Hello learnelectronics, Upon quick examination I would say that the tip has been used at a temperature that is too high for too long and the oxidation has completely ruined the tip. There's no tip tinner on the market that can repair that. Time for a new tip.

It's amazing to me that tips get that bad. I've been using the same tip since like 2018 and it's still very shiny and cleans up great, with just some flux residue burned on. Methinks some folks are running their irons WAY too hot. I run 400C at the most, with 350C being much better overall if you can make it work (with proper tip selection). More importantly, all my irons are setup so they are only hot when in use. When in the holder, they are either off or at a low-temp standby condition. If your iron doesn't have a "standby" mode, you can power the iron off a footswitched outlet. When you need the heat, just step on the pedal. Yes, it means waiting a little for the heat to show up, but if you don't have that kind of time, you should have a station with a standby mode. I use a Hakko FX600 as well as other stations that have a "sleep/standby" mode and the footswitch outlet is a game changer for basic irons like the FX600.

I purchased something like that from Radio Shack years ago. I own an inexpensive Weller soldering iron that uses chrome (or nickel) plated tips. They don't last long so I've tried the RS tip cleaner, it works for a bit but doesn't replace the original plating, plus, it smells awful. Thanks for the video, have a great weekend.

Thanks for saving me some money! This was in my cart on Amazon for my next order.

It works for me if I stick it vertically and let it liquidify and boil around the tip for 2-3 seconds, clean it with the brass and it works. I have stopped using the sponge because they say that the temperature difference creates micro cracks that in time ruin the tip, I can’t verify but it makes sense to me. Great vidreo, keep up the great work!

95% of the time you're not even using the iron. That's when the oxidation is occurring. All my oxidation problems went away when I bought a decent soldering iron. I bought the hakko 951. It has an auto sleep function when you put the iron in the holder it turns The iron off. problem solved. I only takes about 5 seconds to reheat to 400C.

You have to let it cool fully after using the tinner before trying to use it for anything. When it cools, the metal particles of the tinner stick to the tip.

Hi, great video, it inspired me to try using a tip cleaner, used a sponge for last 40 years. I used the brass and the sponge on a soldering iron that was let on over the weekend, with no results, without knowing and based on Amazon reviews, bought the Thermaltronics and worked like a charm, I am really impressed now, hard to believe how good it worked. Thanks for the video and all the comments!

Hi Paul I have used tip tin it never worked for me ether. I thought it was because I bought it from RadioShack. Now I use the brass wole and Rosin flux and I get excellent results from this. I also bought the Hako fox 951couse the stand has a sleep function and now I dont ruin my tips. I will admit I don't solder every day like you but I do believe that you get what you pay for and the fix 951 was the best investment I could have made. Just my opinion you take care and thank you for all you do to help us hobbyists. Peace man.

Tip cleaning honestly probably the most understood subject when it comes to soldering. With that said that tip was very rough. I’ve never had much luck with the damp sponge, but it’s what I had when I was a beginner it’s like over time it would case the tip to corrode, and oxidize more than it should I’m assuming that was caused by tap water. The brass is now my favorite. I never use a sponge anymore but I’ve noticed something about the brass wool it does matters which one you get. The one you have in the video I’ve had and it doesn’t have much for flux in it the one I have now has a puck of a hard flux at the bottom which you put the tip in once it starts vaporizing a bit pull the iron out and run it in the brass. Looks good as new ever time. As for the tip tinnier it’s the same as the sponge but faster the more you use it the faster the tip degrades.

I been debating if I should get the tip tinner for the longest thanks for the video man

Great video. I have the same problem and I use a Weller 1010 soldering iron.

Thanks pal, because of you i got the brass wool, and because of someone else i got the tip tinner, i use the tip tinner after the brass wool and by dipping straight down into it, not wiping it.

works like a charm. At least that's what i've found. Then again, i haven't let my iron get all tore up yet. I use the tinner once every "session" i solder and it really does work and keeps it clean. VERY clean. I use crackpipe wool like you have and a sponge too.

Thanks for the video. I was wondering if that stuff was worth the money. I'll stick to quality tips and some TLC.

