How to remove solder from a soldering iron tip

Reactivator for soldering iron tip

Soldering iron tip reagent is a special substance in the chemical industry. To activate means to encourage something or someone to become active. So the word “reactivate” means to re-induce activity again and again. This means that a reactivator is some kind of substance that can induce something to act again.

What is it used for?

The reactivator allows you to restore charred and stained soldering iron tips. It very carefully removes carbon deposits and everything that has accumulated there, without causing any harm to the tip itself.

We present to you two types of activators: an activator for copper tips - Oxidal , and an activator for nickel tips - Tip Refresher from the famous Chinese company Ya Xun.

Everything is simple here, we clean copper tips with oxide It’s just not clear why the producers wrote it with the letter “A” at the beginning of the word. In theory, there should be the letter “O”. But it doesn’t seem to be a fake, I checked it myself. We use Tip refresher to clean nickel tips. But, as they say, it is better to see once than to hear a hundred times.

Tip-refresher

Let's look at the entire process of cleaning a nickel soldering iron tip. To do this, open our Tip refresher. It looks like some kind of gray crystals. According to the manufacturer, this is tin-silver powder with some very active flux.

And here is our patient - my favorite sting.

As we can see, there is a lot of carbon on it, which is not acceptable during operation. In this case, the soldering iron tip will not be able to be wetted with solder, explaining in human language - we cannot take solder at the tip of such a tip. The solder will fall off it all the time. We urgently need to correct the situation.

We heat the soldering iron to operating temperature and generously “bathe” it in our reactivator

Then we wipe it with a damp sponge.

After all these procedures, melt the solder and rub it on the sponge again.

Thus, our sting received a second life And how it glitters in the sun Mmmmm you should have seen

Oxidal

Oxidal is a white powder. I don’t know what it’s made of.

conclusions

At work I also have a soldering iron with a copper tip. Oxidal perfectly removes carbon deposits from a copper tip.

  According to rumors, they say that oxidal is intended only for copper tips, and I didn’t want to spoil expensive nickel tips, and Tip refresher is for nickel ones. So I had to purchase a Tip refresher. In terms of price, oxidal wins powerfully.

I bought it for either 20 or 30 rubles, I don’t remember. And I bought a Chinese reactivator for 330 rubles! But they say that it lasts for many years. Well, let's check it out.

Tip Refresher can be purchased on Aliexpress at this link

The durability of the tip depends on the correct soldering procedure. When starting work, clean the hot tip with a damp sponge and set the tip to the correct temperature. To do this, take a piece of solder and melt it with a tip.

As soon as a piece of solder turns a bright tin color and turns into a droplet, it means buzz. After finishing work, moisten the tip with solder. This will protect the tip from oxidation. Clean the soldering iron tip from time to time using reactivators.

By following all these instructions, the soldering iron will generously thank you and will never let you down in this entertaining world of electronics.

Source: https://www.RusElectronic.com/rjeaktivatory-dlja-zhal-pajalnika/

How to tin a soldering iron?

Radio electronics for beginners

If this page is visited by those who already know how to solder correctly, then the information is unlikely to be useful to you; this is a manual for beginners.

Radio electronics for beginners begins with soldering. This is an axiom. Learning to solder is quite simple, as in any business, you need practice. If the soldering kit is ready, then it’s time to start preparing the tool.

Before soldering, you need to prepare a new soldering iron for use, or rather, sharpen the tip to a certain shape and cover it with a thin layer of solder.

The tip must be sharpened with a file at an angle of 30-40 degrees, so as to form a wedge. The sharp edge of the sting should be blunted to create a flat edge about 1 mm wide. Usually, new soldering irons have a tip already sharpened with a wedge, but it is covered with a layer of patina - greenish oxide of copper and oxygen. This oxide must be removed with a metal file or fine-grained sandpaper.

In addition to the “classic” wedge-shaped tip, you can give it another shape, it all depends on what you will be soldering. For soldering small parts, you can make it shaped like an elongated cone with an edge width of 2 - 3 mm. Or make a cut in the edge so that you can solder SMD resistors with one touch.

Immediately after sharpening the tip, you need to install it in the soldering iron and tin it. If you do not do this, the copper surface of the tip will oxidize in the air and it will have to be sharpened again!

