Keep Your Soldering Iron Tip Clean
Sunday, November 2nd, 2008I always find it frustrating when my soldering iron tip gets scaled with the oxidization of solder. It is the leading misuse of flux and the cause for frustration, because it creates an insulation layer between the tip and the component. So you either use flux to make the solder melt or you overheat the component.
I was very amazed to see a solution from Hakko that addressed this problem. It is a small metal container that has brass windings inside for cleaning the soldering iron tip. The tip cleaner can be purchased for about $10 dollars from various online vendors or you can do like me and build one.