How To Clean Soldering Iron Tip
Wipe OFF the solder on the Cleaning Sponge or Copper Wool.
How to clean soldering iron tip. Wipe the iron on a damp sponge to remove the excess. This step will coat the iron in a mixture of flux and solder. Then dip into the tin of tinner cleaner with a slight twisting action.
Take either a wet sponge or wire wool. Soldering iron only works if there is a temperature difference. Push the soldering iron tip into the chemical cleaner until the entire rusted area is submerged.
Practice good tip care. If the iron tip is heavily oxidized then you should clean it with a different technique. Use stainless steel wool flux and thick clothe to clean the tip.
The flux in tip cleaner removes the oxidation and build up from the soldering iron tip and then the solder re-tins the tip ready for use. Dont for instance wipe it off put it in the holder then leave it on over lunch. You also can clean your soldering iron tip with a sponge while using it to keep it clean.
Leave it there until the paste melts around the tip. Apart from removing the flux off it is essential to clean off surplus solder. It took a lot of effort with tip tinnercleaning compound to make the solder wet the tip again.
Try not to leave the iron sitting hot on the bench while not in use. Once clean and shiny perform tinning and now your tool is ready to use. Wipe the iron on a damp sponge to remove the excess.