Soldering Iron Tips | RS
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    Soldering Iron Tips

    Soldering iron tips transfer heat from a soldering iron into solder so that it melts and can flow into the joint between two components or workpieces. They’re also sometimes referred to as ‘bits’.

    To protect your soldering iron tips, you should tin your tip before and after soldering to create a protective layer between the air and the soldering iron tip. Tinning prevents oxidisation and allows for a more efficient heat transfer.

    Optimal operating temperature

    Putting your soldering tips through excessive temperatures will shorten their lifespan. The temperature of the tip will decrease as the soldering iron is used more. There is the temptation to increase the idle temperature to compensate for this temperature drop – but don’t as this will shorten the life of the soldering iron tip. If you aren’t actively using your soldering iron think about turning it off or setting it to a low ‘idle’ temperature to maximise tip life.

    How do you clean a soldering iron?

    To keep your tip in perfect condition you should aim to clean before, during and after use. Before you solder, ensure that you have cleaned the surfaces which are to be soldered with an alcohol wipe.

    To clean your tips, use either brass wool (less abrasive) or stainless steel wool (more abrasive). Try to avoid using a sponge as doing so rapidly cycles the tip through a hot and cold cycle. Doing this repeatedly will cause metal fatigue and tip failure. Once you have cleaned the tip ensure that you cover the tip with fresh solder so as to present oxidisation.

    Using flux

    When metals come into contact with oxygen an oxide layer is formed on the surface of the metal. This oxidisation prevents solder from wetting the joint correctly and impacts the quality of the solder joint. Flux dissolves this oxidisation layer.

    Reactivating your soldering iron tips

    If a soldering iron tip becomes oxidised it will appear darker in colour and you may not be able to tin it. If your tip is oxidised you can use a tip activator to remove the oxidisation as it will break down the oxide layer. Once cleaned and refreshed tin the tip again to protect it from oxidisation.

    Soldering iron tip shapes

    Most soldering irons have interchangeable tips that have slightly different shapes to allow for different tasks or precision levels. For example, conical tips are used for fine electronics work. Other common tip shapes include:

    • bevel (aka hoof)
    • chisel
    • concave
    • pyramid
    • bent

    1059 Products showing for Soldering Iron Tips

    Thermaltronics
    -
    Bent Sharp
    MX-500, MX-5000, MX5200, TMT-9000S-1, TMT-9000S-2
    0.4 mm
    M
    30°
    Ersa
    -
    Chisel
    i-Tool
    3.2 mm
    Serie 102
    -
    Metcal
    SxV
    Chisel
    PS-900; MFR-1120; MFR-2220; MFR-2222 System; PS-HC3 & MFR-H2-ST Hand-pieces
    1.8 mm
    SFV
    -
    Weller
    ETOL
    Conical
    WEP70, LR20, LR21 (old generation)
    0.8 mm
    ET
    -
    Metcal
    UFT
    Blade
    CV-H4-UFT
    0.8 x 9 mm
    7CH
    -
    Thermaltronics
    -
    Straight Chisel
    MX-500, MX-5000, MX5200, TMT-9000S-1, TMT-9000S-2
    1.78 mm
    M
    30°
    Thermaltronics
    -
    Straight Conical
    MX-500, MX-5000, MX5200, TMT-9000S-1, TMT-9000S-2
    0.7 mm
    M
    45°
    Antex Electronics
    -
    Straight Chisel
    Antex CS/TCS Series
    2.3 mm
    -
    -
    Weller
    RTUS 032 S L MS
    Screwdriver
    WXUPS-MS (Smart) Soldering Iron
    3.2 mm
    RTUS
    -
    Metcal
    STTC-825
    Chisel
    Metcal MX-500, MX-5200 and MX-5200 series Soldering System
    1 mm
    STTC
    30°
    RS PRO
    -
    Straight Conical
    B50-A, Engel B50, S50
    -
    -
    -
    Weller
    LT 1SLX
    Bent Conical
    WP 80, WSP 80, WXP 80
    0.4 mm
    LT
    30°
    Weller
    LT M
    Screwdriver
    MPR 80, WP80, WSP80
    3.2 mm
    LT
    -
    Weller
    LT B
    Screwdriver
    WP80; WSP80; MPR 80; FE75; TCP Soldering Irons
    2.4 mm
    LT
    -
    Weller
    LT K
    Screwdriver
    MPR 80, WP80, WSP80
    1.2 mm
    LT
    -
    Antex Electronics
    -
    Straight Conical
    Antex CS/TCS Series
    0.5 mm
    -
    -
    Weller
    -
    Screwdriver
    WLIR60
    2.4 mm
    WLT Consumer
    -
    Hakko
    -
    Straight Chisel
    900M; 900M-ESD; 907; 907-ESD; 933 Soldering Irons
    1.6 mm
    900M
    -
    Metcal
    STTC-144
    Bent Conical
    Metcal MX-500, MX-5200 and MX-5200 series Soldering System
    0.5 mm
    STTC
    30°
    Weller
    XT C SL
    Screwdriver
    WXP120, WP120
    3.2 mm
    XT
    -
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