Glass fibre cleaner for soldering iron tip

I've seen videos of someone dipping a wet finger into molten solder. The steam produced by the water vaporization protects the finger for the short, (very short!!), time it's in the solder.

Try it yourself with a soldering iron. I first saw a plumber do this with a large iron, heated with a blow torch. With a small iron tip, it's easy. Just be quick, make sure your finger is wet, and flick it fast enough that no hot solder sticks to the finger. Be careful where you flick it. The molten solder removed will burn bare skin.

Reply to
VWWall
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Switched to a brass wool and never need to go back.

greg

Reply to
GregS

That brush works great but not for tip cleaning. It is for cleaning the work after you solder. I use a metal pot scrubber stuffed into my iron holder to knock the waste off of the tip. Some suggest that the metal will scratch the tip, but I have not found this to be the case. I just have it shaped so that when I put the iron in the holder it fits into a hole in the scrubber and a twist of the iron going in or out cleans it quite well. I never have to worry about wetting a sponge, which for me is inconvenient as most of my repairs are in the field.

I use a brush virtually identical to that one to clean my work to check it. I scrape the bulk of the flux of of a joint then brush it with the fiber pen for a final cleaning and can see the trace and joint to verify the integrity of the work. Leaves it looking professional as well.

Leonard

Reply to
Leonard Caillouet

Its called the Leidenfrost effect...

Reply to
John Rumm

Similar protective effect if you pour LN2 over your hand. Just not for too long, and don't let it pool or wet clothing

Reply to
Dirk Bruere at NeoPax

Two weks ago I leaned up against a hot air pistol while I was painting.

Last week I pick up an iron, the very small Well pen 80 watts, thinking it was one of the multimeter leads. I let go pretty quick.

greg

Reply to
GregS

The heat of vaporization is 2257 kj/kg for water, (often expressed as

539 calories/gram), and only 2.79 kj/kg for nitrogen. Water is a far better cooler! I've actually dipped my finger in LN2 for a very short time. The evaporation in this case provides an "air" barrier between the finger and the cold LN2.

As a junior engineer, I was involved in "pumping" vacuum tubes. In those days we used a mercury vapor vacuum pump with a cold trap, filled with LN2, in the system. You can have a lot of fun with "liquid air", but it will cause severe frost bite rapidly. The tissues are destroyed by the ice crystals formed by the extreme cold.

Most "liquid air" now sold is actually LN2, because of the fire danger even with the normal oxygen content. Besides there is a very good market for the oxygen removed.

Mercury vapor pumps are long gone. (Imagine the danger in boiling mercury!) Ion pumps and absorption pumps have largely eliminated the need for cold traps.

Reply to
VWWall

What's wrong with just using an ordinary wet soldering iron sponge? I've used the wire-wool cleaners, but I find that sponges do a better job.

Reply to
Bob Larter

It should be 360c.

Reply to
Bob Larter
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An old girlfriend of mine used to be terrified of going anywhere near my workbench for that reason.

I've done that in a pinch (on site), but usually stick with the traditional wet sponge. ;^)

Reply to
Bob Larter

I've tried it and I didn't get on with it. Maybe you have a finer grade.

Graham

Reply to
Eeyore

I tried brass wool, but found that the iron was just as likely to pick up crud from the wool.

Reply to
Bob Larter

Everything except a damp sponge or a tin of tip cleaner was banned form our production floor, and sponges had to be replaced as soon as they started to decay.

Reply to
Michael A. Terrell

Good. The traditional damp sponge is simple but it works.

Reply to
Bob Larter

If it hasn't re-heated by the time you get to the job, you need a better iron!

MBQ

Reply to
Man at B&Q

Probably true. My main iron (which I've been using a lot recently) is

75W....although as it happens I use a 'brass shavings' cleaner.
Reply to
Bob Eager

I am using the pencil thin Weller 80 watt iron for serious work. Its a 3 piece combo with air and solder pump. The solder pump becomes unusable after sitting there sometimes for weeks of non use. I have to rub the brass pretty hard to get through to the metal. Usually a big job. I usually end up holding the iron and pump tips close to the board and go from iron to pump real quick. I wish each channel would have an auto off. The iron only takes about 15 secs to fully heat. The old irons back in the 80's we were using were straight unregulated ones and with the high temp, the tips would need a lot of cleaning.

greg

Reply to
GregS

Fine if you're soldering continuously - but if it's the usual gap while preparing a component etc aren't you forever cleaning it?

Reply to
Dave Plowman (News)

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