PSA: That old soldering iron tip I fought with for 3 hours last Tuesday

I was about to toss my Hakko iron because the tip would not tin anymore no matter how much I cleaned it. Overheard a guy at the local electronics surplus store on 5th street mention he uses tip tinner paste from Chip Quik. Spent $8 on a little tub of it, dipped the tip in for 5 seconds, and now it works like new. Has anyone else had luck reviving tips this way?

3 comments

3 Comments

rileyellis19d ago

Did you have to scrub the tip after the paste or just wipe it?

price.tara18d ago

Didn't you laugh watching me try to scrub the tip, only to realize the paste had already dried and turned into concrete? I ended up giving it a good wipe with a damp cloth, then went over it with a soft toothbrush to get into the little grooves. Lesson learned - next time I'll work faster before my coffee break gets in the way.

hayden70918d ago

Actually I gotta push back on the "work faster" lesson. I think you should lean into the dried paste problem instead of fighting it. That concrete-like stuff gives you way more scrubbing power than fresh paste. I've started letting my paste dry on purpose for like 10 minutes before I even touch it. The hard crust breaks down grime way better than the wet stuff. Ever tried letting it sit a little longer instead of rushing?