[sdiy] solder questions

[harrybissell]

Do you have a proper stand for the soldering iron

I use an old metal stand made by Ungar... It has a V-shaped sheet metal
base, and a cage to stop you from touching.  The metal is heavy enough
to
heatsink the iron when idle.

I do NOT recommend a sponge for cleaning (I use a brush see the previous
thread).
Water will waste the tip rapidly.  I usually get about 1-2 years from a
single tip...

I also use a small can of "Tip Cleaner" ... a sort of solid very thick
paste that adds
new tin to the tip.

Filing is a last, desperate act :^P

H^) harry

KHeck73 at aol.com wrote:

>  In a message dated 9/9/2004 9:45:15 PM Eastern Daylight Time,
> c0r3dump23 at yahoo.com writes:
>
>      This is a
>      might bit ghetto, I am very much looking forward to buying a
>      grounded
>      iron with temperature control and a selection of tips.
>
>      CJ
>
> In the meantime, here is what I do. This is in regard to soldering PC
> boards. Keep a cup of water at hand to wet a sponge or paper towel and
> wipe the tip off while its hot, as needed. Don't burn your fingers,
> but you can be a little aggressive. This will help clear off oxidation
> and cool the tip down for a moment. If you have alot of soldering to
> do with a 30W iron, break your work up into parts. Solder in 10 or 15
> minute spells, then unplug the iron and let it cool while you do
> something else. It should only take 2 or 3 minutes to heat up again.
> Wipe with the wet thing after it heats up again. I find that a 15W
> iron sometimes struggles to be hot enough, but a 30W iron gets too hot
> over time and needs to be cooled down periodically. The solder should
> flow freely, not clump up (too cold), or have the flux splatter (too
> hot). -Karl.