Hi Shawn, cool! The trick is to get a "fluffy"
solder blob, ie less dense and made from small
splatters. When you first make them (as a small
puddle of molten solder) they are very dense and
don't melt on the tip as good as older blobs.
You can "fluff up" the blob by adding splatters
(or wipes) of fresh solder.

Then instead of shaking excess solder away when
you are working, just wipe each new splat on the
main blob and you can polish the tip on the blob
under a film of molten solder and flux residue etc.
:o)
-Roman


Shawn Mulligan wrote:
>
> I'm going to try your solder-blob method. I avoid the sponge for the same
> reason. Instead I prefer to use the Scrubby-like, wound copper wool tip
> cleaner. What I don't like about this device is that it is slightly abrasive
> to the tip, shortening its life -- and since I use a Metcal, replacement
> tips are expensive.
> -Shawn
>
> Roman wrote:
> >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.

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