[vcf-midatlantic] VCF East Clinic kudos (soldering iron cleaning brass)

[W2HX]

I also use this stuff. I LOVE it. Spent my youth using wet sponges. With this wirey stuff, no burned sponges. And I've used the same one for a few years. I just keep emptying out the bottom of the holder. Eventually you do need to replace it, but I find it lasts a LONG time. Much longer than a sponge. I also agree that it places much less thermal load on the iron than a wet sponge. When working on very fine solder joints, and using a low power iron for it, with a thin tip, the thermal mass of the iron is very small and easily overcome with rapid water cooling. No such issue with the brillo/brass colored curly stuff. With a sponge, you need to wipe the tip across the sponge, sometimes twice (bottom side of tip, top side of tip). With the curly stuff just shove it in and take it out. The curly-cues will surround the tip and clean it off.  I'll never go back to a) wet sponges b) solder wicks/suckers. I'll stick with a) curly stuff b) a proper desoldering iron

73 Eugene W2HX
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-----Original Message-----
From: vcf-midatlantic <vcf-midatlantic-bounces at lists.vcfed.org> On Behalf Of Herb Johnson via vcf-midatlantic
Sent: Wednesday, May 4, 2022 9:08 PM
To: vcf-midatlantic <vcf-midatlantic at lists.vcfed.org>
Cc: Herb Johnson <hjohnson at retrotechnology.info>
Subject: [vcf-midatlantic] VCF East Clinic kudos (soldering iron cleaning brass)

[Regarding brass for soldering iron tip-cleaning.]

https://www.testequity.com/category/Electronic-Production-Supplies/Solder-And-Desolder/Tip-Cleaners/Tools/821SO5992-599B-02

This is not "brass wool" which would be an abrasive mesh of dry, sharp fine  brass wire. The Hakko product is apparently brass coiled ribbon (my words for it) that is *rosin coated* (fatty acid compound). Other products may have other coatings, or none.

A stated virtue of brass over wet sponge is "the tip temperature is not reduced". The virtue of brass is that it's softer than most metals. Of course, melted solder is softer still so it removes excess solder from tips.

Since it removes solder, it's likely it will accumulate loose solder splatter. That's likely why it's contained in a bowl or holder, to capture the material.

This is all Web homework I did, not stuff I knew previously. Someone with industrial training in soldering, or some reference for that training, may be informative.

Regards, Herb Johnson


--
Herbert R. Johnson, New Jersey in the USA http://www.retrotechnology.com OR .net preserve, recover, restore 1970's computing
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