Glass fibre cleaner for soldering iron tip

[Matt H R]

I saw this glass-fibre brush (or pen) for cleaning soldering iron
tips while hot.

<http://uk.farnell.com/duratool/bu1019-1/pencil-brush-propelling-
scratch/dp/1421553> OR http://xrl.us/bephkz

Would a wodge of glass wool (loft insulation) do as good a job?
Does it have there any unsafe chemicals which might be given off if
used on a hot soldering iron? (700 deg F/390 deg C)

I have loads of glass wool in my loft! It's that pink coloured spun
type which doesn't seem to leave as many shards and splinters as
the old style glass wool. Users in forums have warned that the
glass-fibre pen also leaves this sort of sharp debris.


Matt

 

[Tim S]

Matt H R coughed up some electrons that declared:

I saw this glass-fibre brush (or pen) for cleaning soldering iron
tips while hot.

http://uk.farnell.com/duratool/bu1019-1/pencil-brush-propelling-
scratch/dp/1421553> OR http://xrl.us/bephkz

Would a wodge of glass wool (loft insulation) do as good a job?
Does it have there any unsafe chemicals which might be given off if
used on a hot soldering iron? (700 deg F/390 deg C)

I have loads of glass wool in my loft! It's that pink coloured spun
type which doesn't seem to leave as many shards and splinters as
the old style glass wool. Users in forums have warned that the
glass-fibre pen also leaves this sort of sharp debris.


Matt

Glass wool and that brush are very different - the brush bristles are
densely packed and thicker strands than glass wool - it looks like the
little brush you get with Halfords car touch up paint kits.

But you could try it. Coarse steel wool might work too.

Glass wool should be safe emissions wise - it is just a form of glass.

I find a damp soldering sponge generally effective - and when I was younger,
we made do with an old newspaper which was Ok until your bit etched
concave.

Cheers

Tim

Cheers

Tim

 

[Matt H R]

On 19 Apr 00:59, Tim S wrote:

Matt H R coughed up some electrons that declared:


I saw this glass-fibre brush (or pen) for cleaning soldering
iron tips while hot.

http://uk.farnell.com/duratool/bu1019-1/pencil-brush-propelli
ng-scratch/dp/1421553> OR http://xrl.us/bephkz

Would a wodge of glass wool (loft insulation) do as good a
job? Does it have there any unsafe chemicals which might be
given off if used on a hot soldering iron? (700 deg F/390 deg
C)

I have loads of glass wool in my loft! It's that pink
coloured spun type which doesn't seem to leave as many shards
and splinters as the old style glass wool. Users in forums
have warned that the glass-fibre pen also leaves this sort of
sharp debris.

Matt


Glass wool and that brush are very different - the brush
bristles are densely packed and thicker strands than glass
wool - it looks like the little brush you get with Halfords
car touch up paint kits.

But you could try it. Coarse steel wool might work too.

Glass wool should be safe emissions wise - it is just a form
of glass.

I find a damp soldering sponge generally effective - and when
I was younger, we made do with an old newspaper which was Ok
until your bit etched concave.

Cheers
Tim

Tim, I think steel wool might cause damage to the metal coating on
the soldering iron's tip. However, maybe I could use that glass
wool give the tip a wipe instead of damp cellulose sponge because
my sponge sometimes gets a bit singed.

I guess my Antex XS25 iron might be a bit too hot. It's nominally
quite hot at 390 degrees C (735 F) and could be running even
hotter.

http://www.antex.co.uk/images/File/%20Irons%20Technical%20Info.pdf

I recently tried a piece of "Magic Cleaning Eraser" to clean the
tip with and that seems very heat resistant. It's made mainly of a
melamine sponge. I wonder if that stuff releases dangerous
chemicals when heated? Does anyone know?

Matt

 

[Tim S]

Matt H R coughed up some electrons that declared:

On 19 Apr 00:59, Tim S wrote:

Matt H R coughed up some electrons that declared:


I saw this glass-fibre brush (or pen) for cleaning soldering
iron tips while hot.

http://uk.farnell.com/duratool/bu1019-1/pencil-brush-propelli
ng-scratch/dp/1421553> OR http://xrl.us/bephkz

Would a wodge of glass wool (loft insulation) do as good a
job? Does it have there any unsafe chemicals which might be
given off if used on a hot soldering iron? (700 deg F/390 deg
C)

I have loads of glass wool in my loft! It's that pink
coloured spun type which doesn't seem to leave as many shards
and splinters as the old style glass wool. Users in forums
have warned that the glass-fibre pen also leaves this sort of
sharp debris.

