Originally Posted by
WagwanBumba
Hey Wrench - have you tried using brass wool as a tip cleaner instead of water? I have recently and although it takes some time getting used to, I find it's way easier on the tips (because you're not suddenly cooling the tip) and you lose less heat in your tip when trying to do a large soldering job. It makes soldering with lead-free solder a lot easier too!
http://www.eptac.com/ask/wet-sponge-...onge-cleaning/
the brass wool was exactly what i was talking about, came with the hakko i bought, works great... but a sponge or wet towel work fine, with a good iron (or a brand new cheap one), the time for the heat to recover is near instant... lead free solder needs way too much heat, stuff is a pain, better suited for plumbing...
the biggest secret i learned is ample use of liquid rosin flux, lots of it, i make a near mess with it, even with tinned parts and wires, i squirt it on anything im soldering or tinning... it really makes for super fast heat transfer, solder melts fast, doesnt cook the parts or wire... but it cleans up nice, residue free with some rubbing alcohol, makes for super nice joints... currently away from my toys, ill post some photos of my "work" in a few
like i said, watching how to solder videos for circuit boards is what helped me the most, they give you solder type, heat ranges, the types of flux.. what a good vs bad joint looks like..