Tin Up
Remember to tin your soldering iron after every use to prevent oxidation. This will increase the longevity of your soldering tip.
Last updated March 2019
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I’m sure you’ve heard of this a handful of times, but do you actually do it? I know I didn’t when I first started soldering. Now that I have my own, I definitely tin the soldering tip after every use. Why? It helps increase the longevity of the soldering tip. How? The solder on the tip creates a barrier between the actual tip and the outside world which prevents oxidation. What’s oxidation? I’m no chemist, but I did take a chemistry class during my engineering curriculum. Oxidation is a chemical reaction where oxygen takes electrons from iron, in your case, the soldering “iron.” If your soldering tip starts to oxidize, you can clean it up with steel wool or steel brush, but save yourself the hassle and tin your iron after every use!
You should get in the habit of taking care of all your tools and equipment, not just your soldering iron. Who likes costly repairs and downtime? Not me. I hate buying replacement parts when it could’ve been easily avoided if I’d taken care of it. For example, keep your tools in a dry and cool environment to prevent moisture buildup. I like to put desiccant packs in each drawer of my tool chest. I also like to apply multi-purpose oil to the joints of each tool.
For equipment, each piece is different. For example, for our CNC router you have to keep debris off of the tracks and keep the electronics free of dust to avoid overheating. For our 3D printer, we like to add a thin layer of oil along each rod and flush the nozzle out with a cleaner filament. For our laser cutter, we keep each lens clean of dust and make sure each lens is properly aligned. I think you get the point. You need to make it a habit to read the instruction manual and check the recommended maintenance. You made a big investment in purchasing your equipment so you should take care of it to make it last as long as you can.
What did we learn?
- Take care of your tools and other equipment. You want to get as much use out of them as you can.
- Read the instruction manuals (yes, I know it hurts) for your equipment to see what maintenance is recommended.