I've found that specifically Thermaltronics tip tinner works really well. I have never used the kind you were testing (although the material looks the same to me) but looking at your results there's no comparison.

thanks for the info, i was about to buy some tip tinner to try and fix a tip just starting to not take solder on the tip after watching this i ended up ordering a pack of new tips ty

I just use a copper pot scrubber from the dollar store. Well, it looks like copper. Cleans just as well as a brass shavings (which actually clean for me? not sure why yours didn't give you a fresh shiny tip, though yours was pretty far gone). I'm still on my first hakko tip. I also sometimes just scrape the tip (when hot) on the pine board I use as a work surface. Usually when I pickup plastic or something, but it's another alternative.

I push the hot tip in and twist it while pulling it to the side to scrub the tarnish off the tip as new wetting tin takes to the tip. I use a brass sponge exclusively, keep the tip wet with solder, and that hardly makes it necessary to use tip tinner. My tips seem to last forever now after learning wet sponges thermally shock and crack the iron plating of the tip. Brass sponges are to take away excess solder, and twisting it in the brass where some solder has accumulated does nearly the same thing as tip tinner.

I just bought some and came here looking for advice on how to use it. I won't be too disappointed if it doesn't work for me as it only cost 5 quid but at least I know, from your video, that it will not save all tips. Thanks very much for the video.

Just saw another video from SRA Solder Lab that suggest preheating to 350c to allow the thinner to adsorb proper, it worked amazingly, only a very slight roll of the tip needed

been using loctites tip tinner here as you said a combo of brass wood and tip tinner is a winner

I use it mainly as a quick way to tin my tips after I’m done soldering just to prevent oxidation. Wool and flux has been the best way to try to restore tips that are getting oxidized. I’m just lazy I guess but it does seem to work well for that purpose. It’s never an easy task though. High heat for long periods seems to be the main cause for permanent degradation.

weve had great results with this tinner /activator but rub the tip in and out just a tiny bit pressure,as it needs that abrasive back n forth action . its a must on new tips too

These new fangled hard iron cored tips come with the penalty that you always have to treat them better than was the case with the copper. We routinely used to dress tips with a medium mill file .... or if it had been severely beaten up a 10" bastard, which if you were rash could halve the size of the bit in a couple of strokes. With copper they were either acid black or back of van green and usually just a light scrape with a file did the trick. There were show-boaters who used old sulphuric acid, or wire wheels but it was mostly overkill ... a file both cleaned and reshaped, ready for a new lead (free?) overcoat. You have to use appropriate force ... my mate uses his bit like a Hitchcock psycho then wonders why they don't last. Now - you are in new territory, these new iron core bits are hard! Mine seem to just need an occasional rub with a panscrub (bit like me!). I have one loose for detailed or more energetic titivation but mostly, like you I just bash the tip into the tin a couple of times and I'm good to go. One thing that has changed, due to my hunt for a usable chinesium cheapo solder I'm also trying out a range of fluxes from the liquid dab pen mild enough to leave, through the downright aggressive paste that dissolves everything if not cleaned off quick to natural pine rosin (colophony) which seems to work with anything that melts. Have to be careful - the old plumbing or roofer's sal ammoniac or boric pastes will damage electronic boards in seconds. My tip has never been so clean :D

I find the best way to re-tin a dirty/corroded tip is to first clean it (with the soldering iron/gun cold and unplugged) with a wire brush or steel wool to thoroughly remove all of the oxides and other contaminants down to the bright bare copper, apply a liberal coating of paste flux, and then use a second soldering iron/gun with a blob of melted solder on its tip to coat the burnished tip with the already-hot-and-liquefied solder. This way, you get the bared-copper tip thoroughly coated with solder, but without initially heating it so hot that the copper starts to oxidize, like it would if you just plugged in and heated the iron itself to try to melt solder onto it.

He Howdy, after goig through everything you mention in this video I decided to try some of that Tip tinner stuff, now Im new at this and have taken it up in hopes of improving my memory due to a brain injury anyway, you had no luck with it and I thought "Oh crap" but I used Tip Tinner by Thermaltronics part no. TMT-TC-2 and it worked on the 2nd try. Thanks for the video and take care of that CHF.

I throw the cutoffs from my desolder braid in the brass wool. Also use the wet sponge. Got some old Rat Shack solder I use to tin once in a while, seems to work better if I switch up the solder once in a while.

Thanks for saving us hard earned cash.

Interesting results. I'd have thought it would work better than that. I'm satisfied with the bass wool though so I see no need to change. Thanks for the video!

sal ammoniac block is the way to go. Just dip the tip in the block and at the same time add solder to the tip while rolling it on the block and viola nice and shiny tip again.

keep sandpaper brass wool and a sponge... and ur all set. I actually prefer pure copper tips with no plating on them. Once in a while I just clean em up with some sandpaper and tin them up works great.. super cheap too. Of course you can shape them however you want!

I used this tip runner on an old radio shack iron that was completely black with oxidation. I used 220 grit sandpaper and took it down to the brass and used this tip thinner and it’s as good as new. Solder wouldn’t stick and now it will stay on the iron.

a fine sandpaper on the tip usually help remove most oxidation. it will be usable but not great. tip tinner in my opinion is for maintenance, TT keeps tip last longer by creating layer of tin which prevent oxidation when it cools down. but a side note not all tip tinner are the same.

Great video, dude. 😊 What I normally use is an acid flux (it's used to soldering with a torch I guess), normal rosin core solder and the brass thing. 😊 It works... But I never let my soldering iron tips get too bad. You know? When I notice it's getting weird I already do it. But it's rare, normally happens when I use the soldering iron, put it in the stand and forget to turn the temperature down. 😐

I have soldered for years, all of the paste cleaners are not worth purchasing. Get yourself a bar of Sal Ammoniac, when the iron is hot, roll the tip onto the bar, along with a drop of solder. Perfectly tinned tip every time.

Thanks for sharing this video and experience. Tip tinner is new concept for me as well. Appreciate your efforts !

Rather than sinking the tip for less time at high temperature, use low temperature (300-350 c)and let it stay in tinner for 20-30 seconds. Then vigorously rub it on sponge to remove any remaining oxidation.

I typically use a high grit sanding sponge with some wax or water soluble flux.. my problem is the heat that goes to the gun. It may be internal or the homemade tips, but they work especially well when I replace them, so I don’t know.

Seeing that iron gives me PTSD, the controller inside blew up while in my hand

Hey man!, get some kaliphony activated rosin it's a solid amber like resin but extremely brittle, super cheap and goes a long way. plus you can use it for everything from making your own soldering paste/flux with some ipa or using it as a tip cleaner.

Very helpful, thanks!

I'll have to try this with my hakko tip tinner paste will have to grab a bit I don't care for like a chisel and beat it up first.. did you try coating it while the iron was cold? What I would try cause tip tinner is a mix of flux solder and acids just curious I'll find out with my cheap 65 watt station

I have decent tips for my soldering iron, but some of my old ones that rarely get used for certain occasions I use tip tinner on. I wouldn’t take his word for it 100%, as it’s not the proper technique. I just wipe the tip gently across the top a few times on all sides, slowly add a little solder and then brush it in my brass, then on the sponge. All gently, no aggressive holding the tip in the tinner, the tinner shouldn’t be bubbling either. He read the instructions from the product provided at the beginning as well, and didn’t quite follow them.

I'm researching the same thing, trying to salvage the tip on a older iron. I know I'm late to the party, but try researching something called sal ammoniac - there's a few videos on it and people swear by it. I think I'll be giving it a try. Thanks for the video BTW.

You could try some liquid flux and really let it boil away the oxidation (well ventilated). It'll oxidize as soon as you pull it out, but the tip cleaner may be able to then have its flux take that off with the incorporated solder flowing in before you pull it out.

I use a small screwdriver that has solder melted on it and then dip it to flux,while cleans the solder tip instantly retins the tip also with new solder mixed with flux taking any excessive dirt from the sides of the tip.Patended procedure owned by me.A wet sponge worns off more quickly the hot tip,when once upon a time use it all the tips cracked and opened after sometime.

it's already in my cart ..thanks i saw this review now i change my mind maybe i just buy another thing much worth than tip tinner thank u sir

It does restore soldering tips, up to a point. I always use brass wool, but eventually I will get oxidation the wool won't remove. That's when i reach for the tip tinner. It does work. I do apply slight pressure while I i roll the tip though. Tip tinner is not a replacement for brass wool. It just removes hard to clean oxidation the wool can't remove. I rarely have use for it with modern tips though. They stay pretty oxidation free with just the wool, but older tips, and cheap soldering irons benefits a great deal.

Dremal works great . You can ether use the barrel 60 grit sander or one of the Grinder tools . It cleans the tips great .

The tip cleaner did not work for me also although it is highly priced. It tinned well one type of bit, so it is material dependent. Gently filing is the better choice ( not for ceramic tips )

Tip preserving...bedtime iron..sleep mode, Dan

The only thing that can clean oxidation from a soldering iron tip without any effort in just a few seconds, is a block of sal ammoniac. I bought one about 7 years ago and I use it almost every time I use my soldering iron. And the tip is like new!

Is it better to get those el cheapo $2 tips instead? Last time I check the tip cleaner is pretty expensive. Thanks for the video though

I regularly use tip tinner but not to clean the iron. I'll use a bit of sandpaper to get the oxidization off if there is anything significant, and then using tinner after that helped restore it. It's more for regular maintenance than to fix something that's heavily oxidized.

Some light sand paper did the trick, tip tinner helped but not much, if tip is ok will tin quite well. Dipping iron in flux does help too.

Man thats a nice looking oscilloscope. I really need to get myself one.

The brass wool, tip thinner and sponge are fine. The problem here is the soldering iron is over heating the tip and damaging it. Take a silicon diode and place it in between the circuit board and heating element of the soldering iron and the iron will be fine.

I use the thermaltronics stuff. Worked first try. Might want to try another brand

I've been soldering only a month ... while cleaning off and de-oxidizing tips is not a current issue I have (or have ever had), this video gets a like and playlisted for future reference. I can only assume that driving hotter temps (beyond 400 C) for lengthy periods is the largest culprit to tips oxidizing from the get-go. So far I get a little nervous even at the 350 mark (the tubing that comes with the Engineering brand solder sucker is only rated that high - but MAN does that sucker do its job). I got into this because of FPV drone flying, and want to be a builder. That first few repair projects I tried attacking are INSANELY small - no they're not done yet, when I get finished making obnoxious messes on my practice PCB boards, then I'll make the repair attempts ... I feel thats awhile off yet ... :/ Anyhow, great video mate....

I use it infrequently just to get my tip in pristine condition, the rest of the time I tin with hard flux and some old lead free solder to use it up before putting it away. I only have a cheap Chinese soldering station that I use on 360° (tested surprisingly accurate) the vast majority of the time, using 0.8mm (I think 0.032”) 63/37 flux core wire for my soldering. I only use Hakko T18 tips as I was advised to in comments of a review video for my station. They are night and day compared to cheap tips but far more expensive. My T18-D16 from Pi Hut in the U.K. is my most used tip and is months old and still looks and acts like new. How much of that is down the tip quality or sparingly using the tinning cleaner I've no idea. I find the tip cleaner really good for maintenance and it says on mine not to over use it. However, I’ve never tried it on destroyed cheap tips.

I use it regularly with very different results. If you watch Weller's video on tip activator it illustrates the results I get. Possibly the tip wasn't hot enough? Not sure. 73

All tips will oxidize eventually and you are expected to replace them. It is a few dollars vs hours of frustration. I have used a few brands of soldering irons: Hakko, Metcal, cheap chinese brands, and I find Metcal tips lasts the longest, maybe months. I am not sure whether is it due to tip quality or the technology in the soldering iron. But Metcal is expensive. The tip tinner is supposed to be used regularly before the tip oxidizes. I always dip my iron into tip tinner one last time and don't wipe it off when I finish soldering. It protects the surface coating.

I use tip tinner every day but not that brand. I use Thermaltronics. I use the brass wool combined with that tinner and it works extremely well. Either your tip was too far oxidized or you have the wrong brand.

i guess due to the leidenfrost effect that product isnt touching the tip,maybe try it at below the boilingpoint or cold and leave it on for longer.

I use it after cleaning the tip with steel wool or sandpaper sometimes even a file. Get rid of all the oxide, then re-tin. Works faster than using just flux and solder.

