Do I have to tin the tip of my soldering iron every single time? + other questions

Status
Not open for further replies.

GopherT

Joined Nov 23, 2012
8,009
After being so concerned with a solder tip, I'm interested to see how timid you will be about applying power to a chip or LED.
 

#12

Joined Nov 30, 2010
18,224
After being so concerned with a solder tip, I'm interested to see how timid you will be about applying power to a chip or LED.
Excellent point. A good quality soldering iron can last for years, even if treated badly. An IC can smoke in an instant if you get even one connection wrong.:eek:
 

Thread Starter

rambomhtri

Joined Nov 9, 2015
551
Yeah, he's joking. He is a famous Canadian YouTuber that teach electrical stuff in a very funny way. He's awesome. Still not seen any possible way of hurting your eyes while soldering.
 

Thread Starter

rambomhtri

Joined Nov 9, 2015
551
What's up with some of you guys? What the heck is wrong about asking questions about how to take care of the soldering iron, which practically refers to the tip? That's the name of the post, for god's sake.

This is a forum, I asked some questions about the tip cause I had questions. That's it. Some of you need to get over it. My god...

If some of you think it does not take any kind of care, then that's fine, just say:
-"Hi, IMO, the tip is not that important, it really does not matter if you use a sponge or wool, just clean it when you see it's dirty, and that's it, don't think about it too much".

Others will say that it's crucial to take care of your tip, as I've already watched on YouTube and many other sites. I'll just read the comments, think about them and their logic, and try to create the best answer for my question. But if you come and say:
-"Lol, so much care about a $5 tip and you don't care about your eyes"

It's irritating and has no sense. Tell me:
Do you wear glasses while cracking walnuts?

I'm sure you don't, you would even laugh at someone that uses glasses for that purpose.
Do you wear glasses while cutting your nails? And your cat's nails?
What about while cracking hazelnuts?
And while it's raining? You know some raining is acidic, and that can be very bad to your eyes? And while it's snowing?
No, no, no and no.
Do you want me to tell you:
-Lol, wears glasses while soldering cause there's 0.0005% chances of getting hurt by a remotely possible accident, but breakfasts everyday 4 walnuts and smashes them with a hammer without any kind of protections for his eyes, and a piece could hit his eye and make it bleed... Dumb...

OK, thank you dl324, as you've provided at least 2 personal experiences from 2 different users that has suffer an accident injuring his eyes. I still think hurting your eyes while soldering, with a fan pointing in the opposite direction, is highly unlikely.
Another question here:
The melting point of a 60/40 wire solder is 180-190ºC. Is it enough if I set the temperature knob to 200ºC? Or it works faster and better if I set it to 230ºC?

PD: Thank you all for the responses, but some users are starting to annoy me with their unhelpful responses.
 

Thread Starter

rambomhtri

Joined Nov 9, 2015
551
300 is the usual temperature for me.
Wow, I did not expect that... Why so far away from the melting point?
I know setting it to 190ºC would be inefficient due to thermal dissipation and other facts... but almost doubling the temperature of melting is kind of overkill, isn't it?

I'm talking about ºC, not ºF.
 

dl324

Joined Mar 30, 2015
16,788
I use a 700°F (370°C) tip for most of my soldering. Tips for my iron only come in 600, 700, or 800°F.

I usually set my hot air tool to around 280-3oo°C.
 

GopherT

Joined Nov 23, 2012
8,009
What's up with some of you guys? What the heck is wrong about asking questions about how to take care of the soldering iron, which practically refers to the tip? That's the name of the post, for god's sake.

This is a forum, I asked some questions about the tip cause I had questions. That's it. Some of you need to get over it. My god...

If some of you think it does not take any kind of care, then that's fine, just say:
-"Hi, IMO, the tip is not that important, it really does not matter if you use a sponge or wool, just clean it when you see it's dirty, and that's it, don't think about it too much".

Others will say that it's crucial to take care of your tip, as I've already watched on YouTube and many other sites. I'll just read the comments, think about them and their logic, and try to create the best answer for my question. But if you come and say:
-"Lol, so much care about a $5 tip and you don't care about your eyes"

It's irritating and has no sense. Tell me:
Do you wear glasses while cracking walnuts?

I'm sure you don't, you would even laugh at someone that uses glasses for that purpose.
Do you wear glasses while cutting your nails? And your cat's nails?
What about while cracking hazelnuts?
And while it's raining? You know some raining is acidic, and that can be very bad to your eyes? And while it's snowing?
No, no, no and no.
Do you want me to tell you:
-Lol, wears glasses while soldering cause there's 0.0005% chances of getting hurt by a remotely possible accident, but breakfasts everyday 4 walnuts and smashes them with a hammer without any kind of protections for his eyes, and a piece could hit his eye and make it bleed... Dumb...

OK, thank you dl324, as you've provided at least 2 personal experiences from 2 different users that has suffer an accident injuring his eyes. I still think hurting your eyes while soldering, with a fan pointing in the opposite direction, is highly unlikely.
Another question here:
The melting point of a 60/40 wire solder is 180-190ºC. Is it enough if I set the temperature knob to 200ºC? Or it works faster and better if I set it to 230ºC?

PD: Thank you all for the responses, but some users are starting to annoy me with their unhelpful responses.

Wow, I did not expect that... Why so far away from the melting point?
I know setting it to 190ºC would be inefficient due to thermal dissipation and other facts... but almost doubling the temperature of melting is kind of overkill, isn't it?

I'm talking about ºC, not ºF.
Just like in cooking, the higher (and closer) the heat, the more rare the meat. That is, you heat the surface so fast that the inside has no time to get hot. Same goes for soldering. If you hold heat on the solder so long that it finally melts and flows,
 

Thread Starter

rambomhtri

Joined Nov 9, 2015
551
Another question right here:

When you're done soldering, job finished, it's time to save your iron soldering and stuff. Nevertheless, the sponge is wet, so you can't put the soldering station inside the box cause the sponge will not dry. So... what do you do?
Do you live the soldering station just like that, in your work area?
 

wayneh

Joined Sep 9, 2010
17,495
Ever heard of the infamous, "Murphy's law"? So worried about a ~$10 iron tip, but not about priceless eyes.
Excellent point! Not that it matters, but the tips are only about $1, not $10.

That said, I have to admit I don't wear safety glasses like I should. I always feel like I can't see quite as well. I need one of those magnifying things you wear on your head. Could help solve both problems.
 

dl324

Joined Mar 30, 2015
16,788
When you're done soldering, job finished, it's time to save your iron soldering and stuff. Nevertheless, the sponge is wet, so you can't put the soldering station inside the box cause the sponge will not dry. So... what do you do?
Do you live the soldering station just like that, in your work area?
My soldering iron and hot air tool have dedicated space on my workbench.

The sponge should be damp, not wet when you use it. It reduces heat loss and thermal shock to the tip.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Top