How to properly tin a soldering iron tip

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

Home comfort February 2, 2017

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.

How to tin a non-burnable tip?

On sale you can find soldering irons in which the working part is coated with a special non-flammable compound. This layer is very thin and under no circumstances should it be cleaned, as is the case with a conventional soldering iron.

The question arises: “How to tin a soldering iron tip if it cannot be cleaned in the usual way?” You must use a special sponge. The one that housewives usually use to wash dishes, or a piece of cloth previously soaked in water, will also work.

When using such soldering irons, you should remember that any mechanical stress significantly reduces their service life.

To tin the tip of such a soldering iron, you need to dip a piece of solder into molten rosin, rub the tip on a damp cloth, removing oxides from it, and then move the heated soldering iron over the solder. After tinning, all you have to do is wipe the tip with a rag, and the soldering iron is ready for use.

When working with any type of soldering iron, you should try not to overheat it above 300 degrees C, otherwise you will have to tin the tip again. And of course, anyone who uses a soldering iron should know how to properly tin a soldering iron tip.

Source: https://monateka.com/article/27266/

How to properly tin a soldering iron tip, soldering guide

Good afternoon, beginner radio amateurs and radio technicians. Today, in this article, I will tell you about a very useful and necessary thing for high-quality and reliable soldering, radio components and electronic circuits.

How to properly tin a soldering iron tip , this skill is useful to everyone; without this, it is simply impossible to competently and reliably perform high-quality installation of radio elements.

Why do you need to tin a soldering iron?

During installation and soldering, it is necessary to add a certain amount of tin to the leg of a microcircuit or other radio element. There are cases when, due to a poorly tinned soldering iron tip, the tin does not want to be taken. Sometimes it is taken in very small quantities, or simply taken in small balls or porridge. Therefore, you need to properly tin the soldering iron tip.

You will not be able to make normal contact between the radio component leg and the board without a tinned and heated soldering iron. These troubles and inconveniences must be avoided and dealt with, now I will tell you how to do this, consistently, explain in accessible language and illustrate all this with photographs.

Preparing the soldering iron for tinning and operation

Let’s say you have a soldering iron, it’s either new just from the store, or it’s your working one, but with overheating spots and temperature cavities on the tip. As a result, soldering of electronics becomes poor quality and inconvenient.

To start tinning the soldering iron, the tip must be cleaned or corrected using special means. You can use a file, preferably a fine one, sandpaper and a needle file from the kit.

In the absence of the listed tool, you can use any abrasive object, even a brick.

We remove oxides and fumes, if the soldering iron is new, grind off all the burrs and immediately shape the tip that we need or will find convenient. At the end of the procedure, you should have a clean, smooth and slightly shiny soldering iron tip. Now you will learn how to properly tin a soldering iron tip.

Let's start tinning the soldering iron tip

For the next steps, we will need the soldering iron itself, a socket for connecting it to a 220 volt 50 Hertz network, a wooden plate, solder and rosin.

We plug the soldering iron into the mains and wait for the soldering iron to start heating up, this will become clear when the characteristic burning smell appears, and immediately dip it in rosin and leave it to heat up.

As soon as the rosin on the soldering iron tip begins to boil, add a piece of tin or solder to it. As soon as a piece of solder begins to melt, we immediately begin to rub it on a wooden block.

We continue this friction until we get a positive result. When a thin film of solder does not form over the entire surface of the tip, its working part, the one we cleaned.

It may not work the first time, try again and it will work.

How to properly tin a new soldering iron tip

If you have just purchased a soldering iron, you need to carry out the same actions with it as with a working one. But first, it needs to be warmed up properly so that the spiral and the working part of the soldering iron itself are burned from oil and other unnecessary spraying.

After warming up, you should let it cool down and start tinning the soldering iron.

Recommendations for using a soldering iron

Over time, the soldering iron often overheats and pits form on it. Over time, they eat the copper sting. After that, it has to be tinned again, correctly.

To avoid this trouble, always after work, clean the soldering iron from any remaining tin, rosin and other material that you may have touched while working. Just brush away any leftovers with a folded piece of paper, this will prolong its life.

