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TIL my iron tip went from black gunk to shiny in 90 seconds with one trick from a guy in Fort Worth
I was about to toss my Hakko FX-888D tip because it stopped taking solder after 3 months of heavy use. A repair guy named Lou at a supply counter in Fort Worth told me to heat it up and stab it into a brass shaving ball for 30 seconds, then re-tin it while it was still hot. I did it twice and the tip came back shiny and wet like new, saved me from buying a $40 replacement. Has anyone else tried the brass wool trick on a worn tip, or is there a better way to bring one back?
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owens.laura1mo ago
Wait, brass wool and brass shavings aren't really the same thing, the shaving ball is way more abrasive and it actually files the tip down a bit each time. What Lou probably had you do was scrub off the baked on flux and oxidation, which is the real reason it started taking solder again. Brass wool alone works fine for daily cleaning, just don't go crazy stabbing it in there or you'll wear through the plating and kill the tip for real.
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