It took me half a can of tip tinner before i got it back into shape so dont loose patience that first time getting it back into shape is hell then u just have to touch it up

OMG! @3:00 "roll it maybe" I that point I knew he had no idea what he was doing or saying. Didn't this shit come with instructions? lol

I remember my old teacher telling me in highschool to dip the tip in acidic/active flux and than put the tip into the wool. I honestly can't say if it works or not, but I've always done it before storing (I tin after) than lightly wipe it off. I've never really had a problem with tips myself, but I'm also kinda cheap so I try to keep them as clean as possible.

Your video called "How to clean and re tin your soldering iron " is basically the method I use and find it works best for me. Except I use the brass instead of wet sponge.

Also i dont recomend a damp sponge to wipe it off,just a dry cleaner like your copper/brass wool

It will work great if use it before and after you solder with a new tip. It will keep it in great shape for a good while.

I'd actually love to see this done on thermaltronics. many of the comments are correct about waiting. but I've had tips in this rough of shape. and didn't need to wait to see it take. I've to see this tried beyond anecdotal evidence.

The tips are a different metal under the outer plating so you don't want to remove the outer plating or wear it down any more than you "need to". You end up with two senerios, or I do, if the plating is worn off, the inner metal doesn't take solder (iron tips? or some other hard metal), and then there are the copper based tips, once the coating fails on them, they keep taking solder but start to erode [or the copper ones may come with no plating at all, although I have received plated copper tips as well]. The copper ones can still keep being used while they erode as they continue to take solder, but eventually there isn't much tip remaining to keep using. I don't too all that much soldering, and I had quit for nearly 20 years I guess, so I haven't gone though a huge number of tips. Really only 1 lost tip in the last 2 years, by cleaning with the sponge or brass cleaner mesh ball. I did pickup the tip tinner too to see if it was of use. Using it regularly will wear down the coating prematurely, because it does wear off some of the plating. I did end up with a nice shiny tip though when using it. I did put it in and turn it a bit at my normal soldering temperature (300C). I was a bit happier with my results than you, but it mostly just sits there and I did also feel I could have better spent the $10 elsewhere. Yes it does stink, so that also impacts my interest in using it. If my tip doesn't want to come clean with the brass brush cleaner like you are using, or the damp sponge I will use the tip tinner on it. That is quite rare though. I perfer properly cleaning the tip, and not letting it sit hot idle for extended periods. If it does get set idle for awhile, turn the temp down and load it up with solder. When I am done I clean the tip just before shutting it off. That is what the former Navy trained teacher taught us when we were in school. We didn't go through very many tips following his instructions over the years. He always had use use the "plated" tips and not the copper ones, as he knew they would erode. I like the copper ones, as I like how well they take solder, but the plated ones have been doing very well for me, so I haven't gotten any out knowing they will wear down relatively quickly.

just sand the tip first while cold with a decent grit of sandpaper or steel wool to get rid of the oxide, brass wool does the same but harder to really remove all the oxide. warm up the iron tip with wrapping solder around it so it sticks and tins it. Then use tip tinner before you store it to coat it as it cools and keep the surface from oxidisation. I don't think tip tinner is much use on an oxidised tip when it's coating the oxidised layer. I treat it as more of a protective coating between uses.

The only thing that's ever worked for me as far as recovering tips goes is cleaning them cold and dipping them into a molten solder pot. A tip is going to oxidize when hot as soon as it is exposed to atmosphere. But solder pots aren't cheap. I didn't buy mine to clean tips. It just turns out it's the best way to clean tips or rather tin tips too.

Paul, with a reasonable tip the solder cleaner will keep the tip in good shape.

I'm a plumber by trade and I just started messing around with soldering irons if you use utility flux and a piece of sand cloth it'll clean that tip right up

Never use a wet sponge, and the tip tinner will work. Just stab brass. I don't know what the wet sponge does, but it WRECKS tips to the point they are unrecoverable. I have been using the same tip now for 3 years, and I use that iron about 5 times a week. I never get it wet, tip tin it about every week, and only stab brass wool.

why not use pure rosin the soild stuff then the wire or sponge , you could even put soild rosin in the bottom of the tin holding the brass sponge

Man you keep scrapping it off with steel wool. Tin it vertically for 5 sec and then light twist in the brass just a couple times. That's it no more.