By performing this simple procedure, you won’t have to take baths and often tin the soldering iron tip.

Source: http://energytik.net/elektroistrument-dlya-doma-i-zarobotka/kak-pravilno-zaludit-zhalo-payalnika-rukovodstvo-dlya-pajki.html

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.

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.

How to properly celebrate Epiphany in 2020: rituals, fortune telling and canons

Each church holiday has its own rituals and traditions. Epiphany, which is celebrated on January 19, is no exception. On this day, people go to the temple to bless the water and touch God's Grace.

History and meaning of the holiday

The first mentions of Baptism date back to the 2nd century. It was celebrated earlier along with Christmas, namely on December 25th. Now several countries remain faithful to ancient traditions, and Orthodox Christians have divided the events of the birth of the Son of God and his baptism into two holidays, the latter celebrated on January 19.

The Bible says that Jesus Christ was baptized by John the Baptist. During the ritual, the Holy Spirit descended on the Savior in the form of a dove. He declared that Jesus is not only the son of man, but also of God, and therefore brings His good pleasure to the world.

Epiphany Christmas Eve

Christmas Eve is an integral part of the Epiphany holiday; many traditions and rituals are associated with it. On this day, people dress up and sing carols, which is very similar to Christmas customs. On January 18, it is customary to fast and only in the evening, when the whole family has gathered, can you taste Lenten dishes. The traditional dish on the table is kutia, made from wheat or rice, raisins, nuts, poppy seeds and honey. Young girls gather in groups and tell fortunes about their betrothed, and the guys arrange a farewell to Kolyada.

Blessed water

The first time the water is blessed is after the evening service on January 18, it is called Jordanian. Early in the morning, people go to the temple again to participate in the ritual of blessing the water. After the prayer, the clergyman lowers the cross into a container of liquid. After this, you are supposed to take a few sips of blessed water.

There is no particular difference between Jordanian and Epiphany water. It is stored for a year and used for strength of spirit, for illnesses and for protection against dark forces.

If it is not possible to visit the temple, then you can use a regular water tap or well. On the night of January 19, according to legend, the water in all sources becomes sanctified; the main thing is to have time to collect it from 00:10 to 1:30.

Church and folk traditions January 19

There are many rituals associated with Epiphany holidays that have been passed down to us from our ancestors. Early in the morning, after the first bell rings, people make a fire on the shore of the reservoir. This is done so that the Savior can warm up after bathing.

Young girls run to the water at dawn to wash their faces with cold water. According to legends, this helps preserve youth and beauty. It will be especially useful to plunge into the water completely three times.

But you need to properly prepare for this procedure - details about safe swimming in an ice hole are here.

In addition, it is strictly forbidden to wash clothes in reservoirs after Baptism. Having sanctified a river or lake, the priest exorcised evil spirits from them. Therefore, demons are supposedly lurking on the shore and waiting for a person with dirty laundry. Once it is immersed in water, the evil spirits can return to it.

On this day, it is customary to set a rich table; meat products and pancakes are always served. The traditional dish for Epiphany was baked goods in the shape of crosses. Depending on how successful it was, they predicted the coming year. If it’s smooth and beautiful, it will be successful, if it’s burnt and twisted, expect trouble.

Signs and fortune telling

On Christmas Eve, young girls do fortune telling. The Church does not encourage such an activity, since it contradicts its canons. However, this does not make the activity less popular for many centuries.

Available items include wax, coffee grounds, a mirror, a candle and much more.

For example, our great-grandmothers resorted to the help of a shoe. They went out into the yard, turned to face the front door and threw it over their left shoulder. It was believed that matchmakers would come from the direction where the toe of the shoe pointed.

Our ancestors, thanks to their powers of observation, developed a whole system of signs associated with Epiphany weather. For example, if the day turned out to be cold and the sky was clear, then the summer will be dry. Cloudy weather, snow and blizzards indicate a rich harvest. The full moon foreshadowed the spring flood, and the abundance of stars meant a successful harvest of berries and peas.

There are many traditions that faithful Christians adhere to on the feast of Epiphany. They try to visit the temple, bless the water, have dinner with family and friends, and also tell fortunes and monitor the weather. Each stage helps prepare for the coming year and celebrate the Christmas holidays.

