Most contemporary soldering iron tips are made of a copper core surrounded by iron that is nickel- or chrome-plated. The plating on the chisel’s tip is removed, thus exposing the iron cladding, and solder doesn’t stick to the nickel/chrome. Solder will, however, stick to the soldering iron. Keep the tip coated with a thin layer of tin so that it will not rust and so that you receive the optimal heat at the tip, which will in turn extend the life of the soldering iron tip as well as improve performance.
Because solder can build up on your tip and reduce heat transfer, which makes it more difficult to solder, be sure to use high-quality solder. Note that 60/40, 50/50, 63/37, and lead-free solder have different working ranges. Keep the tip of your soldering iron clean while you work: wipe the tip on a damp sponge (if you have a soldering station you should have one built-in) to keep it clean and ensure maximum heat at the tip. Alternatively, you can use metal mesh pads to clean the tip of your soldering iron.
While you want to keep the tip clean, excessively wiping it on a damp sponge can lead to premature tip failure, because the tip temperature will rise and fall dramatically, causing the metal to expand and contract. This cycle will cause the metal to fatigue and the tip will eventually collapse. The more you wipe the soldering iron tip, the more you stress the metal.
Flux is corrosive, so don’t try to clean the tip by dipping it in flux. Also, never clean with sandpaper or other abrasive materials. Minimize tip maintenance by using a quality solder with high tin content and high-purity metal. When you finish a soldering session, clean the tip, flood the tip with preferably 63/37 or 60/40 solder, wipe it clean again, and unplug the soldering iron in order to flush and re-tin the tip, which protects it from oxidation and corrosion.
You can keep the tip from seizing (i.e. becoming stuck in the barrel) by loosening the nut or screw securing it. It’s easy to damage the heating element when you try to remove a seized tip. Make sure the tip is properly seated when reinserting the tip.
If you blacken your soldering iron tip and you can’t clean it with your sponge, you can use a tinning block or a brass brush. Tinning block is a self-ammoniac which you use by rubbing the tip of your hot soldering iron through a small amount of flux you place on the block. You then wipe the tip on a damp sponge to remove the debris. If your tip is especially dirty, you may have to repeat this process several times. Keep in mind that tinning block is abrasive and frequent use will wear away the iron cladding prematurely, thus exposing the copper core and ruining the tip.
