Electronic – Thick vs Thin Sponge for Soldering

soldering

After purchasing a TC205 sponge and comparing it with the default sponge that came with my soldering station, I noticed that the TC205 sponge is very thin in comparison!

Is the thin sponge used for a different application? What are the slits on the sponges for?

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Best Answer

The sponge comes thin as purchased because the cells have been flattened, but once it is wet the cells relax and the sponge will take its final form. There is no difference between thicknesses of sponge as all they are doing is abrading off the solder without damaging the tip. The grooves provide a larger abrasion surface without increasing the volume of the sponge.