Matt


Glass wool and that brush are very different - the brush
bristles are densely packed and thicker strands than glass
wool - it looks like the little brush you get with Halfords
car touch up paint kits.

But you could try it. Coarse steel wool might work too.

Glass wool should be safe emissions wise - it is just a form
of glass.

I find a damp soldering sponge generally effective - and when
I was younger, we made do with an old newspaper which was Ok
until your bit etched concave.

Cheers
Tim


Tim, I think steel wool might cause damage to the metal coating on
the soldering iron's tip.

Possible - but I imagine glass would scratch it too. Maybe to a different
degree.

However, maybe I could use that glass
wool give the tip a wipe instead of damp cellulose sponge because
my sponge sometimes gets a bit singed.

I think your sponge is not wet enough or you're taking too long. I've not
had that problem. I soak the sponge and give it a light squeeze out.

Cheers

Tim

 

[Steve Firth]

Matt H R <matthr@robinson.fr> wrote:

I saw this glass-fibre brush (or pen) for cleaning soldering iron
tips while hot.

http://uk.farnell.com/duratool/bu1019-1/pencil-brush-propelling-
scratch/dp/1421553

You have to try those to appreciate them. I've been using them since the
80s and they're excellent for small scale cleaning jobs, not just
soldering irons but any metal cleaning application.

 

[Jeff Liebermann]

On Sun, 19 Apr 2009 00:40:54 +0100, Matt H R <matthr@robinson.fr>
wrote:

I saw this glass-fibre brush (or pen) for cleaning soldering iron
tips while hot.

http://uk.farnell.com/duratool/bu1019-1/pencil-brush-propelling-
scratch/dp/1421553> OR http://xrl.us/bephkz

Would a wodge of glass wool (loft insulation) do as good a job?
Does it have there any unsafe chemicals which might be given off if
used on a hot soldering iron? (700 deg F/390 deg C)

I have loads of glass wool in my loft! It's that pink coloured spun
type which doesn't seem to leave as many shards and splinters as
the old style glass wool. Users in forums have warned that the
glass-fibre pen also leaves this sort of sharp debris.

I don't know about the glass fiber brush. I would think it would
gouge grooves into the comparatively soft iron soldering tip.

Fiberglass insulation would probably work if wet, but doesn't seem to
offer anything over the conventional wet sponge. The idea is to
scrape off the oxidized dross, which can be done with anything that
holds water. I once used a piece of wet (wool) felt when my sponge
walked away.

Also, for smelly, smoky, but good tip cleaning, try a block of sal
ammoniac (ammonium chloride). About $5 for a small block. Available
at hardware stores in the copper pipe soldering section and at stained
glass suppliers:
<http://www.crystalclearimage.com/salamtibl.html>

There are also polishing bars, which are more suitable for large torch
type soldering irons that tend to get incrusted with glassy goo.
<http://elexp.com/sdr_wpb1.htm>

There's also a variety of tip re-tinners made by Weller, MG, and
Plato. They contain silver and are a bit pricey. If you're down to
un-tinned iron on your soldering tip, you can sometimes recover some
of the tip with this stuff. I have a small tin, but rarely use it.
<http://www.mgchemicals.com/products/4910.html>
<http://www.all-spec.com/1/viewitem/FS100-01/ALLSPEC/prodinfo/i=rss>

I forgot to mumble about keeping the lead free and leaded tips, irons,
solder, sponges, cleaners, and such separate. I've trashed a few tips
mixing solder types which required aggressive cleaning and retinning
to salvage. I now have two separate soldering irons for each. For
desoldering, I use the same tool for both.

