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EXTENDING TIP LIFE
1. Each day, remove, inspect, and clean the cartridge shaft and
handle using denatured alcohol and a clean cloth. Stubborn
flux deposits on the shaft can be removed using a brass
brush. Do not use a brass brush on the tip itself as it will
damage the plating and shorten tip life.
2. Use the right tip. The plating on fine precision tips is less
durable than the plating on blunter tips. Lower temperatures
decrease tip oxidation.
3. Do not use the tip as a prying tool. Bending the tip can cause
the plating to crack, shortening tip life.
4. Use the minimum activation flux necessary to do the job.
Higher activation flux is more corrosive to the tip plating.
5. When making a solder connection, apply fresh solder to the
members being joined, not to the hot soldering tip.
6. Don't apply pressure to the tip. More pressure does not equal
more heat. To improve heat transfer, use solder to form a
thermal bridge between the tip and the solder joint.
7. Clean tips on a clean, wet sponge — not on a rag or dirty dry sponge.
8. After you turn on the system, and each time you return the tip to the
holder, apply rosin core solder to the tinned surfaces of the tip. The
solder protects the tip from oxidation and prolongs the life of the tip.
9. Switch the system off when not in use.
DETINNED TIP CARTRIDGES
A detinned tip is one not wetted with solder. This exposes the plating to oxidation and degrades
the heat transfer efficiency of the tip. Detinning is caused by:
a. Failure to keep the tip covered with fresh solder during idling periods.
b. High tip temperatures.
c. Lack of sufficient flux in soldering operations.
d. Wiping the tip on dirty or dry sponges and rags. (Always use a clean, wet, industrial grade,
sulfur-free sponge.)
e. Impurities in the solder, iron plating, or on the surfaces to be soldered.
To restore a detinned tip cartridge:
1. Remove the tip cartridge from the solder handle and allow the tip to cool down.
2. Remove scale and oxides from the tinned area of the tip with 80-grit abrasive polyurethane
foam stock (Plato AB-3 Polishing Bar or Multicore Tip Tinner/Cleaner or equivalent) or a 100-
grit emery cloth.
3. Wrap rosin core solder (0.031" diameter or larger) around the newly exposed iron surface,
insert the tip cartridge into the handle, and turn on the system.
Note: Detinned tips are preventable with proper daily care!
Copyright © 1998, Metcal Inc. All Rights Reserved. 7022-0251 Rev D
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