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
Showing 265–288 of 317 results
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Weller RTW3 3 x 1 mm Bent Soldering Iron Tip for use with WMRT, WXMT
VND2,466,870.56 -
Weller Electric Soldering Iron, 230V, 40W
VND2,469,940.00 -
Metcal PTTC 1.1 x 1.3 mm Chisel Soldering Iron Tip for use with MX-PTZ
VND2,473,201.28 -
Antex Electronics Gas Soldering Iron, for use with Multifuntion
VND2,572,382.56 -
Antex Electronics Gas Soldering Iron Kit, 60W, for use with Antex Soldering Stations
VND2,743,312.00 -
Thermaltronics Soldering Accessory SHP Series, for use with TMT-9000S
VND2,850,358.72 -
Weller RTW4 6 x 1 mm Bent Soldering Iron Tip for use with WMRT, WXMT
VND2,872,420.32 -
Weller RTW 9 3 x 1 mm Straight Chisel Soldering Iron Tip for use with WMRT, WXMT
VND2,872,420.32 -
Ersa Gas Soldering Iron Kit, for use with Independent 75 Gas Soldering Iron
VND0.00 -
Electric Soldering Iron, 24V, 50W, for use with WES51 Soldering Station
VND2,983,112.00 -
Weller Gas Soldering Iron
VND3,020,904.48 -
Antex Electronics Electric Soldering Iron Kit, 25W, for use with Antex Soldering Stations
VND3,046,227.36 -
Metcal Electric Soldering Iron, for use with SP200 SmartHeat Solder Station
VND3,154,808.80 -
Ersa Gas Soldering Iron Kit, for use with Independent 75 Gas Soldering Iron
VND3,209,483.20 -
Weller Electric Soldering Iron, 120V, 100W
VND3,313,652.32 -
Portasol Gas Soldering Iron Kit
VND3,336,673.12 -
Portasol Gas Soldering Iron Kit
VND0.00 -
Weller Electric Soldering Iron, 24V, 50W, for use with WTCP51 Soldering Station
VND3,443,528.00 -
RS PRO Electric Soldering Iron Hand Piece, 220V, 90W, for use with 900M Series Soldering Tip
VND3,507,986.24 -
Antex Electronics Electric Soldering Iron, 230V, 50W
VND3,559,783.04
