I have read many articles regarding this subject and none have worked – otherwise I would not have made a thread that is surely a dupe of many others on this site.
I purchased this 25W soldering iron a few days ago and used it for the first time without any problems. A few days later I tried using the iron again and the solder would not "stick" to the tip when I attempted to tin it.
I read up on this subject and thought that the tip might be dirty. So, I went about cleaning it. I tried to use a wet sponge when the iron was hot. This worked nicely, and the iron looked great! However, the solder still would not stick. So I then tried using a brillo-type pad to clean it. Yet again, the iron came out looking great but nothing would stick to it.
Here is an image of the clean iron:
I am not sure what to do.
Any suggestions?
Best Answer
Some tip tinner/cleaner compound will reduce the layer of non-metal/oxide that has accumulated on the tip and is preventing the solder from sticking. With a 25W iron you'll probably need one with lead in it.
Also, be careful when abrading the tip since solder will erode the copper underneath if the non-copper layer is removed completely.