Causes and Solutions for Oxidation and Non-wetting of Soldering Iron Tip
1. Reasons for not eating tin due to oxidation of soldering iron tips
In the process of using an electric soldering iron, the most feared problem is the burning of the soldering iron tip. How to deal with this situation? Below are some methods summarized over the years.
To prevent the soldering iron tip from burning to death and not eating tin, it is necessary to first understand the reasons why the soldering iron does not eat tin. The main reason why the soldering iron tip does not eat tin is due to the soldering iron tip burning out for a long time. This is the most common mistake made by friends who are new to electronic soldering technology. They often forget to unplug the power when dealing with other things, causing the soldering iron tip to burn out in the air. During the air burning, the temperature of the soldering iron tip is very high, about 380 degrees Celsius.
There are two situations, depending on whether the soldering iron tip is made of copper metal or iron metal, the consequences are different.
(1) The soldering iron tip is made of copper metal
It will react with the oxygen in the air and generate black copper oxide on the surface. If the solder is melted, there will be a spherical liquid of tin on the surface of the old iron head. If the oxidation is serious, it will not stick to tin at all. This is the so-called "iron head does not eat tin".
(2) The tip of an electric soldering iron is made of iron metal
Due to prolonged exposure to heat, it will turn into black iron oxide, which is also very difficult to consume.
2. The method of treating soldering iron tips without consuming tin
The commonly used soldering iron tips include copper tips and alloy tips, which are mainly composed of five metals: copper, iron, nickel, chromium, and tin.
For copper soldering iron tips, when they oxidize, due to the softness of copper, the surface of the soldering iron tip can be sanded with sandpaper. When bright copper metal appears, power on until it is just a little hot, then dip the soldering iron tip in some rosin, and when the soldering iron tip reaches a solderable temperature, finally apply some tin to the soldering iron tip, and it can be used. When using a copper soldering iron tip, it may be found that there is a groove in the center of the tip due to thermal corrosion, which is the result of thermal corrosion. It is necessary to use a file to repair this horseshoe shaped soldering iron tip, and then polish it with sandpaper to make it shiny.
For soldering iron tips made of copper alloy, when the degree of oxidation is not high, the surface of the soldering iron tip can also be polished with sandpaper, and then heated and dipped in rosin to tin it. In use, it can be found that if the soldering iron tip is left blank for a long time and the temperature is high, when the temperature reaches 470 degrees, the degree of oxidation of the soldering iron tip will intensify, causing a thick oxide layer. At this time, sandpaper is useless, and a small file must be used to polish the soldering iron tip.