I use colophonium to clean the solder tip, put solder and wipe with scrub and it works pretty well. Smell is a bit ugly but using a fan to extract that fumes. Edit. Add solder / Clean the tip and blob it finnaly :P

Thanks for saving me some time and money. I rarely solder, but I started working on my own keyboard recently. I've just been cleaning my tip up on the belt sander whenever it gets oxidized too bad. I probably just made someone cringe, but it's been working well for me. Just ordered some brass as well. Have been using a sponge.

In this situation, what you're looking for is a block of solid Sal Ammoniac. Give it a shot. 👍

I have a differrent brand of it and it works really well. Thermaltronics

I like sanding despite many people say not

Try using fine steel wool .it always work.

can we use white vinegar and soak it in overnight???

Hi Paul, can you make video on powering the atmega 328p barebone out of the arduino. As a beginner that's where I am having problem, how to power it , what should be the circuit. For my personal case, I want to power my atmega 328p barebone from 12v car battery. I want to use atmega328p as a LEDs controller board. So far I am able run it barebone by 5v power supply. How to drop 12v to 5v? Car battery can be tricky irregular voltage current drops or spikes, I believe I have to use a capacitor too but what kind?

i tryed tip tinner from thermaltronics and it worked great. try it

I consider tip tinner to be horrible stuff, it produces a short term improvement, but long term it destroys the bit. In my experience it poisonous the bit and after a while the solder will not flow or wet the bit, preferring to form solder balls as the bit becomes solder repellent. Whenever I have used this stuff, I have ended up having to replace the bit. I suggest you continue to use the brass wool to clean the bit, it works really well, slowly removing the oxides. I have a time switch on my soldering iron, so that it is never left on for long periods unattended, as this is the main cause of oxide formation together with running the iron at too high a temperature. I think it is important to never leave flux on the iron to burn and form those horrible black carbon deposits. ( I suspect the carbon residue left by burned organic flux forms an alloy with the bit surface that repels solder.) I always tin and wipe the iron bit just before I turn it off, this leaves a layer of protective solder on the bit for when it is next warmed up. Filing or scrapping the tip of the iron removes its nickel coating, destroying the bits ability to tin. ( I do not know which tip tinner you are using, but it is worth reading the small print warnings about the dangers of inhaling the fumes some tinners produce. The ones we had in the lab smelled like burning ping-pong balls ( nitro cellulose ) and the fumes were labeled as toxic. )

I do not recommend using any of the Can Tip Tinner that can be bought. I worked in surface mount for 6 years and at one time, management decided to allow the workers to try it for a month. I'll tell you, we went through soldering tips so fast because it actually eats away at the tip surface. The tips we used were very expensive and the expense of replacing them more often was not worth it. Management decided not to ever allow any worker to use it again. By the way, there is ammonia in the Can Tip Tinner and that is what eats the tips.

When the tip gets this bad, very simple trick, let iron cool down... take the green scrubby that you do dishes with the green and sponge pads and lightly use a wet green part to shine and bring back the tip, then warm it up just enough to take solder again and it will tin very easy

ultrafine sandpaper and..... half a lemon... the citric acid help a lot and it smell quite good

Hmm. It's a wonder no one developed an expensive electroplating "solution" for this problem... Actually, how effective would an improvised electroplating attempt be?

The tip tinner works. You had that soldering iron turned up way too high. It barely had a chance to work before it was vaporized. Unfortunately, I think the plating has been destroyed. I usually replate my tips with a copper or nickel solution.

I came to same conclusion that tip tinner doesn't work (I used MG Chemicals Tip Tinner) HOWEVER i saw a video where the person used something like Oatey Lead free tinning flux No. 95 (which I happened to have in my garage in my plumbing supplies) and the technique was to dip the hot tip in the No 95 flux, apply generous solder and wipe off with 000 steel wool (using thick leather gloves holding the steel wool) and repeat until it works... I revived 3 tips Hakko T18-D12 and Weller ETA that were way worst than the one you used in this video... and yes, I was busting my tips for overheating them and leaving at rest for too long with full heat. I got a Weller WE1010NA that has a standby mode, so this will help with that.

Hello I Do a lot of Video Game HDMI Port Repairs And Tip Tinner Works Really Good For Me.

It worked for me on a pretty bad tip. It has to stay on the tip and evaporate to eat up the oxidation.

I was just about to pay $15.50 on Amazon for Thermaltronics TMT-TC-2 tip tinner. Thank you for save my money!