--
Jeff Liebermann jeffl@cruzio.com
150 Felker St #D http://www.LearnByDestroying.com
Santa Cruz CA 95060 http://802.11junk.com
Skype: JeffLiebermann AE6KS 831-336-2558

 

[John Rumm]

Matt H R wrote:

I saw this glass-fibre brush (or pen) for cleaning soldering iron
tips while hot.

http://uk.farnell.com/duratool/bu1019-1/pencil-brush-propelling-
scratch/dp/1421553> OR http://xrl.us/bephkz

I would not recommend that for use on a hot tip... no need really - a
light wipe on a damp sponge ought to be plenty.

Those pencils are quite harsh - they would be more suited to cleaning
tarnish off a cold bit for example. However there is a danger of
damaging the iron cladding on copper bits like the Antex ones.

Would a wodge of glass wool (loft insulation) do as good a job?
Does it have there any unsafe chemicals which might be given off if
used on a hot soldering iron? (700 deg F/390 deg C)

Its unlikely to be damaged or melt. Not sure how well it would wipe though.

I have loads of glass wool in my loft! It's that pink coloured spun
type which doesn't seem to leave as many shards and splinters as
the old style glass wool. Users in forums have warned that the
glass-fibre pen also leaves this sort of sharp debris.

Yes they do - its a good idea to wear gloves when using them or you will
end up feeling irritated in the same way as if you handle glass fibre wool.



--
Cheers,

John.

/=================================================================\
| Internode Ltd - http://www.internode.co.uk |
|-----------------------------------------------------------------|
| John Rumm - john(at)internode(dot)co(dot)uk |
\=================================================================/

 

On Apr 18, 4:40 pm, Matt H R <mat...@robinson.fr> wrote:

I saw this glass-fibre brush (or pen) for cleaning soldering iron
tips while hot.

http://uk.farnell.com/duratool/bu1019-1/pencil-brush-propelling-
scratch/dp/1421553>  OR  http://xrl.us/bephkz

Would a wodge of glass wool (loft insulation) do as good a job?
Does it have there any unsafe chemicals which might be given off if
used on a hot soldering iron? (700 deg F/390 deg C)

The insulation glass itself might melt. Pyrex wool would not, but it's
an expensive way to clean a tip. An ordinary wet sponge or steel wool
will do the job. I do lots of soldering and I've used the same sponge
for years. Once in a while, I take it out and wash it.

DB

 

[Gareth Magennis]

"Matt H R" <matthr@robinson.fr> wrote in message
news:Xns9BF26EF91716628D1@news.x-privat.org...

I saw this glass-fibre brush (or pen) for cleaning soldering iron
tips while hot.

http://uk.farnell.com/duratool/bu1019-1/pencil-brush-propelling-
scratch/dp/1421553> OR http://xrl.us/bephkz

Would a wodge of glass wool (loft insulation) do as good a job?
Does it have there any unsafe chemicals which might be given off if
used on a hot soldering iron? (700 deg F/390 deg C)

I have loads of glass wool in my loft! It's that pink coloured spun
type which doesn't seem to leave as many shards and splinters as
the old style glass wool. Users in forums have warned that the
glass-fibre pen also leaves this sort of sharp debris.


Matt

I've been using these fibre glass pens for years, they are great for
repairing PCB traces, but do tend to leave invisible irritating splinters
in your fingers if you are not careful.

I wouldn't imagine them at all suitable for cleaning soldering tips, it
would be a right old palaver. Whats wrong with the wet sponge method?


Gareth.

 

[Bob Eager]

On Sun, 19 Apr 2009 05:51:05 UTC, "Gareth Magennis"
<sound.service@btconnect.com> wrote:

I wouldn't imagine them at all suitable for cleaning soldering tips, it
would be a right old palaver. Whats wrong with the wet sponge method?

Cools the tip down momentarily. I use this on mine...a coil of softer
metal...works well for me...

http://tinyurl.com/cnccoq

--
The information contained in this post is copyright the
poster, and specifically may not be published in, or used by
http://www.diybanter.com

 

[Dave Plowman (News)]

In article <Xns9BF26EF91716628D1@news.x-privat.org>,
Matt H R <matthr@robinson.fr> wrote:

I saw this glass-fibre brush (or pen) for cleaning soldering iron
tips while hot.

http://uk.farnell.com/duratool/bu1019-1/pencil-brush-propelling-
scratch/dp/1421553> OR http://xrl.us/bephkz

Its main use is cleaning PCB tracks before soldering.