Tin the soldering iron tip

Next, you need to tin the tip, that is, cover it with a thin layer of solder. To do this, we plug in the electric soldering iron and wait for the copper rod to warm up to a certain temperature. When the tip warms up, it will become noticeable by a reddish tint; the copper will turn reddish-orange. You should not delay warming up, otherwise the tip will burn. As soon as the sting acquires a slightly reddish tint, it must be leaned against lump rosin or resin.

This will produce a lot of smoke. Cover the entire tip with melted rosin. Next, melt a small piece of solder so that it spreads evenly over the surface. You can rub the tip on a wooden board, so the solder will be better distributed over the copper surface.

The copper tip should be covered with an even layer of solder. If there are areas on the surface that are not covered with solder, it is better to repeat the process again.

This is how the soldering iron is prepared for work. The process will need to be repeated as necessary, but this is often not necessary.

I wrote everything in quite detail to make it as easy as possible for beginners.

Soldering iron care

Like any other tool, a soldering iron requires care. From time to time, the tip of the soldering iron burns out, and potholes and irregularities appear on it. Burnout is eliminated by sharpening the tip and tinning it. You should also pay attention to the fact that with prolonged use, the rod becomes covered with scale, which prevents rapid heating.

Why does the soldering iron tip burn out? The fact is that when heated, copper partially dissolves in the solder, and the edge of the tip itself is subjected to, albeit a small, mechanical effect.

It is also worth understanding that when the soldering iron is not in use, the tip becomes very hot and this contributes to the oxidation of copper. Therefore, when idle, it is recommended to either turn off the soldering iron or reduce the temperature.

A conventional electric soldering iron of the EPSN type does not have temperature control, so it is better to turn it off when idle.

Scale is removed as follows.

Use pliers to remove the copper rod from the soldering iron. Remove scale from the rod using fine-grained sandpaper. You can coat the lead with a small layer of graphite by rubbing it on the lead of a regular pencil. This will prevent rapid scale formation in the future. By lightly tapping the heating element of the soldering iron, remove scale from the heating element where the copper rod was installed. Install the copper rod in its original place.

The insulation condition of the electric soldering iron should be checked from time to time. To do this, measure the resistance between the soldering iron's power plug and the soldering tip. I have already talked about how to measure resistance. The ohmmeter should be set to a megaohm measurement limit (1 - 10 MΩ).

Remember that you cannot touch the metal probes of the multimeter with your hands when measuring resistance. Otherwise, the device will show the total resistance of your body and the measured circuit. The device should show infinitely high resistance.

This will be evidence of good insulation between the soldering iron tip and the electrical network.

For those who have already acquired a soldering station, replaceable 900M copper tips are suitable. They also require preparation before operation.

» Radio electronics for beginners » Current page

also be interested to know:

Source: https://go-radio.ru/campayka.html

Methods for cleaning a soldering iron and blowtorch

A mandatory tool, without which it is impossible to do soldering, is a soldering iron. There are several types of it. In an electric soldering iron, the most popular tool among craftsmen, a heating element heats up a copper tip.

In other models, the working area is heated by a stream of heated air or an open flame. Thirdly, the tip has a massive appearance, reminiscent of a hammer in shape, the heating of which is provided by electricity. There are hammer soldering irons with the ability to heat the tip over an open fire.

Why clean

Regardless of the type and shape of the tool, before starting work, you must clean the soldering iron tip. Over time, deposits accumulate on the working end of the tool, formed during the thermal decomposition of solder and flux. The process is aggravated by the mutual penetration of tin and copper and their thermal diffusion.

A contaminated surface of the tip does not allow soldering to be carried out correctly.

The accumulated combustion products of consumables, which form especially quickly when the soldering iron is left idle in a hot state, interfere with subsequent work. There will be substances in the working area that prevent good adhesion and uniform distribution over the surface. Thorough cleaning avoids problems.

The procedure must also be performed with new soldering irons, because manufacturers, for the purpose of protection, cover the tip with a thin layer of oxides, which is called patina.

A smaller amount of carbon deposits is formed when working with a soldering station that has heating control.

Soldering irons with stainless steel tips do not form deposits at all, but working with them is not familiar or convenient for everyone. It is necessary to choose the right power so that the low thermal conductivity of the tip allows for good soldering.

Special products for copper tips

To remove carbon deposits, the industry produces a variety of products; extensive practical experience has been accumulated, which is used in modern tip preparation technologies. Approaches to cleaning differ, although, in principle, they come down to two main options for influencing fumes: mechanical and chemical.

