Brendan Moran wrote:

> > old washrag, quite wet, next to the iron and wipe the tip every time just
> > before I solder.  Try not to stay on the pin for much more than half a
> > second.  That's enough even for plated thru holes.
> >
>
> The dampness of what ever you use to clean the tip is really a personal
> preference, I think.  What I use is a sponge that is designed for the task
> (one of those yellow slotted ones) that is just damp.


I never use water or sponges, they mess up the
tip. Rapid cooling from the water causes frosting
(roughing?) of the tip, bad for thermal conductivity
and corrosion etc. The sponge is a contaminant that
also gives a grungy tip.

The way I have been doing it for 15+ years now is
to have a large blob of solder next to the iron,
excess solder and flux is wiped onto the blob, the
tip can be rubbed hard against the blob and actually
becomes polished and very shiny. It never gets rapid
cooling like a damp sponge. The iron stays wetted
and very clean and tip life is increased by a large
amount. The solder blob also contains impregnated
flux, and wiping the tip on it cleans and polishes
it very well, without the rapid cooling from water
and without the dirty eroded sponge dust.

I know people will argue with me here, as this
sounds unconventional... But I am proud of the
quality of soldering we do here with this technique.
:o)
-Roman

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