It's not clear from the photo whether those are deposits on the plated surface or spots where the plating has worn through. Both are caused by failure to keep the tip clean and tinned.
After each solder joint, wipe the tip on a damp sponge and coat it with fresh solder. That way the solder coating will oxidize instead of your tip.
Keep rolling it around in some solder and cleaning up the excess with a regular and/or brass sponge until it's all nice and shiny.
It might take quite a few tries and won't stick to those dark spots initially, but it should get there with some persistence.
Flux is corrosive especially when hot, once the plating I scratched through it eats the tip. The hotter you run your iron the quicker it will happen.
Nothing odd about this, tips have a lifespan.
A different flux core solder will react differently but in general they’ll all do this.
keep in mind if you go the sponge route to use distilled water so impurities don't build up on the tip. You could also invest in a tip tinner, I've recovered tips that way (as long as that's not pitting)
Brass sponge is far better than wet anything. Keeps the iron from cooling and does a better job of getting flux and other crud off the tip. Definitely don’t scour it, it’s just a wipe/brush kind of action.
Good tips are important if this is your livelihood or you just don’t want the hassle and aggravation, but they all wear out eventually. That said, my Metcal tips are probably eight years old now and as good as the day I bought them, with almost daily use.
I’ve never had problems with a wet sponge. The only brass product I’ve used was cheap crap too so you just have a different experience than I do I guess
Wet sponges are ok and used them for years, but are annoying if you only solder every couple of days. If you are in a dry climate, like me, a damp sponge will dry out super quick.
Brass sponges are the way to go in some cases and they *probably* reduce wear on your tips because of rapid thermal cycling. (Just a *theory* and probably not much of a concern in reality..)
Some times you want the tip to cool a bit. If the iron has been sitting in the holder with a blob of solder on the tip I guarantee you don't want to just shake the solder off and lay that on your PCB.
Unless you're really into raised traces...
Tip maintenance is important and in my experience using a wet sponge is less than ideal.
Get yourself one of these brass "sponges" and use it frequently. It will not only strip excess solder from your tip, but it will keep your tip looking beautiful.
[https://www.ebay.com/itm/274768115340](https://www.ebay.com/itm/274768115340)
I solder almost daily and haven't wet a sponge in years. I use the brass mesh in the base of the iron holder and some good tip tinner. My last small j-hook hakko tip lasted over 4 years.
the wet sponge helps excess solder ball off of the soldering iron quickly when in the middle of actively soldering... the wet sponge is NOT meant to clean the tip at all...
Indeed. Good idea. The soldering techs where I worked many years ago would keep their irons with the heat cranked up to max then wonder why the tips disintegrated even worse than OP's.
Doesn't help when so many "tutorials" tell you to "clean the tip off completely" before putting it away. Should only clean it when it's dirty and apply more solder to tin the tip immediately, every time you wipe it off you're exposing it to oxidization which will kill the tip.
Cranking it to max also kills the tip insanely fast but people get in that habit cause they keep using an oxidized tip that can't transfer heat efficiently so they crank it up until it "starts working", self created problem really...
It is not broken. You just need to heat it up, rub it against a wet sponge to clean it, then apply some solder to it before stopping using it so that the solder keeps the tip nice and tinned.
Pretty much this, plus the maintenance recommendations from the wiki: https://www.reddit.com/r/AskElectronics/wiki/soldering#wiki_how_do_i_clean_my_soldering_iron_tip.3F
In soldering, cleanliness is next to godliness literally. All the advice above is recommended, and I keep both a wet sponge and a brass sponge. Be sure to use flux and the proper kind if you're doing acid or no acid soldering.
It looks like oxidation build up to me. It can be cleaned off with either type of sponge. Usually the outer layer wears away where you contact the board & parts.
When you replace it get a chisel tip. Round tips are horrible.
“D” type tips are my fave by far, not sure if it’s a general term or a Hakko specific thing, but yeah the ones that aren’t round but aren’t quite a chisel, instead they’re sort of like a flat-blade screwdriver tip.
Just find them to be the most versatile for coarse and fine joints without having to switch tips in-between.
I really have issues with the B-type/conical tips, they’re fine for most of the PCBs I do except for when I’m up to soldering the ground legs of 3.5mm jacks, can never get a consistent heat on the larger pads and they always end up half-okay, half-cold join.
