Tinning soldering iron tip?

[Ray Dunakin]

I accidentally left my soldering iron on and now the tip is black and won't hold solder. Is it possible to re-tin the tip?

[NORCALLOGGER]

Hi Ray,
File/grind the tip till it is all copper color and smooth, no pits showing.  You can file it to any shape/configuration that works best for you.

Go to the hardware store/plumbing supply store or the like and get a block of Sal-Ammoniac (Ammonium Chloride) also have on hand a good liquid flux and some simple 60/40 solder. 

Heat the iron till it is good and hot, start rubbing it on the block of Sal and touch a little solder to it and continue to rub.  It should Tin right up.  Wipe off the excess solder on a soft cotton rag and you should be ready to solder. 

Tin the iron in an outdoor location as the Sal produces smoke that is not real pleasent to inhale I don't think it is deadly or I would have checked out 40 years ago. 

What I do for small electric irons is to use a heat sink for a holder when I am not using the iron.  This will help prevent the iron from over heating and burning while it is waiting to be used.  Pull it out of the heat sink and wait a minute for it to reach temp again and your ready to solder. 

You should wipe the iron frequently and re-tin any time a dark spot starts to show.  You can also use a quench but that involves Muriatic Acid and the fumes will rust every metal surface in the room as well as clean your sinuses throughly.

Good luck
Rick

[Ray Dunakin]

Thanks, Rick!

[JohnP]

Ray, you'll have to repeat Rick's instructions more often with a tip that has gone to bare copper. Most tips come with a plating that resists deterioration so they last longer. Your old one should give you good service for a while though.

John

[RoughboyModelworks]

Rick is spot on on the process Ray and you'll find it works great, especially on larger irons. For some of my very small irons, I use the same prep method, filing the tip till I get a consistent smooth, pit-free copper surface. Generally, since my small irons all have small conical tips, I pop the tip in the lathe to speed the filing process. As Rick suggests, you can also file the tip to any shape you need, depending on the joint you're trying to solder. Several years ago I found a product at a local Radio Shack called "Tip Tinner & Cleaner." It's a one step application, just dip the hot iron tip into this material and it tins it perfectly, accompanied by a fair amount of fairly acrid smoke. It's in a small tin, about the same diameter as a quarter and about 1/2" deep, so it works perfectly for the small iron tips. I'm not sure if it's still available, but worth checking out nevertheless. As I recall it was a very modest cost, not enough for them to proceed with their irritating practice of asking for your zip code or address - saves me from giving them a load of false information...  

Paul