Mechanical types of cleaning

Depending on the type of work to be done, you can choose one or another abrasive material. If there is a need to make the tip strictly even and flat, you should take a file. In other cases you can use:

• sandpaper;
• sharpening stones;
• abrasive sponges.

To remove the patina from a new soldering iron, use fine-grit sandpaper. This will be enough to remove a thin production layer. After mechanical cleaning is completed, the tip is treated with rosin or other suitable resin. The rosin composition does a good job of removing plaque consisting of oxides and other impurities.

If desired and possible, you can buy a ready-made device wts-599b. This metal sponge in a special housing is very convenient to use.

Chemical methods

There are possibilities for cleaning the tip with chemical means. You need to choose flux cleaners carefully, after first familiarizing yourself with the metal composition of the tip.

To clean the copper working surfaces of the soldering iron, you can use oxide. Its composition is dominated by ammonium chloride. The sting is heated, placed in a chemical agent and cleansing is observed, which occurs very quickly.

At the end of the procedure, wipe the heater on a sponge or cloth, which should be pre-moistened with water.

Instead of oxide, many craftsmen use a powder with similar properties called ammonia. This is the same ammonium chloride, which removes oxide products well. When heated, it produces caustic gases such as ammonia and hydrogen chloride.

Cleaning the tip with chemicals must be done with good ventilation because caustic fumes of acid and ammonia are released.

The flux-off flux cleaner gives very good results. It is sold in aerosol form and easily removes dense decomposition products of consumables. Any flux layers and remnants of tin-lead solder quickly dissolve. The aerosol must not come into contact with plastics. Other material, for example, a ceramic fixative, will not be damaged by hydrocarbons or esters.

To improve the condition of a contaminated sting, you can buy paste-like activators from the goot series. The function of the active reagent in them is performed by ammonium phosphate mixed with tin powder. The head heated to 300 ℃ must be immersed in the paste and rotated in it. Usually, one dose is enough. If necessary, the procedure can be repeated.

Traditional methods

Inventive craftsmen and amateurs find a way out of the situation in cases where there are no special means nearby. You can take ordinary food grade citric acid, stored in any kitchen, and dip the heated tip into it. The result will not be long in coming - the cleaning is quick and successful.

Some craftsmen try soda, alcohol, aspirin, pharmaceutical glycerin, and other home remedies. The impressions accumulated were different. There are many compounds with a known effect, so it makes no sense to enthusiastically compete in ingenuity.

Cleaning the fireproof tip

Purchasing soldering irons with a non-burning tip is a great joy, which can quickly become dark during intensive work. After some time, a black coating appears on the surface of the heating end, and soldering goes worse and worse. It becomes obvious that you need to clean your soldering tool.

Iron scourers are not suitable for delicate materials. They may scratch the surface. As a last resort, a washcloth made of copper or bronze threads will do.

A good, inexpensive product is a cellulose sponge. It is often included in professional cleaning kits. Please note that the product must have an inscription confirming the cellulose composition. It is not always possible to determine the quality of a soldering iron sponge externally; other threads and impurities can oxidize and aggravate the situation.

An alternative option is a viscose sponge. In practical use for cleaning the tip, it does not differ in properties from natural cellulose material. The sponge can be moistened not only with water, but also with glycerin. In extreme cases, a piece of cloth will do just fine instead of a sponge.

The soldering iron needs to be heated and cleaned with wet material; dry material will not help. Carbon deposits are removed with simple movements, as if you were wiping the rod. Sometimes craftsmen cut a depression in the sponge, which makes cleaning the tip even easier.

Cleaning the Blowtorch

The burner of a blowtorch, like the tip of a soldering iron, requires constant care, otherwise it may become completely clogged and not work at all. The process of dirt accumulation in the nozzle increases when using not very clean fuel. Impurities tend to accumulate together with combustion products.

The lamp usually comes with a special needle for cleaning the working hole. If it is not there, the jet can be cleaned with a thin wire.

There is often a need to clean a blowtorch. In this case, treatment can be carried out with aerosol cleaning agents or gasoline. Some craftsmen are able to clean the work area with a cloth soaked in white spirit. The cloth must be completely soaked so that the solvent can remove all the dirt.

Proper preliminary preparation of tools will allow you to do the job efficiently and quickly.

Source: https://svaring.com/soldering/praktika/ochistka-zhala-pajalnika

How to clean a soldering iron tip?

