Hacking Tinning the soldering iron?

[Renegade_R]

Hi, I just attempted to practice soldering today and I managed to get the basics but the thing I missed today was tinning the soldering iron (I was wondering why the heat wasn't transfering properly). I tried to tin the iron but it kept forming funny little balls on it. What is the proper way to tin the soldering iron cause I noticed that without tinning, I was browning a lot of my solder.

 

[Azimuth]

just rotate the excess solder(balls) around the iron till its evenly coated, then gently wipe the iron on a damp sponge to get rid of the excess solder

 

[TLSpartan]

Hey Renegade_R,

Tinning is very easy to do and helps soldering heaps.
First off make sure that the tip of the soldering iron is clean. To do this you need to get a sponge (an old one you dont want to get lead poisoning). Wet it and clean it when its on full heat then after ur sure its been heated to full and clean (most irons take about 5 minutes). Then get solder and touch it to the soldrering iron and it should go a silvery colour. Also you might be using lead free solder which i heard neads a little more heat.

 

[Takrin]

let me guess, steel/nickel/iron plated or solid soldering iron tip?

those things are such pain in the ass to me, i basicly just either use a xacto knife and scratch the tip up so it tins well, or i use fine sandpaper also helps my tips form a sharp tip instead of that round flat end.

if its plated you can expose the copper or scratch it up, if its solid then scratching should help solder stick to the tip but still can be annoying

hope this helps

Edit--
plating just helps the tip last longer, but i dont mind replacing my tip often since their usually not too expensive. but better check your tip availability/price before molesting your iron tip.

 

[Hooya]

I have a feeling that your soldering iron is oxidized. Is it black in color? Get some soldering iron cleaner. It's so much easier when your tip is clean.

What happened is that you let the tip stay hot too long without proper tinning.

 

[Renegade_R]

Actually its brand new

It has become a bit black though cause I did a 'dry run' without tinning properly. I'll try and tin it again tonight for practice. Thanks guys.

 

[kristijan08]

Renegade you seem like me, a noob who wants a chip but can't install it himself.... in all honesty, i wouldn't try it! i've already come to the conclusion that i'm going to pay for an install no matter what (i wont even trust my mates who are more then capable). End of the day, with my wii, i want someone that has modded before to do it!

 

[Hooya]

Actually its brand new

It has become a bit black though cause I did a 'dry run' without tinning properly. I'll try and tin it again tonight for practice. Thanks guys.

Yep, you have an oxidized iron. It only takes a few minutes to render a new iron tip useless if you don't tin it properly right away.

Get some tip cleaner on that bad boy and make it shiny and coated! You might be able to just file the tip to clean the oxidation off.

If it's oxidized like I think you can't tin it until you clean it.

 

[Renegade_R]

Actually there are tons of people around me who can easily install modchips...I am actually doing it for the thrill of learning. I for one, couldn't care less about the benefits of the modchip, I am here for the thrill of learning how to solder and then being able to work on the Wii drive will be my goal. Thanks for all your helpful comments.

 

[96hondaex]

Actually there are tons of people around me who can easily install modchips...I am actually doing it for the thrill of learning. I for one, couldn't care less about the benefits of the modchip, I am here for the thrill of learning how to solder and then being able to work on the Wii drive will be my goal. Thanks for all your helpful comments.

yo go boy!!!

 

[alexwryt]

You could also buy a product from any electronics store called tip tinner for cheap. It like some pastey stuff that comes in a little metal tin you dip your tip in and works pretty good for keeping it clean.

 

[TLSpartan]

buy a new tip. get a smaller tip for the wii. i have seen seen .3mm tips

 

[Hooya]

Actually there are tons of people around me who can easily install modchips...I am actually doing it for the thrill of learning. I for one, couldn't care less about the benefits of the modchip, I am here for the thrill of learning how to solder and then being able to work on the Wii drive will be my goal. Thanks for all your helpful comments.

Same reason I'm doing my own as well. I know literally dozens of people who could install a modchip in the PS2 in their sleep, but I want to learn how to do it myself. I've already spent more on equipment than I would have to just hire someone else to do it so it's not even a money thing.

 

[jumpman17]

You should only have to touch the tip of your solder wire to the iron and it should tin itself to a nice layer and even out by itself too.