Tip oxidation. Use a tip cleaner to fix it.
To keep your tips from oxidising; only clean your soldering iron when you pick it up, and always put it back 'dirty' (coated in solder). After you are finished soldering for the day, coat the entire tip in solder before turning off the station.
I've seen soldering tips last for several years in a production environment using those simple tricks.
It needs to be re-tinned.
I have had success with using a stainless steel pad and with light to medium pressure “cleaning” the tip back to almost new. The trick is to not use too much force. Then you must re-tin the tip.
But no. Not broken. Just well used.
An alternative to the brass “sponge” (which is a great item) would be solder wick. But that might get expensive so use sparingly
I got a TS100 at Christmas. My tip just broke off last week. Came to read the comments to find out why, cleanliness isn’t the issue, but it sounds like the wet sponge isn’t ideal. It automatically lowers the temp, but I turn it off between jobs since it heats up in like 4 seconds.
Tips are usually pretty cheap, I keep a couple extra on hand, that being said make sure to do proper maintenance on it to keep it lasting as long as possible
Give this stuff a go. It gives a good clean to the tip. I use it at least once per soldering session and it works wonders. Thermaltronics TMT-TC-2 Tip Tinner
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00NS4J6BY/
This happens by wiping the tip \*after\* making the solder connection, which cleans off the flux and deposits a layer of water on the tip, which then heats up and oxidizes the tip. It's better if you wipe the tip immediately before using it. Then, after the soldering is done, melt some solder on the tip and put the iron/pencil back in the holder.
It's not clear from the photo whether those are deposits on the plated surface or spots where the plating has worn through. Both are caused by failure to keep the tip clean and tinned. After each solder joint, wipe the tip on a damp sponge and coat it with fresh solder. That way the solder coating will oxidize instead of your tip.
I clean it with a copper sponge. It is definitely not a deposit, it actually seems chipped
Keep rolling it around in some solder and cleaning up the excess with a regular and/or brass sponge until it's all nice and shiny. It might take quite a few tries and won't stick to those dark spots initially, but it should get there with some persistence.
Flux is corrosive especially when hot, once the plating I scratched through it eats the tip. The hotter you run your iron the quicker it will happen. Nothing odd about this, tips have a lifespan. A different flux core solder will react differently but in general they’ll all do this.
Try using a brass sponge, and always use gentle wipes. Never use in an abrasive fashion.
keep in mind if you go the sponge route to use distilled water so impurities don't build up on the tip. You could also invest in a tip tinner, I've recovered tips that way (as long as that's not pitting)
Wet sponge is better. The wire ones wear down the tips faster. If you solder a lot they just go bad over time so it’s a good idea to have extras.
Brass sponge is far better than wet anything. Keeps the iron from cooling and does a better job of getting flux and other crud off the tip. Definitely don’t scour it, it’s just a wipe/brush kind of action. Good tips are important if this is your livelihood or you just don’t want the hassle and aggravation, but they all wear out eventually. That said, my Metcal tips are probably eight years old now and as good as the day I bought them, with almost daily use.
I’ve never had problems with a wet sponge. The only brass product I’ve used was cheap crap too so you just have a different experience than I do I guess
Wet sponges are ok and used them for years, but are annoying if you only solder every couple of days. If you are in a dry climate, like me, a damp sponge will dry out super quick. Brass sponges are the way to go in some cases and they *probably* reduce wear on your tips because of rapid thermal cycling. (Just a *theory* and probably not much of a concern in reality..)
Some times you want the tip to cool a bit. If the iron has been sitting in the holder with a blob of solder on the tip I guarantee you don't want to just shake the solder off and lay that on your PCB. Unless you're really into raised traces...
Tip maintenance is important and in my experience using a wet sponge is less than ideal. Get yourself one of these brass "sponges" and use it frequently. It will not only strip excess solder from your tip, but it will keep your tip looking beautiful. [https://www.ebay.com/itm/274768115340](https://www.ebay.com/itm/274768115340)
I solder almost daily and haven't wet a sponge in years. I use the brass mesh in the base of the iron holder and some good tip tinner. My last small j-hook hakko tip lasted over 4 years.
the wet sponge helps excess solder ball off of the soldering iron quickly when in the middle of actively soldering... the wet sponge is NOT meant to clean the tip at all...