How to clean a soldering iron tip? – Both specialists and radio amateurs periodically face this issue. The effectiveness of the process depends not only on the methods themselves, but also on what kind of tip was used, whether it was covered with simple carbon deposits, or whether chemical oxides were also added to it.

The copper tip is the most unpretentious in cleaning, since mechanical methods can be used on it. Other materials will require more delicate options.

Using a synthetic product

It is quite effective to clean a soldering iron tip from carbon deposits using synthetic store-bought products. Despite the variety of products available on the market, the composition and principle of action of many drugs is similar. When choosing how to clean a soldering iron tip with synthetic products, the following methods can be distinguished:

• synthetic sponge for soldering iron;
• special cleaning paste;
• activator or sting oxidizer.

Oxidal for cleaning soldering iron tips

If the choice falls on the latter option, be extremely careful when purchasing, since the composition can be designed to work with a multi-alloy or copper tip. Substances that are too aggressive, suitable only for copper, can corrode the top layer in other materials.

At the same time, there are activators that poorly purify due to their low activity. They are recommended to be used regularly as a preventive measure after each use of the instrument. This is a hint to the question - how to avoid carbon deposits on the soldering iron tip. Without such manipulations, complete cleaning cannot always be achieved. Along the way, activators improve the wettability of the material and protect the surface from various negative formations.

Cleaning pastes are a more universal method; they simultaneously fight carbon deposits and oxides, although they are not as effective against the latter. It is also important that such products are suitable for almost all types of stings. In addition to the paste itself, boxes are offered in which small metal filings with various additives are poured. You need to lower the tip into them - when it reacts with sawdust, it is cleaned.

Cleaning a soldering iron tip with synthetic sponges is only possible to remove carbon deposits; the product is powerless against oxides. This dry method is carried out only with the tool turned off, since a hot tip can set fire and damage the “cleaner”. Some sponges require wetting, but experts do not recommend using such options.

Metal sponge for cleaning the tip

"Important!

After cleaning the surface of the sting, all synthetic products are carefully removed. Otherwise, the active substance of the composition will react with other components, for example, solder. This will harm the tip and the soldering process.”

Cleaning the soldering iron tip yourself

There are many simple, home-based ways to clean carbon deposits from a soldering iron tip. Many craftsmen use manual methods, using available materials:

• emery, polishing skins, scalpels;
• cotton wool, paper and cotton swabs;
• erasers;
• sponges and pieces of foam rubber;
• files, coals, router bits and wire brushes.

Source: https://svarkaipayka.ru/oborudovanie/payalniki/kak-ochistit-zhalo-payalnika.html

How to instantly clean a soldering iron tip

Many radio amateurs and home craftsmen, after completing soldering work, have to begin the, albeit short, but very tedious process of cleaning the soldering iron tip. You need to take sandpaper and clean it from carbon deposits for 10 - 15 minutes. Having learned the instant cleaning method, this problem will never bother you again. Sandpaper and soot on the soldering iron will be a thing of the past.

Necessary materials

Our secret material is ordinary ammonia in powder form. You can get it in radio engineering or other specialized stores. It is often presented in small individual packaging, but can also be found in bulk. The cost of powdered ammonia is not high, even a schoolchild who is interested in radio electronics can afford it. But the savings in time and effort from using it are very significant. At this stage, we don't need anything else.

Purification process

For the process of cleaning the soldering iron tip we will need the following. A small cup, preferably heat-resistant. Pour our ammonia powder into it.

Next, turn on the soldering iron and wait until it warms up to the optimal operating temperature. Important: before cleaning, be sure to open the windows so that the work area is well ventilated. Or provide another method of forced ventilation. The pungent smell of melting ammonia powder is extremely unpleasant. And in order to be able to complete the work to the end, you will need an influx of fresh air.

Then, immerse the soldering iron tip into the cup for a few seconds and then remove it. The remaining powder on the tip will begin to melt and emit white thick smoke, and then the end of the soldering iron will begin to acquire a shiny copper color.

If traces of soot remain, then we continue to perform the previously described actions until the desired result is obtained. Now all we have to do is wipe the tip with an unnecessary rag or any other rag, and tin its tip with solder.

The cleaning is completed, you can enjoy the result and think about where to spend the saved time.

That's the whole trick. Surely many will adopt this method. It will be especially useful for those who often do soldering work. Get rid of tedious cleaning with sandpaper and gain a few tens of minutes of rest, what could be better.