Last revision dated January 18, 2020 ( 4 5.00 out of 5)

Source: https://pan.ru/obshhestvo/kak-pravilno-otmechat-kreshhenie/

How to properly tin a soldering iron tip video

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.

Sharpening the soldering iron tip

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.

Source: https://MyTooling.ru/instrumenty/kak-pravilno-zaludit-zhalo-pajalnika-video

How to tin a soldering iron tip correctly

Most soldering iron tips are made of copper. However, copper oxidizes in air. At high temperatures, the oxidation process increases significantly. The copper oxide film has poor thermal conductivity, and solder does not adhere well to the copper oxide, which complicates the soldering process.

Before tinning the soldering iron tip, you need to mechanically remove the copper oxide. After removing the copper oxide, they immediately begin the process of tinning the soldering iron tip, without waiting for the copper to oxidize. Also, if you have a new soldering iron, you need to sharpen the tip of the rod to suit your needs.

The shape of the soldering iron tip can be beveled on both sides to an end thickness of 1 mm. The copper tip can also be ground at 45° or another angle more convenient for your work. The shape of the tip is cut out in the letter P for convenient removal of SMD resistors or capacitors. Sometimes the tip is bent by 135°, it all depends on the type of work and ease of soldering.

Some soldering irons are equipped with a conical, fireproof tip. This tip is designed for soldering small SMD components. This form is not suitable for soldering larger radio components, soldering wires and other elements. Sometimes the tip is coated with a layer of nickel.

Various soldering iron tip shapes

Nickel is less susceptible to oxidation than copper, but has poor solder stickiness (adhesion), that is, it does not hold solder well. Therefore, when soldering with such a tip, the solder is brought by hand to the junction of the elements. Thinly coating the copper tip with silver also extends its service life.

Silver has good adhesion, but the cost of a soldering iron with such a coating is high, and over time the silver dissolves in the solder and exposes the copper. During the soldering process, not only the soldering iron tip burns out and oxidizes, but also the entire rod firmly sticks to the soldering iron.

Removing a burnt copper rod is problematic, but necessary, before tinning the soldering iron tip. Because the scale on the rod has low thermal conductivity and lowers the temperature of the soldering iron. By increasing the temperature of such a soldering iron with a temperature regulator, the process of copper oxidation increases significantly.

Remove the burnt rod by slowly turning it with pliers. The soldering iron itself is secured in a vice through pieces of wood. Rotating the rod is alternated with light tapping to remove scale. This process can take quite a long time. A badly burnt rod can be moistened with water.

In the area where the rod is adjacent to the heater, pour 1-2 cubes of water from a syringe (selected experimentally) into a heated but turned off soldering iron. After injecting water, the rod is twisted with pliers. This process is repeated several times until the soldering iron rod is removed.

After this procedure, it is important to check the insulation resistance of the soldering iron. The insulation resistance is checked with a multimeter in Mohm mode, which should correspond to 1-10 Mohm. Measure the insulation resistance between the electrical cord plug body and the soldering iron tip. Before tinning the soldering iron tip, use a fine file to select all the irregularities in the working part of the tip.

Turn on the soldering iron and wait until it warms up. In the process of heating the copper rod, copper oxide has already appeared. Therefore, the working surface of the hot tip is ground with a zero polish, wiped with a damp, clean rag and immediately dipped into rosin and solder on a wooden board.

Using forward and backward movements, tin the soldering iron tip. The tinned working surface of the rod should be evenly covered with solder. If the work area is unevenly covered with solder, the tinning process is repeated.

How to properly tin a new soldering iron tip

If you have purchased a new soldering iron from which you can remove the copper rod without difficulty, it is a good idea to make a small modification that will significantly increase its service life. Copper itself is a soft metal, and its structure promotes rapid oxidation.

However, if the tip and the entire copper rod are forged, the metal structure becomes significantly denser. Such a rod will be less subject to oxidation and burnout. With good forging, the service life of a copper rod can be increased by 30 times. You will forever forget about replacing the soldering iron rod.

