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My soldering iron tip was the problem all along, not my technique
I spent 3 days in my shop in Tucson reflowing joints on a batch of 12 amps that kept failing QC. Every joint looked fine under the loupe, but they'd crack after a week of use. Turned out my iron tip had a microscopic pit that was causing cold joints, even though temps were right. Swapped to a fresh tip and the next 6 amps passed first try. Am I the only one who checked everything except the obvious wear point?
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quinnperry3d ago
Aw man, that's a classic case of blaming your hands when it's actually your gear. I've done the same thing before, spent forever fiddling with technique and settings only to realize the tool was the weak link. That microscopic pit is nasty too, especially since it's too small to eyeball, you really can't win unless you're swapping tips out on a schedule.
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thea_bell3d ago
Whoa, okay, but have you ever checked if the pit is actually from a bad batch of solder or the flux, not the tip? Sometimes you chase the tool forever and it's the consumable that's secretly garbage. Like, I had a spool that looked fine but left this weird residue that ate at the tip no matter how fresh it was. It's just another layer of hidden randomness that makes you feel crazy, you know?
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