Source: https://izdoski.com/kak-momentalno-ochistit-zhalo-payalnika.html

How to tin a soldering iron quickly and correctly

The need to tin a soldering iron arises when a molten drop of solder stops spreading over the heated surface and sticking to it; there is no way to supply a sufficient portion to the soldering point, which interferes with high-quality work.

The tip, receiving heat from the heater, oxidizes in air. In addition to reducing the adhesion of solder to copper, a layer of thermally insulating carbon deposits impairs heat distribution.

 There are a number of ways to tin a soldering iron for the purpose of periodic maintenance of the working tool; such a procedure is also required for a new tip and one that has oxidized during storage.

How to properly tin a copper tip on a soldering iron

Tools with nichrome heating elements have a copper round rod, which is given a shape convenient for soldering. Mechanical processing of the rod is carried out with a file, followed by finishing on sandpaper or a finely notched needle file. Then it is useful to lightly beat off the sting using a cold method on an anvil.

This will compact the top layer of copper, increase mechanical strength and reduce the rate at which the molten solder dissolves the material. It would be a good idea to polish it to reduce the rate of oxidation. All work is performed on the tip removed from the socket, including the part that is hidden inside the heating element.

Tinning a soldering iron tip means covering the working area of ​​the rod with a thin layer of alloy.

The boiling flux dissolves the oxide layer on the copper core, and the melt coats the surface.

Since it is not difficult to tin a soldering iron with a copper tip, you can do it yourself as follows:

1. Insert the cleaned rod into the soldering iron and turn on the power.
2. When it warms up to the melting temperature of rosin, completely dip the tip into rosin.

There is no need to overheat the soldering iron, since immersing the rod in the flux causes the release of clouds of smoke with splashing and the formation of slag from burnt rosin. When heated normally, the resin melts and produces a small amount of smoke.

1. Using a solder rod, rub the work surface covered with a layer of molten flux, which must be renewed periodically.
2. The process is complete when a uniform thin layer of poluda is formed.

   Excess should be removed with a wet cotton cloth.

The rod must be tinned with a composition with a high melting point, shown in the table.

Brand	Compound, %	Melting point, ˚С
POS-61	Tin 59-61 Lead 39-41	190
POS-40	Tin 39-41 Lead 59-61	238
POSK-50/18	Tin 50 Lead 32 Cadmium 18	145
POSu-95/5	Tin 95 Antimony 5	240

POS-40 or POSu-95/5 form a high-quality coating that must be renewed as it fades.

How to tin the tip of a modern soldering iron?

Core manufacturers claim that their products do not need to be tinned. This is partially true for those rods that are used by feeding solder with wire or paste into the working area. The tip heats the connection with flux applied to it, melts a drop of alloy from the wire, which, spreading over the hot one, forms a strong connection.

Nickel also oxidizes in air, although at a slower rate than copper. The oxide layer impairs heat transfer, reducing the efficiency of soldering heating, so it is better to tin the working side. This must be done without damaging the coating. To do this, use a wet cotton rag, a jar of solid rosin and POS.

Rules for how to tin a new soldering iron:

1. The working surface is degreased.
2. The power is turned on.
3. The heated core is cleaned with a wet rag and immediately stuck into rosin.
4. A piece of solder added to the jar is ground without removing the rod from the flux.
5. After a short time, the tip will be covered with an even layer of tin.

Most often, a conical shape is used for the sting. It is enough to tin the tip of the cone 3-5 mm.

Features of tinning a modern soldering iron tip

Nowadays the rods are made of copper coated with a thin layer of nickel, which protects them from burning or ceramics. Mechanical processing is not allowed, it cannot even be scratched. To remove excess POS or flux burnout products, you can wipe it with a piece of wet, non-synthetic cloth, if you do not have a special sponge or cleaner made from brass shavings.

How to tin a soldering iron tip while working

When soldering, due to heating, the surface of the tip oxidizes, the solder stops sticking, and burnt flux slag accumulates, deteriorating the quality of soldering.
We have to restore the tinned coating. It is best to use a dry cleaning device consisting of a metal coil in a container.

By modifying the device by adding a thick acid-free flux, such as stearin or soldering lard, to the bottom, you can solve two problems:

• clean the surface of the rod from carbon deposits by rubbing it on the chips;
• By grabbing a drop of POS on the tip of the hot tip and drowning it in the flux, we get cleaning and tinning at the same time.

