I have a temperature-controlled soldering iron. When I use it above 250°C, the tip quickly dulls and won't take solder. By "quickly" I mean "within 20 seconds". I have to clean the tip with copper wool or a damp sponge literally between every joint.
I am using leaded solder, and I only solder at these higher temperatures when the wires/contacts are large and difficult to heat. Or when using desoldering wick, which amounts to the same thing.
Is my tip just of poor quality? I have tried different tips, but maybe they just all suck. Should I be using a more expensive tip?
EDIT: I'm using a MarkEthan SMD Rework Station, with generic Ebay tips, and "AlphaMetals 8-Sn60Pb40" leaded solder.
Best Answer
Some tips which may help:
Do not use abrasive cleaning methods on a new tip. Most tips have a protected layer when new and you don't want to damage that.
Make sure to use A LOT (Note: capitals AND bold) of solder to tin it. I make a puddle and keep it in there for some time, regularly refreshing the solder or start a new puddle as the solder will 'burn/oxidize' after a while. In the beginning you will see that the solder does not 'stick', like water on a fat surface it stays away form the tip. Only stop after the solder sticks to the tip like water does to glass.
I had the very bad habit of cleaning the tip when done with a solder joint. Wrong! The best thing is even to put some more solder on the top when you are done. Make sure to get rid of it before you start a new joint again as the solder will have gone 'bad' (oxidizes). So the procedure is: