How can you manage to damage a soldering iron like this?

That looks like a tip from a Tenma hot air rework combination station (rebadged Atten). I would know ... because I have one, along with a spare soldering iron assembly when element14 last had it on special.

I found my first tip has only just started to lose its tip and erode slightly - in five years of very "occasional" hobby use, my tip looks like this:

I suspect someone may have been using acid-core solder with it or running it in a business using it for very long periods. Maybe lead-free, but setting the temperature too high and leaving it to idle is a bad idea for oxidation. Perhaps using harsh tip cleaners without thinking or constant dipping in overly saturated sponges. Otherwise, maybe using it to desolder heavy connections (strongly not recommended) or scratch away at something.

All but the cheapest tips tend to go for many many years - I rarely ever have to change a tip. I even use moist sponges (although, I do have brass-wool as well). Tip cleaner is only rarely used in case of uncleanable oxidation that wouldn't wipe away normally with the flux in the solder. Quality solder from Multicore probably helps too, while keeping the temperature at about 380C (leaded). Turning off the iron if I'm not using it for a 10 minutes or longer helps to preserve tip life..

- Gough

> That looks like a tip from a Tenma hot air rework combination station

Very eagle eyed, yes it is

> I suspect someone may have been using acid-core solder with it or running it in a business using it for very long periods

I admit I should be more familiar with the different solder types but I've not had a decent guide to them, I admit. This solder iron has been sat in a(buse) hackspace in particular.

Acid-core is rarely seen as it's normally used only for plumbing purposes. Think of "very corrosive flux".

Perhaps someone was using that kind of solder for making jewellery? I mean, hackerspaces are rife with very unusual improvised techniques by people who may not know any better - maybe someone was using the tip as a "poker" for wood burning (another easy way to ruin a tip).

- Gough

Or levering with it, like a chisel : ) The temptation is high to do that when desoldering stubborn stuff : )

That tip may have started out that short, they come in many different shapes and sizes.

I have three different sizes I use:

Short and fat = higher wattage. (usually)  or someone has been cleaning the tip with sandpaper or a grinder.

Scott

I was going to say I've used the same tips for maybe 6+ years, but then I was reminded of 'Trigger's broom' : )

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RE: Question electronics RE: How can you manage to damage a soldering iron like this?

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As Scott points out that tip may have been pretty short to start with. The barrel oxidation is probably from being left on continuously.

My irons at home, which see a fair amount of use, never get that bad, but I always turn them off when I'm not actively soldering.

I've seen tips and barrels like that in a lot of labs where people just leave the irons on all day long.

It is also common that the temperature is cranked way up to compensate for poor tips.

Or they leave the temperature high after cranking it  up to solder to a heat sinking area.

The tip cleaning systems are often not maintained well and people just scrape the tips on anything handy.

And when the tips don't work well, they complain that that brand of iron is no good.

Iron abuse occurs when people don't know what to do or just don't care or because it isn't "their responsibility" to maintain the equipment.

Looks like someone has used a metal file on it, taken the plating off and the solder gradually ate the copper core away. Also left on 24/7 so it has overheated?

I am not an expert, but doesn't the tips wear out?

Hi!

I don't think they do (much) in normal design-engineer use. They might in production use (factory floor), but I don't recall it being frequent (the first place i worked, there was some soldering work done by hand even in production, for the very low volumes products, but the rest was automated - they had wave soldering machines, they made in-house, because the production quantities were still relatively low, in the hundreds or low thousands rather than ten thousands).

Even fairly small (1mm across the flat portion) tips have lasted me 6+ years, which is getting toward normal wear&tear, i.e. I may knock the iron once or twice during 6 years anyway.

Basically, since I upgraded my soldering station (more than 6 years ago) I've never purchased any more tips for it.

The ultra pointy tips probably are more delicate, i.e. if bashed against something end-on while hot, might not survive - not sure : (

But then even fine pointy steel tweezers can be ruined with soldering iron level heat (need re-quenching).

As Doug mentions, the temperature probably plays a key role too, i.e. if the iron has good temperature control loop, and also if it auto-reduces temperature when idle, then that could help.

Non-temperature-regulated irons did have low tip life I think, but I can't tell if that was due to my bad use of them or not. But those irons are so cheap, other things go wrong with those.. elements for instance.