The procedure is suitable for thin copper, nickel-plated and ceramic cores. It is carried out when the oxide begins to interfere with work.

How to tin a non-burnable tip?

The tip is easily tinned if it is hot and thoroughly wiped with a damp cloth without synthetics and immediately dipped into the flux. Then use an alloy stick to rub the work surface until half-painted, wipe the rod with a rag and start working.

How to tin a soldering iron tip with a wooden block?

If there is a significant layer of oxide on the surface, and it cannot be removed mechanically with abrasives or files, a block or plank of coniferous wood helps well when tinning.

1. Place the beam so that the wood fibers are oriented perpendicular to the movement when rubbing.
2. The power is turned on, small pieces of rosin and POS are laid out on the board.
3. The heated rod is placed in a piece of rosin, which forms a melted puddle.
4. The tip covers the tin.

   After melting, the tip begins to move across the fibers without leaving the rosin.

The oxide layer is dissolved by hot rosin, and the alloy is rubbed into the surface.

How to tin a sting in rosin?

A slightly oxidized surface can easily be tinned in a jar of rosin with a piece of POS placed there. Using a wiped tip, melt the alloy in a container with rosin. Such work is accompanied by the release of large amounts of resinous smoke and should be performed in fresh air or in a well-ventilated area.

The durability of the coating or half-tip is determined by the temperature regime. It is harmful to use a soldering iron at maximum power unless necessary. Where it is impossible to regularly change the heating temperature, use adapted power regulators and homemade voltage limiters during soldering pauses.

Source: https://pauk.top/kak-zaludit-payalnik.html

Dry ammonia for soldering

> Tools > Soldering flux

The article provides answers to the questions: what are soldering fluxes for and what do they consist of? Almost all metals are naturally covered with an oxide film. It is this circumstance that becomes an obstacle to liquid solder. To overcome this obstacle, fluxes are used.

What it is? This is a mixture of substances of organic and inorganic origin, which has the properties of removing oxides and reducing surface tension in solder areas. Such substances are called fluxes.

In addition, the product promotes better spreading of liquid solder and protects the parts to be connected during soldering from the influence of the external environment.

Types of fluxes for soldering

The main property of soldering fluxes is its chemical neutrality with respect to solder. The substance may be in the form of a liquid, solid or paste. The main types of fluxes for soldering are presented in the following list:

• rosin;
• ammonia;
• borax;
• orthophosphoric acid;
• acetylsalicylic acid;
• fppu 25.

Rosin

For quick and high-quality soldering, rosin is used as a flux. The basis of the substance is pine resin with the addition of turpentine. The technical characteristics of rosin are determined by GOST 19113-84.

The properties of pine resin as an auxiliary material for soldering have been known for a long time. Rosin, not having a crystalline structure, is an amorphous glassy fragile body. The translucent mass can be of different shades: from pale yellow to dark brown.

Rosin is hydrophobic, but easily dissolves in alcohol and acetone. Flux is widely used at home for soldering radio components, copper wiring and other things. The material has a low melting point. When heated above 700 C, the flux becomes liquid and is easily transferred by the soldering iron tip to the soldering site.

Soldering wires with rosin

If you need to solder two ends of the wires, proceed as follows:

• The ends of the wires are stripped of insulation. They do it with a knife;
• If the wire is stranded, then it is twisted into a pigtail by hand;
• The exposed wires are heated with a soldering iron;
• The soldering iron tip is dipped into rosin in order to then transfer the product to the metal;
• Using longitudinal movements of the tip, the pigtails of the wires are impregnated with flux;
• Then they put molten solder on the soldering iron tip;
• By running a soldering iron along the ends of the wires, the metal is tinned;
• Tinned braids are twisted together;
• A thin layer of molten tin is applied to the junction of the wires with a soldering iron tip.

Ammonia

The chemical compound ammonium chloride NH4Cl is known as ammonia. Ammonium salt looks like a white, odorless powder. Liquid flux is a solution of 77 parts salt in 100 parts water.

Ammonia is obtained as a by-product of soda production. At soldering temperatures (above 3380), ammonium chloride vapor completely decomposes into two compounds: NH3 and HCL.

Why are ammonia fluxes needed? They are used for tinning and soldering steel products. Ammonia, in contact with heated metal, decomposes into two substances: ammonia (NH3) and hydrochloric acid (HCL). The acid dissolves the metal oxide layer and cleans the soldering surface, ensuring 100% adhesion of the solder to the metal.

