Hakko's Tips for Tips

Our friends over at Hakko have an excellent Knowledge Base article about how to maximize the life of your soldering tips. To read the entire article, please visit the Hakko USA Knowledge Base.

In their very informative article, Hakko reminds us that the main factor in reduced tip performance and longevity is oxidation. They offer these five tips to avoid oxidation problems:

1. Clean the tip regularly
2. Make sure the tip is completely coated with solder, which will help protect the iron plating
3. Because heat and oxygen cause oxidation, whenever possible, use the lowest possible temperature to solder
4. To avoid damaging the iron plating, do not rub the tip against component leads, pads, or other objects
5. Water soluble and other highly active with aggressive cleaning action fluxes should be avoided

Sounds like good advice for long-lasting tip use. Q Source offers a fine selection of Hakko accessories to promote proper tip use and cleaning habits. And, when it is time to replace your tips, we have all of the quality Hakko tips you need to complete your soldering applications.

For further info about Hakko soldering products, or to place an order, please visit our Hakko department on our Web site, send us an email, or give us a call (800-966-6020) and one of our expert associates will be happy to help.