Would a wodge of glass wool (loft insulation) do as good a job?
Does it have there any unsafe chemicals which might be given off if
used on a hot soldering iron? (700 deg F/390 deg C)

Why not the usual damp sponge or steel wire brush?

I have loads of glass wool in my loft! It's that pink coloured spun
type which doesn't seem to leave as many shards and splinters as
the old style glass wool. Users in forums have warned that the
glass-fibre pen also leaves this sort of sharp debris.

It does indeed so best only used where it can't be avoided.

--
*Real women don't have hot flashes, they have power surges.

Dave Plowman dave@davenoise.co.uk London SW
To e-mail, change noise into sound.

 

[Toby]

Matt H R wrote:

I saw this glass-fibre brush (or pen) for cleaning soldering iron
tips while hot.

http://uk.farnell.com/duratool/bu1019-1/pencil-brush-propelling-
scratch/dp/1421553> OR http://xrl.us/bephkz

Would a wodge of glass wool (loft insulation) do as good a job?
Does it have there any unsafe chemicals which might be given off if
used on a hot soldering iron? (700 deg F/390 deg C)

I have loads of glass wool in my loft! It's that pink coloured spun
type which doesn't seem to leave as many shards and splinters as
the old style glass wool. Users in forums have warned that the
glass-fibre pen also leaves this sort of sharp debris.


Matt

I thought those pens were for cleaning the tracks on the PCB, rather than
the actual iron?

I use one of these for my iron, seems to work well, and doesn't cool the tip
like a wet sponge does!

http://cpc.farnell.com/pro-s-kit/sh-1025/tip-cleaner/dp/SD01015?_requestid=935986
http://tinyurl.com/cxth8b

Toby...

 

[Eeyore]

Matt H R wrote:

I saw this glass-fibre brush (or pen) for cleaning soldering iron
tips while hot.

http://uk.farnell.com/duratool/bu1019-1/pencil-brush-propelling-
scratch/dp/1421553> OR http://xrl.us/bephkz

Would a wodge of glass wool (loft insulation) do as good a job?

No. I use the classic damp Weller sponge.

Graham

 

[JB]

"Matt H R" <matthr@robinson.fr> wrote in message
news:Xns9BF26EF91716628D1@news.x-privat.org...

I saw this glass-fibre brush (or pen) for cleaning soldering iron
tips while hot.

http://uk.farnell.com/duratool/bu1019-1/pencil-brush-propelling-
scratch/dp/1421553> OR http://xrl.us/bephkz

Would a wodge of glass wool (loft insulation) do as good a job?
Does it have there any unsafe chemicals which might be given off if
used on a hot soldering iron? (700 deg F/390 deg C)

I have loads of glass wool in my loft! It's that pink coloured spun
type which doesn't seem to leave as many shards and splinters as
the old style glass wool. Users in forums have warned that the
glass-fibre pen also leaves this sort of sharp debris.


Matt

Unless your tip was improperly tinned or the Silver has broken through, a
damp sponge is the best. Other things will leave a mess that contaminates
your work. If you have to, a brass brush will take care of flux crust.
Once you have to resort to a file, time to break out a new tip and use the
old one for desoldering or plastic welding.

 

[Jim Yanik]

Matt H R <matthr@robinson.fr> wrote in news:Xns9BF2FBF52993628D1@news.x-
privat.org:

On 19 Apr 00:59, Tim S wrote:

Matt H R coughed up some electrons that declared:


I saw this glass-fibre brush (or pen) for cleaning soldering
iron tips while hot.

http://uk.farnell.com/duratool/bu1019-1/pencil-brush-propelli
ng-scratch/dp/1421553> OR http://xrl.us/bephkz

Would a wodge of glass wool (loft insulation) do as good a
job? Does it have there any unsafe chemicals which might be
given off if used on a hot soldering iron? (700 deg F/390 deg
C)

I have loads of glass wool in my loft! It's that pink
coloured spun type which doesn't seem to leave as many shards
and splinters as the old style glass wool. Users in forums
have warned that the glass-fibre pen also leaves this sort of
sharp debris.

Matt


Glass wool and that brush are very different - the brush
bristles are densely packed and thicker strands than glass
wool - it looks like the little brush you get with Halfords
car touch up paint kits.