Plastic packaging with ammonia

On sale you can always find a solution or powder of ammonia intended for soldering. The flux is sold in convenient plastic packaging. The product is also used to clean soldering iron tips from carbon deposits and scale.

Borax

This substance is extracted from drying salt lakes. In addition, borax solder paste is obtained by neutralizing boric acid with sodium carbonate. The resulting mixture is dehydrated by evaporation followed by filtration of the solution.

To make soldering flux with your own hands, proceed as follows:

• boil the soda solution in a container, stirring it constantly;
• Having brought the solution to a boil, pour in boric acid granules, preventing the mixture from foaming;
• the solution is boiled for 30 minutes;
• then the mixture is cooled and filtered.

The result is a white crystalline powder. The resulting borax is a high-temperature flux that is used for soldering joints of cast iron, steel, and copper alloys. Prepare a borax paste by grinding the powder in a mortar and adding boric acid in a 1:1 ratio. To increase the chemical activity of the flux, chloride and fluoride salts are added to it. During soldering, a layer of salt will form that will need to be removed.

An example of soldering copper parts using borax

There are cases of failure of a water heating column or installation of a heated floor system and other water heating equipment. You need to connect the pipe to the fitting. In order to solder such a connection, proceed as follows:

1. The end of the pipe and the inner surface of the fitting are cleaned with fine sandpaper;
2. Borax in the form of solder paste is applied with a brush to the joints;
3. The pipe is inserted into the fitting and turned slightly in both directions. This gives an even distribution of flux over the entire joint surface;
4. Use a gas burner to heat the assembly from the outside so that the heat penetrates inside;
5. A rod of soft solder is led along the seam, following the burner flame;
6. Under capillary action, the solder will begin to penetrate deep into the neck of the fitting;
7. Solder must be inserted from bottom to top in both directions;
8. Soldering must not be cooled with water. The connection should cool naturally;
9. Remains of flux are removed with a damp cloth.

Orthophosphoric acid

The formula of this inorganic substance looks like H3PO4. Acid is an effective rust remover. Along with this, phosphoric acid is used as a soldering flux.

The acid is used for soldering low-alloy and carbon steels. The flux effectively removes the oxide film on both the base material and the solder. Rust, under the influence of acid, becomes loose and floats on the surface of the flux. A protective layer is formed at the cleaning site, which prevents the formation of a new oxide film. After soldering, all acid residues are easily washed off with warm water.

This flux is successfully used when soldering parts made of stainless steel, nickel and their alloys. Ferrous metal compounds are also treated with acid. In radio engineering, acid is not used because it can corrode contacts.

Acetylsalicylic acid

A situation may arise that you urgently need to solder the wire connections, restore contact in the electrical circuit, but there is no flux for soldering in the house. Don't despair. A regular aspirin tablet (acetylsalicylic acid) will help out.

This is the case when you can make a soldering flux with your own hands. The wire processing process is as follows. The exposed section of the wire is pressed with a tinned soldering iron tip to an aspirin tablet. As a result of the movement of the soldering iron tip along the wire, the varnish on the metal is destroyed, and the conductor is covered with a thin layer of solder.

  Why do you need soldering acid when soldering?

FPPU 25

There is a legend among people about a universal soldering agent that was used in military factories of the Soviet Union. What is FPPU 25 flux? This is a solder paste similar in composition to epoxy resin. The name of the product is the initial letters of the words: flux, universal soldering paste.

You can still find solid sealed pipes with this flux made in the Soviet Union. The paste is truly universal and suitable for soldering many metals. Its only and significant drawback is the toxic fumes that arise during soldering work. Working with such flux at home is extremely hazardous to health. Today on the market you can still find a soldering agent under this name.

How to solder correctly

How to tin a soldering iron: preparation and care of the soldering iron

This chapter will talk about how to properly solder simple connections of metal parts. In order to obtain high-quality soldering, you need to follow certain rules. A summary of these rules is reflected in the following paragraphs:

1. A soldering iron, a small sponge or rag, solder, tweezers and wire cutters are laid out on the table;
2. The soldering iron is connected to the mains, trying to melt the solder;
3. The end of the tip is covered with molten solder;
4. The ends of the wires are removed from the insulation using wire cutters;
5. Using short movements with a sponge, remove the remains of old tin from the surface of the heated tip;
6. The areas to be soldered are tinned with solder using a soldering iron, alternately dipping the tip into a mass of flux (rosin or other flux);
7. Clamping the ends of the wire together with tweezers, apply solder to the tinned areas. If the wires are of small diameter, then their ends are simply twisted and then soldered;
8. After the soldering area has cooled, check the connection for strength;
9. Remove flux residues with a cotton swab dipped in alcohol or acetone.

