Soldering Iron

[Flashbang]

I have to chuckle to myself when comments are made that.... I read somewhere " Don't wipe your soldering irons tip on a damp sponge it will cool the tip too much" (Thats No reflection on the poster who made the statement) But Really!!! Its a DAMP sponge, not wringing wet nor a bowl of ice cold water your dipping the irons tip into. If once wiped on the damp sponge the irons tip doesn't regain the minute loss of temperature before you start soldering again, including applying a coating of fresh solder to the tip, then its only fit for one thing... Living in the dustbin! A quality iron will recover the minute amount of heat lost in milliseconds at best and worse within a second and long before you approach the item to be soldered!

The copper strand tip cleaning device is a great tool and I use one, but only at the end of the day soldering or if a piece of insulation plastic accidently sticks to the tip. Its absolutely great to use for a fresh clean tip.

The worse thing and its almost the devils work for the home users is Lead Free solder. It is not illegal for a home user to purchase or use Lead content rosin cored solder for electrical joints e.g. 60/40. Only manufacturers or people who repair/sell PCBs or other electrical items that have a soldered joint are required to use the Lead Free stuff.

Three main things for a quality soldered joint are:
Soldering Iron of the correct type and wattage.
Soldering Irons tip is in first class condition and clean.
Clean all items to be soldered and allow time for heat from the pre solder coated irons tip to pass into the items to be soldered, then once soldered allow to cool without moving the joint.
There are of course other things involved in the soldering process but IMO those are the main ones.

[End2end]

I use a damp sponge for cleaning, but I have read elsewhere that this is not good because it cools the tip down.

As Flashbang says, that's a load of nonsense.
Thanks
End2end

[abenn]

There we go; I've now read somewhere that the advice I read somewhere else to not use a damp sponge was wrong Actually, having used a damp sponge for many years, I can't really see anything wrong with it myself, so I'm glad to have company. But I think I'll still get one of those brass wire things to use for a final clean prior to switching off.

[Flashbang]

Just think why is it that all major soldering iron manufacturers supply their iron stands with a sponge pad?

[Bufferstop]

Just make sure your sponge is real natural sponge not foamed plastic.
hot iron + foamed plastic = yucky mess! Even if wringing wet.
Extra tip, always park coffee/tea mug on opposite side to iron stand.

[abenn]

.... Extra tip, always park coffee/tea mug on opposite side to iron stand.

[End2end]

As studio / broadcast wiremen, we have a saying....

"Solder, solder,
crimpy, crimpy,
if all else fails.....
a wet piece of string"

Thanks
End2end

[jameslandry]

For those looking to get into electronics soldering on a budget, the SREMTCH 60W Soldering Iron is a decent option. It is a good quality professional soldering iron that comes at a reasonable price, making it accessible to all. This budget soldering iron performs above its class and is a good starter kit for electronic work.

[Flashbang]

A wipe of the soldering irons tip on a damp (not wet) sponge will not reduce the tips temperature. Its a fallacy that it would do so. (If it did the iron is fairly useless!)
A tip cleaning pot full of brass strips is a good way of cleaning an iron which I use at the end of the days soldering, but a damp sponge is used while soldering.

[Bufferstop]

I'm sure this thread is almost identical to one on every other site advising on the use of soldering irons. It's a source of puzzlement why there are so many people ready to believe old chestnuts like the sponge cooling the iron. As for lead alloy solder, it's a legal requirement only when
- you are soldering waterpipes,
- you are working with or close to float soldering of PCBs
- an employee is required to use solder in the course of their work.
Obviously a good employer should set a good example and use what they ask their staff to use.

In the days Before BT was BT, the accepted practise was to wrap the wire tightly around the terminal before applying solder. Then someone discovered that if the connection was wrapped tightly enough, soldering gave a connection no better than the wrapping, and I left just before they got around to issuing us all with wire wrapping tools. They tell me the air quality in switchrooms improved dramatically when most racks had a hot soldering iron in a holder hanging from the framework.