, and start over. Then the cycle repeats! It's really P$#22ing me off to be honest because I can't figure out what I'm doing differently than everyone else. I've watched the tutorials, I shelled out the cash for a good iron, it's brand new, WHAT IS THE DEAL!?
-I bought a copper sponge, that only seemed to make it worse.
-I reduced the heat and the tip still burns the solder immediately.
-I bought 2 types of solder, makes no difference.
-I'm not using flux (because it hasn't arrived in the mail yet) so I'm sure that isn't an issue.
Please let me know if you have any suggestions. Thank you!
Weller was once the industry standard - walk into any electronics factory and you'd see row upon row of them. It all seemed to go downhill when they were taken over by Cooper Tools.I had problems in the past with the Weller tips not being very durable. I much prefer Hakko soldering equipment. I find their tip plating to be very durable and long lasting. I would sometimes leave my Hakko on for a weekend (and cuss like a sailor when I found out on Monday), but the tips survived with no damage.
IIRC, the tips are copper, with an iron surface plating. When the iron plating wears off, the copper desolves into the solder, making a ragged tip.
How true. I started out professionally using Wellers. Ended up using the Hakkos because of their reliability/durability.Weller was once the industry standard - walk into any electronics factory and you'd see row upon row of them. It all seemed to go downhill when they were taken over by Cooper Tools.
The bean counters decided that quality and reliability were unnecessary extravagancies.
None of that seems to be what the TS is having trouble with.
In the UK, Antex irons are readily available, and at the price I could afford to treat them as expendable.How true. I started out professionally using Wellers. Ended up using the Hakkos because of their reliability/durability.
A eutectic alloy is one that is mixed to give the lowest melting point. For instance Sn61%-Pb39% is the eutectic alloy for tin-lead solder, melting point of 369°F. Other alloy mixes, such as Sn63%-Pb37% and Sn60%-Pb40% are close to being eutectic (but they are not).What is "eutectic" solder?
So, can you lower the temperature so the solder just barely melts? If not, then @#12 may have seen the problem. Your controller doesn't adjust correctly (or at all).Yes the solder does sometimes go right up in smoke and burn rather immediately, however, I have adjusted the temperature dial and it helps some but the solder either burns or won't melt at all. I haven't found a sweet spot where it just works.