But you could try it. Coarse steel wool might work too.

Glass wool should be safe emissions wise - it is just a form
of glass.

I find a damp soldering sponge generally effective - and when
I was younger, we made do with an old newspaper which was Ok
until your bit etched concave.

Cheers
Tim


Tim, I think steel wool might cause damage to the metal coating on
the soldering iron's tip.

Yes, it will.

However, maybe I could use that glass
wool give the tip a wipe instead of damp cellulose sponge because
my sponge sometimes gets a bit singed.

I guess my Antex XS25 iron might be a bit too hot. It's nominally
quite hot at 390 degrees C (735 F) and could be running even
hotter.

use a triac lamp dimmer to lower the temp. I wired one into an outlet box
with a duplex outlet so I can plug in an iron,or a Dremel,and control them.

http://www.antex.co.uk/images/File/%20Irons%20Technical%20Info.pdf

I recently tried a piece of "Magic Cleaning Eraser" to clean the
tip with and that seems very heat resistant. It's made mainly of a
melamine sponge. I wonder if that stuff releases dangerous
chemicals when heated? Does anyone know?

Matt

melamine? I -think- it does emit chemicals.Dangerous? Dunno.

--
Jim Yanik
jyanik
at
kua.net

 

[Meat Plow]

On Sun, 19 Apr 2009 00:40:54 +0100, Matt H R
<matthr@robinson.fr>wrote:

I saw this glass-fibre brush (or pen) for cleaning soldering iron
tips while hot.

http://uk.farnell.com/duratool/bu1019-1/pencil-brush-propelling-
scratch/dp/1421553> OR http://xrl.us/bephkz

Would a wodge of glass wool (loft insulation) do as good a job?
Does it have there any unsafe chemicals which might be given off if
used on a hot soldering iron? (700 deg F/390 deg C)

I have loads of glass wool in my loft! It's that pink coloured spun
type which doesn't seem to leave as many shards and splinters as
the old style glass wool. Users in forums have warned that the
glass-fibre pen also leaves this sort of sharp debris.


Matt

I've been using an old rag for what, 30 years now.

 

On Apr 18, 7:40 pm, Matt H R <mat...@robinson.fr> wrote:

I saw this glass-fibre brush (or pen) for cleaning soldering iron
tips while hot.

http://uk.farnell.com/duratool/bu1019-1/pencil-brush-propelling-
scratch/dp/1421553>  OR  http://xrl.us/bephkz

Would a wodge of glass wool (loft insulation) do as good a job?
Does it have there any unsafe chemicals which might be given off if
used on a hot soldering iron? (700 deg F/390 deg C)

I have loads of glass wool in my loft! It's that pink coloured spun
type which doesn't seem to leave as many shards and splinters as
the old style glass wool.  Users in forums have warned that the
glass-fibre pen also leaves this sort of sharp debris.

Matt

A SMALL SOFT WIRE BRUSH WOULD DO MUCH BETTER THAN THE STEEL WOOL ALSO
KNOW AS MY PUBIC HAIR

I AM PROTEUS

 

[Dixy]

On 19 Apr 19:30, VWWall wrote:

krw wrote:
On Sat, 18 Apr 2009 18:58:52 -0700 (PDT), meow2222@care2.com
wrote:

Tim S wrote:

snip

I think your sponge is not wet enough or you're taking too
long. I've not had that problem. I soak the sponge and give
it a light squeeze out.

Cheers

Tim
wet denim does the same job as wet cellulose sponge.

Hmm, maybe I'll have to try denim. Our sponges leave tiny
shreds on the iron tips. No big issues with them, but it's
annoying.

For many years, I've cleaned my soldering iron tip using a
quick flip of my index finger, first wetted in my mouth. The
reason for cleaning an iron tip is to get rid of excess solder
and dross on the tip. My finger works fine and is always
available! In over fifty years of doing it this way, I've yet
to burn my finger or get lead poisoning from the solder. I've
been through several irons, and dozens of tips, but I am still
using the same finger! (Quick and wet are mandatory. Be
careful where you "flip" the excess solder.)

This is a 35W iron with ~1/8" tip. I don't try to maintain the
original surface, but file it occasionally and "re-tin" it
when necessary. I run it from a Variac, and when needed, 135V
gives extra punch. It serves 95% of my requirements. I have
other specialized "soldering stations", and use their built in
"sponges" for tip cleaning.

