Soldering Irons
Soldering iron tips transfer heat from a soldering iron into solder so that it melts and can flow into the joint between two components or workpieces. They’re also sometimes referred to as ‘bits’.To protect your soldering iron tips, you should tin your tip before and after soldering to create a protective layer between the air and the soldering iron tip. Tinning prevents oxidisation and allows for a more efficient heat transfer.Optimal operating temperaturePutting your soldering tips through excessive temperatures will shorten their lifespan. The temperature of the tip will decrease as the soldering iron is used more. There is the temptation to increase the idle temperature to compensate for this temperature drop – but don’t as this will shorten the life of the soldering iron tip. If you aren’t actively using your soldering iron think about turning it off or setting it to a low ‘idle’ temperature to maximise tip life.How do you clean a soldering iron?To keep your tip in perfect condition you should aim to clean before, during and after use. Before you solder, ensure that you have cleaned the surfaces which are to be soldered with an alcohol wipe.To clean your tips, use either brass wool (less abrasive) or stainless steel wool (more abrasive). Try to avoid using a sponge as doing so rapidly cycles the tip through a hot and cold cycle. Doing this repeatedly will cause metal fatigue and tip failure. Once you have cleaned the tip ensure that you cover the tip with fresh solder so as to present oxidisation.Using fluxWhen metals come into contact with oxygen an oxide layer is formed on the surface of the metal. This oxidisation prevents solder from wetting the joint correctly and impacts the quality of the solder joint. Flux dissolves this oxidisation layer.Reactivating your soldering iron tipsIf a soldering iron tip becomes oxidised it will appear darker in colour and you may not be able to tin it. If your tip is oxidised you can use a tip activator to remove the oxidisation as it will break down the oxide layer. Once cleaned and refreshed tin the tip again to protect it from oxidisation.Soldering iron tip shapesMost soldering irons have interchangeable tips that have slightly different shapes to allow for different tasks or precision levels. For example, conical tips are used for fine electronics work. Other common tip shapes include:bevel (aka hoof)chiselconcavepyramidbent
-
Weller Soldering Accessory Soldering Iron Cleaning Sponge, for use with WDC Dry Cleaner
VND651,960.68Bag (1 Bag of 5) -
Metcal SSC 1 mm Conical Soldering Iron Tip for use with MFR-H6-SSC, SP-HC1
VND657,609.89 -
RS PRO Electric Soldering Iron, 230V, 25W
VND672,674.45 -
RS PRO Soldering Accessory Soldering Iron Stand, for use with Solder
VND687,111.32 -
RS PRO Electric Soldering Iron, 100V, 60W
VND689,203.62 -
Weller Soldering Accessory Soldering Iron Tip Retainer, for use with WSP80 Soldering Pencil
VND711,591.23 -
RS PRO Battery Soldering Iron, 4.5V
VND715,775.83 -
Metcal SSC 0.51 mm Conical Soldering Iron Tip for use with MFR-H6-SSC, SP-HC1
VND720,378.89 -
Ersa 1 x 2.5 mm Chisel Soldering Iron Tip for use with Power Tool
VND722,261.96 -
Ersa 1.4 x 5 mm Chisel Soldering Iron Tip for use with Power Tool
VND722,261.96 -
RS PRO Straight Chisel Soldering Iron Tip for use with B50-A, Engel B50, S50
VND738,372.67 -
Weller XT GW1 2.3 mm Mini-Wave Soldering Iron Tip for use with WP120, WXP120
VND742,348.04 -
RS PRO Electric Soldering Iron, 230V, 100W
VND746,951.10 -
Ersa 0.8 x 1.8 mm Chisel Soldering Iron Tip for use with i-Tool
VND760,551.05 -
Antex Electronics 0.5 mm Straight Conical Soldering Iron Tip for use with Antex XS Series
VND780,218.67Pack (1 Pack of 5) -
RS PRO Straight Conical Soldering Iron Tip for use with B50-A, Engel B50, S50
VND790,261.71 -
Weller 0.1 mm Bevel Soldering Iron Tip for use with WP 80, WSP 80, WXP 80
VND794,237.08 -
Antex Electronics 1 mm Straight Chisel Soldering Iron Tip for use with Antex CS/TCS Series
VND831,270.79Pack (1 Pack of 5) -
Antex Electronics 0.5 mm Straight Conical Soldering Iron Tip for use with Antex C Series
VND831,898.48Pack (1 Pack of 5) -
RS PRO Electric Soldering Iron, 230V, 15W
VND840,267.68 -
Antex Electronics 3 mm Straight Chisel Soldering Iron Tip for use with Antex CS/TCS Series
VND843,196.90Pack (1 Pack of 5) -
Antex Electronics Electric Soldering Iron, 230V, 25W
VND850,310.72 -
RS PRO Electric Soldering Iron, 230V, 40W
VND854,704.55 -
RS PRO Electric Soldering Iron, 230V, 25W
VND870,815.26