There is no need to master the technique of soldering printed circuit boards on your own. It is best to gain experience in this matter in direct contact with the master. It is the specialist who will teach you in a short time the soldering technique, the correct choice of soldering equipment and the selection of the required flux.

Source: https://rem-serv.com/suhoy-nashatyr-dlya-payki/

How to tin a soldering iron tip so that it solders correctly?

Many domestic soldering irons are made with a copper tip. For example, soldering irons like EPSN. The copper tip must be properly treated before this soldering iron can be used. The tip must be given a shape convenient for soldering.

Some people process it with a simple file, and especially creative individuals prefer to forge it. As a result, the soldering iron tip becomes more durable and dissolves much less in the solder during the soldering process. But sooner or later everyone wonders how to tin a soldering iron with a copper tip.

Features of soldering irons

It is best to buy soldering irons whose tip is secured with a special screw. Such a sting can always be easily removed and processed again. Of course, if it gets stuck during use, then this process will not be so easy. Therefore, when using soldering irons with removable tips, it is necessary to remove them from time to time and clean the attachment point so that it does not stick.

After the tip is given the desired shape, it must be tinned. The phrase “how to tin a soldering iron tip” should mean that you will have to cover the working area of ​​the tip with a thin layer of solder. It's not too difficult to do this. It is enough to plug in the soldering iron, wait until it heats up to the temperature at which the rosin begins to melt, and then dip the tip into it.

After the soldering iron has been heated to its operating temperature, you need to cover the part of it that is used for soldering on all sides with solder. It is better to take small pieces or solder made in the form of wire for this. A soldering iron with a power of 25 watts will not be able to melt a large piece of solder.

Soldering iron tip shape

The shape of the sting may vary. The choice depends on the habits of the person who uses the soldering iron, and, of course, on the type of work performed with it. Some people prefer a cone-shaped soldering iron tip, while others prefer a soldering iron tip cut at 45 degrees.

The fact is that with a sharply sharpened soldering iron tip it will be possible to solder even transistors hidden in SOT-23 cases, SMD parts or capacitors with resistors of size 1206. To solder such parts from boards in large quantities, a construction or soldering hair dryer is usually used. If it is not available, a regular soldering iron with a power of about 25 Watts, whose tip is processed in the shape of the letter P, will be useful. It is necessary to remember that this is done before tinning the soldering iron tip.

This is done in order to avoid overheating the leads of the part, which happens when soldering with a soldering iron with a regular tip. And with the help of such a U-shaped tip, the leads are soldered together immediately, and the part is easily released from the soldering site.

When performing work on mass desoldering of radio components, it is better to use a more powerful soldering iron, using a power regulator. It's not that difficult to make it yourself. In this case, a soldering iron with a power of up to 65 watts is suitable.

There are quite frequent cases when, during soldering, rosin suddenly begins to smoke. This means the soldering iron is overheated. You have to unplug it and wait until it cools down. At the same time, if the soldering iron cools down below normal, it begins to solder poorly. Using a power regulator, such problems can be easily avoided, and the work becomes much easier, and from the necessary preliminary work there will be nothing left except tinning the soldering iron tip.

Soldering iron sharpening

• The soldering iron tip is sharpened with a file at an angle of 30-40 degrees.
• The edge is left 1 mm wide and slightly blunt.
• On a new soldering iron, you only need to sand the tip with fine sandpaper to remove the patina. Patina is a greenish copper oxide.
• If store-bought sharpening is not satisfactory, then you need to remove the tip and forge it yourself, giving it the shape of a concave blade. This method has one more advantage - the metal will become less susceptible to corrosion.
• To give the sting a finished look, all that remains is to process it with a finely cut file.

How to tin the soldering iron tip of a soldering station?

Tinning a tip means covering it with a thin layer of solder. To do this you need:

• Turn on the soldering iron and wait until the copper rod turns a reddish-orange hue. You shouldn't wait any longer, as the rod may get burned.
• Immerse the entire tip in rosin and melt a small piece of solder.
• Cover the entire surface of the tip with solder. It will coat better if you first rub it on a wooden surface.