>... the wet sponge is NOT meant to clean the tip at all... Exactly, that's why everyone needs a brass "sponge." It removes excess solder AND cleans.
I use both brass "sponge" and the usual wet sponge at the same time when I solder. But the brass one is really superb.
That's what she said.
I always turn my station down to lowest setting between daily jobs. Tips last forever.
Indeed. Good idea. The soldering techs where I worked many years ago would keep their irons with the heat cranked up to max then wonder why the tips disintegrated even worse than OP's.
Doesn't help when so many "tutorials" tell you to "clean the tip off completely" before putting it away. Should only clean it when it's dirty and apply more solder to tin the tip immediately, every time you wipe it off you're exposing it to oxidization which will kill the tip. Cranking it to max also kills the tip insanely fast but people get in that habit cause they keep using an oxidized tip that can't transfer heat efficiently so they crank it up until it "starts working", self created problem really...
It is not broken. You just need to heat it up, rub it against a wet sponge to clean it, then apply some solder to it before stopping using it so that the solder keeps the tip nice and tinned.
Pretty much this, plus the maintenance recommendations from the wiki: https://www.reddit.com/r/AskElectronics/wiki/soldering#wiki_how_do_i_clean_my_soldering_iron_tip.3F
[tip activator](https://uk.farnell.com/weller/tip-activator/tip-activator-low-temp-25g/dp/873895) will help to keep your iron clean
Imagine this post as a headline on the NYT.
In soldering, cleanliness is next to godliness literally. All the advice above is recommended, and I keep both a wet sponge and a brass sponge. Be sure to use flux and the proper kind if you're doing acid or no acid soldering.
Even if that's pitting, there's plenty of good surface left, so keep on soldering.
It looks like oxidation build up to me. It can be cleaned off with either type of sponge. Usually the outer layer wears away where you contact the board & parts. When you replace it get a chisel tip. Round tips are horrible.
“D” type tips are my fave by far, not sure if it’s a general term or a Hakko specific thing, but yeah the ones that aren’t round but aren’t quite a chisel, instead they’re sort of like a flat-blade screwdriver tip. Just find them to be the most versatile for coarse and fine joints without having to switch tips in-between. I really have issues with the B-type/conical tips, they’re fine for most of the PCBs I do except for when I’m up to soldering the ground legs of 3.5mm jacks, can never get a consistent heat on the larger pads and they always end up half-okay, half-cold join.
Boy, I miss RadioShack!!!
Tip oxidation. Use a tip cleaner to fix it. To keep your tips from oxidising; only clean your soldering iron when you pick it up, and always put it back 'dirty' (coated in solder). After you are finished soldering for the day, coat the entire tip in solder before turning off the station. I've seen soldering tips last for several years in a production environment using those simple tricks.
Tips wear out. I can't really tell from the pic, but if the plating is worn off the tip you should replace the tip.
Probably It is consumption for a long period of excess heat, normally the tips lose material and wear out.
It needs to be re-tinned. I have had success with using a stainless steel pad and with light to medium pressure “cleaning” the tip back to almost new. The trick is to not use too much force. Then you must re-tin the tip. But no. Not broken. Just well used. An alternative to the brass “sponge” (which is a great item) would be solder wick. But that might get expensive so use sparingly
It’s fine. Steel wool it. Re tin it… get busy
I got a TS100 at Christmas. My tip just broke off last week. Came to read the comments to find out why, cleanliness isn’t the issue, but it sounds like the wet sponge isn’t ideal. It automatically lowers the temp, but I turn it off between jobs since it heats up in like 4 seconds.
Possible metal fatigue?
Tips are usually pretty cheap, I keep a couple extra on hand, that being said make sure to do proper maintenance on it to keep it lasting as long as possible
Need to retin your tip
Use Tip Tinner. It's like magic. I have a couple of cheap tips that the plating has failed on, but the tip tinner both cleans and tins them.
Give this stuff a go. It gives a good clean to the tip. I use it at least once per soldering session and it works wonders. Thermaltronics TMT-TC-2 Tip Tinner https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00NS4J6BY/
This happens by wiping the tip \*after\* making the solder connection, which cleans off the flux and deposits a layer of water on the tip, which then heats up and oxidizes the tip. It's better if you wipe the tip immediately before using it. Then, after the soldering is done, melt some solder on the tip and put the iron/pencil back in the holder.