Have any helpful maker tips? Send them my way!

Don't skimp on a good soldering station. Melting this tin solder is a pain and a good soldering station is essential.

fully agree, and connected to that, if you are far from a water tap, keep a small bottle with water close by, for watering the sponge.

At work we use one of those one time use water bottles....(you know the ones that people buy from a shop because they don't think our beautiful tap water is worth drinking.)

However wet sponges is a good way to destroy tips, and I have changed to the brass type dish scrubbers from your local supermarket or other retailer.

They are a dollar or so each and IMO do just as good a job.

Mark

I never destroyed my tips, but thanks for the tip, I will try the dish scrubber from our kitchen.

(two type of tips in the sentence above, as a non native speaker english language is still difficult to me)

Tecnically a wet sponge doesn't destroy tips, but makes their lifespan shorter due to oxidation also, sudden changes on the Tip's temperature (from very hot to cold when using the sponge) will cause cracks to the tip's coating in the long term, a good explanation here. I agree with others, the brass sponge is good enough and does an excellent job.

Luis

A great benefit is it never seems to need cleaning/emptying. Since I've had the wire springy stuffy, I've never emptied it in a few years.. I don't know where the waste flux/solder/dirt off the iron falls.. probably falls through to the bottom of the pot eventually, but if I don't look there, the problem doesn't exist : )

I personally still use the damp sponge method with no major issues. I tried getting into the brass-wool stuff, and while it's nice not to need the occasional topping up of water, I found that sometimes it wasn't quite as clean and the really "fresh" springy stuff has a habit (if you're a bit vigorous or in a hurry) of occasionally flicking hot solder which in itself could be a hazard or a minor inconvenience.

- Gough

Gough Lui  wrote:
 
I personally still use the damp sponge method with no major issues. I tried getting into the brass-wool stuff, and while it's nice not to need the occasional topping up of water, I found that sometimes it wasn't quite as clean and the really "fresh" springy stuff has a habit (if you're a bit vigorous or in a hurry) of occasionally flicking hot solder which in itself could be a hazard or a minor inconvenience.
 
- Gough

The trick with the brass is:

1. push tip in
2. turn 90°
3. tip out.

No frantic poking required.

I can confirm this is the right procedure but I'd add, if after these steps tip is not coming pristine clean, add some fresh solder and repeat the steps. Everytime I do it with some fresh solder, tip comes shinny and looking like new.

Luis

Ahh.. I'll have to try step 2.. it makes sense, to get different bits of metal in contact.

Currently I do step 1+3 twice or so.

shabaz  wrote:

 

Ahh.. I'll have to try step 2.. it makes sense, to get different bits of metal in contact.

Currently I do step 1+3 twice or so.

I learned it from a Weller youtube tutorial.

shabaz  wrote:

 

Ahh.. I'll have to try step 2.. it makes sense, to get different bits of metal in contact.

Currently I do step 1+3 twice or so.

I learned it from a Weller youtube tutorial.