[SGVHAK] Once and Future meetings

[Mic Chow]

Lan and Dave are referring to the synthetic sponge that you wet.  In the
old days that was used to clean the tip, but the problem is that it does
more than clean the particulates that you want to take off the tip, it
removes the solder that you used to tin the tip and cools down the tip, so
you end up having to re-tin the tip before soldering.  The brass "sponge"
that you have linked is a good thing.  You use that to clean the tip of the
particulates and it keeps the tin on the tip.  I usually do a poking motion
to clean the tip in the brass wire sponge and then check the tip before
continuing.  Never leave a hot iron on either sponge.  I know that when I
have my temperature set too high on my solder iron, I need to tin the tip a
lot more and leaving it at that high temperature can ruin the tip for me.
Dave used his iron that has temperature controls and a sensor on the tip
that detects if you are using it to or not, so it can turn it on to apply
heat or turn it off.  His is really nice.

-Mic

On Fri, Jun 21, 2013 at 8:28 AM, Braddock <braddock at braddock.com> wrote:

>  On 06/21/2013 12:40 AM, Lan Dang wrote:
>
>   soldering irons, why you shouldn't use a sponge, and uses for various
> types of flux.
>
>
> Sounds like a great meeting, I'm sorry I didn't make it.  I really wanted
> to see Dave's shop.
>
> Enlighten me, if I don't use a sponge, what would I use?  I tried a brass
> wire "sponge" once but I blame it for ruining my tip.
>
> http://www.amazon.com/Soldering-Iron-Cleaning-Sponge-Brass/dp/B003UY3XU2
>
> -braddock
>
>
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