Homemade soldering iron temperature controller

The rod is forged over its entire surface using a small hammer. At the beginning of forging, the hammer blows are stronger, and then the force of the blows decreases. At the end of forging, use gentle blows to smooth out the unevenness to its original appearance. The shape of the sting is also made by forging, bringing it to an almost ideal form.

The level working surface is adjusted using a zero. Insert the forged rod into the soldering iron, heat it to operating temperature, again grind the working surface with a zero, wipe with a damp cloth and apply rosin and solder. Typically, the temperature of the soldering iron does not exceed 250° C.

As the temperature increases, the soldering iron tip oxidizes more, and the solderings are of poor quality. Therefore, it is advisable to have a soldering iron tip temperature regulator, at least a simple one. At worst, you can use a D226 diode (for a 60 W soldering iron).

Device for preventing overheating of a soldering iron using a diode

The diode is connected in such a way that the weight of the soldering iron lying on the holder, through a microswitch, turns off the network and connects it through the diode. The reduced voltage will not overheat the soldering iron during breaks in operation. The fireproof conical tip is tinned like a regular one, but before that it is wiped with a damp cloth on a heated soldering iron and the tip of the rod is tinned. The fireproof tip does not suffer mechanical damage, so it must be handled with care.

Source: http://electricavdome.ru/kak-zaludit-zhalo-payalnika-pravilno.html

How to make a schedule correctly

Even before recruiting new groups, the coach must correctly draw up a schedule. Oddly enough, 50% of success depends on this. After all, even a coach with an excellent reputation will not get groups if the time is chosen incorrectly. It will simply be inconvenient for people to come at the appointed hours.

I offer several very effective solutions for choosing days and times.

Time

The second half of the day, after 16:00, is suitable for almost any set. But what if from 16:00 to 20:00 is only four hours out of the eight required for full employment?

Theoretically, with older students, for example, adults, you can study until 22:00. But this works out to only six hours of employment.

I found a way to occupy every hour of the day.

• Early in the morning, around 6:00-8:00, yoga, stretching, and gymnastics classes are great.
• From 9:00 to 11:00 you can recruit groups of children who go to school during the second shift. At the same time, housewives who have taken their children to school or kindergarten may arrive. Then you can conduct classes for three-year-olds who do not attend kindergarten.
• From 14:00 to 16:00 you can recruit groups of first-graders. Their school ends at 12:30-13:30, and they will be in time for your lessons.
• Kindergarten groups go well from 5:00 p.m., as parents often pick up their children after afternoon tea at 4:30 p.m.
• From 18:00 is an excellent time for primary school students studying in the second shift.
• 19:00-20:00 is suitable for older students and working adults.
• 20:00-22:00 - time for classes with adults in any area.

Individual lessons can be scheduled at any time. But I don’t recommend doing this during prime time, that is, from 19:00 to 21:00. Leave this time for groups.

When creating your schedule, keep your target audience in mind. Housewives will not be able to come in the evening, and working people will not be able to come during the day on weekdays

Days of the week

Groups traditionally meet two or three times a week. Usually this is Monday + Wednesday or Tuesday + Thursday.

What to do with Friday and the weekend if you want to occupy them too. Set up “Monday + Wednesday” groups for those who are not ready to go on weekends and will be able to go on the third day on Friday. “Tuesday + Thursday” - for those for whom the third day is Saturday.

These variations are suitable for the vast majority of clients. On weekends, it is enough to organize separate groups for those who cannot make it on weekdays. As a rule, Saturday and Sunday are great for stretching, physical training, entertainment programs and fitness.

Also on weekends you can stage individual lessons, stage show numbers, run-throughs before performances, and wedding dance choreography.

For trainers who work mainly with children, I recommend checking with the nearest kindergartens, schools, and school preparation centers for the days and times of classes. That's where your main target audience is, so it's helpful to fit around their schedule. But keep in mind that for first-graders, the schedule changes during the school year. Leave a time gap so as not to lose students after the New Year, when children’s classes will end later than in the first half of the year.

When creating a schedule for adults, check the opening hours of nearby offices and large companies.