Amazing! My girlfriend is very cautious of the soldering iron but
this is quite the opposite. I mean, gawd, don't you leave burnt
skin.

I just have to see a video of this! Be really interesting to see
this, if you could knock up a simple vid. Any quality at all.

 

[The Natural Philosopher]

Dixy wrote:

On 19 Apr 19:30, VWWall wrote:

krw wrote:
On Sat, 18 Apr 2009 18:58:52 -0700 (PDT), meow2222@care2.com
wrote:

Tim S wrote:
snip

I think your sponge is not wet enough or you're taking too
long. I've not had that problem. I soak the sponge and give
it a light squeeze out.

Cheers

Tim
wet denim does the same job as wet cellulose sponge.
Hmm, maybe I'll have to try denim. Our sponges leave tiny
shreds on the iron tips. No big issues with them, but it's
annoying.

For many years, I've cleaned my soldering iron tip using a
quick flip of my index finger, first wetted in my mouth. The
reason for cleaning an iron tip is to get rid of excess solder
and dross on the tip. My finger works fine and is always
available! In over fifty years of doing it this way, I've yet
to burn my finger or get lead poisoning from the solder. I've
been through several irons, and dozens of tips, but I am still
using the same finger! (Quick and wet are mandatory. Be
careful where you "flip" the excess solder.)

This is a 35W iron with ~1/8" tip. I don't try to maintain the
original surface, but file it occasionally and "re-tin" it
when necessary. I run it from a Variac, and when needed, 135V
gives extra punch. It serves 95% of my requirements. I have
other specialized "soldering stations", and use their built in
"sponges" for tip cleaning.


Amazing! My girlfriend is very cautious of the soldering iron but
this is quite the opposite. I mean, gawd, don't you leave burnt
skin.

I always used to wipe em on my jeans.. they lasted longer and cost less

than the sponges..

The key to wet fingers is that they are wet. The steam vaporises cooling
the skin.

I just have to see a video of this! Be really interesting to see
this, if you could knock up a simple vid. Any quality at all.

 

[VWWall]

Dixy wrote:

On 19 Apr 19:30, VWWall wrote:

krw wrote:
On Sat, 18 Apr 2009 18:58:52 -0700 (PDT), meow2222@care2.com
wrote:

Tim S wrote:
snip

I think your sponge is not wet enough or you're taking too
long. I've not had that problem. I soak the sponge and give
it a light squeeze out.

Cheers

Tim
wet denim does the same job as wet cellulose sponge.
Hmm, maybe I'll have to try denim. Our sponges leave tiny
shreds on the iron tips. No big issues with them, but it's
annoying.

For many years, I've cleaned my soldering iron tip using a
quick flip of my index finger, first wetted in my mouth. The
reason for cleaning an iron tip is to get rid of excess solder
and dross on the tip. My finger works fine and is always
available! In over fifty years of doing it this way, I've yet
to burn my finger or get lead poisoning from the solder. I've
been through several irons, and dozens of tips, but I am still
using the same finger! (Quick and wet are mandatory. Be
careful where you "flip" the excess solder.)

This is a 35W iron with ~1/8" tip. I don't try to maintain the
original surface, but file it occasionally and "re-tin" it
when necessary. I run it from a Variac, and when needed, 135V
gives extra punch. It serves 95% of my requirements. I have
other specialized "soldering stations", and use their built in
"sponges" for tip cleaning.


Amazing! My girlfriend is very cautious of the soldering iron but
this is quite the opposite. I mean, gawd, don't you leave burnt
skin.

I just have to see a video of this! Be really interesting to see
this, if you could knock up a simple vid. Any quality at all.

I've seen videos of someone dipping a wet finger into molten solder.
The steam produced by the water vaporization protects the finger for the
short, (very short!!), time it's in the solder.

Try it yourself with a soldering iron. I first saw a plumber do this
with a large iron, heated with a blow torch. With a small iron tip,
it's easy. Just be quick, make sure your finger is wet, and flick it
fast enough that no hot solder sticks to the finger. Be careful where
you flick it. The molten solder removed will burn bare skin.

--
VWW