How to instantly clean a soldering iron tip

After I learned this method of incredibly quickly cleaning a soldering iron tip from carbon deposits, the question immediately appeared in my head: “Was it possible to do this?” Before that, like most radio amateurs, I took sandpaper and manually cleaned the carbon deposits from the sting. The whole process took about 15 minutes and took quite a lot of effort, not counting the removal of black soot after such cleaning.

Now everything has changed thanks to a little trick, which I’ll tell you about now.

Will need

The whole secret is to use powdered ammonia. It is sold at radio markets or specialized stores.

It may have individual packaging:

Or it can be sold by weight in bulk:

In any case, it’s worth every penny, especially considering the fact how much time and effort it saves.

Cleaning the soldering iron tip from carbon deposits

So, pour the ammonia powder into a more convenient and heat-resistant container.

Next, turn on the soldering iron and heat it to the usual soldering temperature. Please note that the tip has a thick layer of carbon deposits on its surface.

Now dip the heated sting into ammonia powder.

It is advisable to do this process in a well-ventilated area.

Hold for a few seconds and remove. A little powder will remain on the sting, which will begin to evaporate, releasing thick white smoke. And after that you will see a shiny copper tip.

Now we remove all residues with a rag or a special sponge.

And tin the tip with solder.

Yes, it's so simple and fast! I am sure that you will definitely use this cleaning method.

This method will be especially useful for those who solder very often.

Personally, I was very surprised by the speed and simplicity of this process and a little regretted that I did not know this earlier. Good luck to everyone, friends!

Watch the video