Parents of preschoolers are guided by the time of classes to prepare for school. Be sure to find out what time it is held. As a rule, children are enrolled in other clubs on days free from school preparation.

Source: https://tancor.info/zarabotat-na-tancah/kak-pravilno-sostavit-raspisanie/

How to tin a soldering iron with a copper tip - Metalworker's Guide

It is impossible to do without a soldering iron in the household. It is necessary when repairing household appliances, and when repairing radio equipment, and in many other cases, a soldering iron comes to the rescue of any home craftsman. Before use, the soldering iron should be prepared (tinned) in a special way to ensure high-quality and durable soldering.

How to tin a soldering iron tip?

Then we need to tin the soldering iron tip, that is, cover it with a thin layer of solder. To do this, turn on an electric soldering iron and wait until the rod warms up to a certain temperature. When the tip warms up, it will become noticeable by its reddish tint; the copper will become orange-reddish in color. Do not delay warming up, otherwise the tip will burn. As soon as the sting acquires a slightly reddish tint, it is leaned against resin or lump rosin.

There will be a lot of smoke emitted. Cover the entire sting with melted rosin. Next, a small piece of solder is melted, achieving uniform coverage of the tip with solder. You can rub the tip on a wooden board, this will help the solder spread over the surface of the copper tip.

The copper tip should be covered with an even layer of solder. If there are uncovered areas on the surface with solder, it would be better to repeat the process. This is how the soldering iron is prepared for use. The process must be repeated as necessary, but it is not at all necessary to do it often.

We tried everything in sufficient detail, so you should succeed.

A soldering iron, like any other tool, needs care. The tip of the soldering iron burns out from time to time, and irregularities and potholes appear on it. Burnout is eliminated by sharpening the tip and tinning it. It is also necessary to pay attention to the fact that the rod becomes covered with scale during prolonged use, which prevents the tip from heating up quickly.  

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

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

An ordinary electric soldering iron does not have temperature control, so it is better to turn it off when not in use.

Scale is removed as follows . Use pliers to remove the copper rod from the soldering iron. Scale is removed from the rod using fine-grained sandpaper.

You can coat the rod with a small layer of graphite by rubbing it on the lead of an ordinary pencil. This will prevent rapid scale formation in the future.

Lightly tap the heating element of the soldering iron to remove the scale from the heating element where the copper rod was installed. The copper rod is installed in its original place.

You should check the insulation condition of your electric soldering iron from time to time. To do this, measure the resistance between the soldering iron tip and the power plug. On the ohmmeter it is necessary to set the megaohm measurement limit (1-10 MΩ).

It should be remembered that you should not touch the metal screws of the multimeter with your hands when measuring the resistance. Otherwise, the device will show the total resistance of the measured circuit and your body. The device should show an infinitely large resistance.

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

Tinning

Tinning is the process of covering the solder surface with a thin layer of solder - it can be either an independent, final operation, or a preparatory and intermediate stage of soldering. When this is the preparatory stage, in most cases, successful tinning of the part means that the most labor-intensive part of the soldering work (connection with the solder metal) has been completed; soldering the tinning parts to each other, as a rule, is not particularly difficult.

Tinning the ends of electrical wires is one of the most common procedures. It is performed before soldering wires to the contacts, soldering them together, or to ensure better contact with the terminals when connecting with bolts.

It is convenient to make a ring from a stranded tinned wire, which provides ease of attachment to the terminal, as well as excellent contact. Wires can be aluminum and copper, single-core and multi-core, varnished or not, new and clean or old acidified.

Depending on these features, their service varies.

It will be easiest to tin a single-core copper wire. If it is new, then it is not covered with oxides and even without stripping it tins, you just need to apply flux to the surface of the wire, apply solder to a heated soldering iron and run the soldering iron along the wire, while slightly turning the wire. Tinning is usually carried out without problems.

If the conductor does not want to tint - due to the presence of varnish (enamel), then ordinary aspirin will help you. Knowing how to solder with a soldering iron using an aspirin tablet (acetylsalicylic acid) can be very useful in some cases. It is necessary to place it on a plate, press the conductor to it and heat it with a soldering iron for several seconds.

