soldering iron questions...

[studiostud]

I just have a couple quick questions regarding soldering irons and tips.  I have a weller 25W iron and I'm using the orginial "pencil" tip that came with it.  Well yesterday and took a break from doing work and I accidently left it on without using it for several hours.  Now, the tip is no longer shiney, even if I "wet" it with a damp sponge and it will only grab the rosin when I try to tin it.  It just "balls up" the solder which eventually drops onto the work table.  Is the tip ruined or does it just need to be cleaned with a special substance? 

Also, I've visited different topics regarding soldering care and I've heard people talk about turning down the heat on your soldering iron.  How do I do that?  Or is that only a feature accompanied with high priced irons or solder stations? 

[jlullo]

that has happened to me... i'm pretty sure that it means it's corroded and unusable, unless you want to try sanding it down.

as far as turning the heat down, that is if you have a soldering station...

i bought a soldering station, and it was the best purchase of my life... and only $35.  since i bought it, i've been paying more attention to making sure that i'm re-tinning the tip if it's sitting for a few minutes, and it's been paying off... still nice and fresh!

[Hambo]

when its warming up, just scrape up and down it a bit with a strand of solder, you should see the dark cruddy stuff coming off, ... and it will work better.. if not try something a bit harder like a brillo pad or something.. if still not I dunno.. but when you start sanding/filing them they start wearing down very quickly.

[ulysses]

i use goot tip refresher from jaycar (in aus) to refresh tips after a while..

look up "tinning" a soldering iron tip.

cheers
ulysses

[Meanderthal]

 Might help to get one of those copper wool pads for cleaning the tip... when mine gets grey, I poke it in, twist it a few times, then re-tin.

[markm]

Might help to get one of those copper wool pads for cleaning the tip... when mine gets grey, I poke it in, twist it a few times, then re-tin.

Same here!

[choklitlove]

i use those for regular cleaning.  they work great!

[jlullo]

i must say that those copper pads that circuit specialists sent with the xytronic SS that i purchased works WAY better than any sponge.  I'm never going back