At the same time, the tablet begins to melt, and the resulting acid destroys the armor. The wire is then easy to tin.

If there is no aspirin, then vinyl chloride insulation from electrical wires, which when heated releases substances that destroy the varnish coating, also helps to remove the varnish that interferes with tinning from the surface of the conductor. It is necessary to press the wires to a piece of insulation with a soldering iron and drag it several times between the soldering iron and the insulation. Then tin the wire in the usual manner.

Also, for wires coated with varnish (enamel), you can buy a special flux that removes the varnish.

New stranded copper wire is as easy to tin as solid wire. The only peculiarity is to rotate it in the direction in which the wires will twist and not unwind. Old wires may be coated with oxides that prevent tinning. The same aspirin tablet will help to cope with them.

You need to untwist the conductor, put it on aspirin and heat it with a soldering iron for several seconds, moving the conductor back and forth, and your tinning problem will disappear. To tinning an aluminum wire, you will need a special flux - for example, the one that is called “flux for soldering aluminum.”

This flux is universal and is also suitable for soldering metals with a chemically resistant oxide film - in particular stainless steel. When using it, you just need to remember to clean the connection of all flux residues afterward in order to avoid corrosion.

If excess surf has formed on them when tinning the wires, it can be removed by placing the wire vertically with the end down and pressing a heated soldering iron to its end. Excess solder will drain from the wire onto the soldering iron.

Tinning a large metal surface

It may be necessary to tinning the surface of the metal to protect it from corrosion or to subsequently solder another part to it. Even if a completely new sheet is tinned, which looks outwardly clean, there can always be foreign substances on its surface - various contaminants, preservative grease. If a sheet that is covered with rust is tinned, then it needs even more cleaning. Therefore, tinning always begins with a thorough cleaning of the surface.

Rust is cleaned with a metal brush or emery cloth, oils and fats are removed with acetone, gasoline or another solvent. Then, using a brush or other tool that matches the flux, flux is applied to the surface of the sheet (this may not be an ordinary paste-like flux, but, for example, a solution of zinc chloride or other active flux). A soldering iron with a relatively larger flat tip surface is heated to the temperature you need and solder is applied to the surface of the part.

It is desirable that the power of the soldering iron be approximately 100 W or higher. Then apply the soldering iron to the solder on the part with the largest plane and hold it in this position. The heating time of the part depends on its size, contact area and soldering iron power. The boiling of the flux, melting of the solder and its spreading over the surface indicate that the required temperature has been reached. The solder is gradually distributed over the surface.

The metal surface after tinning is cleaned of all flux residues with soapy water, gasoline, acetone, and alcohol (depending on the chemical composition of the flux).

If the solder does not spread over the metal surface, it may be due to poor cleaning before tinning the surface, poor heating of the metal (due to the fact that the soldering iron is not powerful enough, insufficient heating time for the metal, small contact area), or a dirty soldering iron tip. Another reason may be the wrong choice of solder or flux.

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It can carry out tinning by applying solder from a soldering iron and distributing it over the surface with a “tip”, or by supplying solder directly to the pad itself - the solder melts when it touches the heated metal of the part.

Overlapping sheet metal soldering

In the process of repairing car bodies and all kinds of various tin works, the need arises for soldering sheet metal overlay. There are two ways to stack sheet parts on top of each other: by tinning them first, or by using soldering paste that contains flux and solder.

In the first case, overlapping areas of parts after mechanical cleaning and degreasing are pre-tinned. Then the parts of the connection are applied to each other with degreased surfaces, fixed with clamping devices and heated from different sides using a soldering iron to the melting temperature of the solder. Evidence of successful soldering is the flow of molten solder from the gap.

After preparing the parts in the second method, the contact area of ​​one of the parts is coated with a special solder paste. Then the parts are fixed in the desired position, tightened with clamps and, as in the very first case, the seam is heated on both sides with a soldering iron.

When purchasing solder paste, you need to pay attention to its purpose, since many solder pastes are intended for soldering electronics and do not contain active fluxes that allow steel to be soldered.

Source: https://ssk2121.com/kak-zaludit-payalnik-s-mednym-zhalom/