Distilled water

[jimjam]

I've read that you're supposed to use distilled water to wet your sponge for soldering iron tip cleaning. Do you guys do this? I haven't checked the hardware store but I made my own distilled water by boiling water in a saucepan, with a small bowl in the middle, then closing the saucepan with an inverted lid. Not sure how pure this is, but I figured it's better than straight out of the tap.

I do have an under the sink drinking water filter, but I'm guessing that is still not as pure as distilled water.

comments, ideas, tips?

[Rigby]

I have never heard heard that one should use distilled water.  Sounds like diy audio phoolery, to me.

As soon as you put a sponge in distilled water, the water is no longer distilled, because sponges aren't that clean.  Add solder, dust from the air, burnt flux, etc., and... yeah. Forget distilled water.

By the way you can buy distilled water at grocery stores for about a dollar a gallon in the US.

I imagine that's true down under, too.

[IanB]

I doubt that it's essential to use distilled water, but it couldn't hurt. If you live in a hard water area, tap water will leave limescale deposits on the iron when it evaporates. You may find distilled water in a hardware store or in an auto spares place (for topping up batteries). If you see a bottle of deionized water it is essentially the same thing.

[John Coloccia]

I used to use distilled water.  I'm on a well, and I have a lot of mineral deposits and iron when I don't run the softener.  When I do run the softener, I have less mineral and iron, but now I have salt.  Either way, it's not what you really want on your iron or on your board.  I use distilled water because a gallon will last a VERY long time without going rancid and turning into a little swamp.

Now I have a water cooler, though, and I just use the water cooler water.  Really, any bottled water should be fine.  If your tap water is clean, that's probably find too.

[ejeffrey]

I have never had a problem, but yeah if you have calcium buildup on your iron (seems unlikely unless your water is really bad) or sponge (definitely happens but who cares?) and you want to avoid it, distilled water will do the trick.  Even just soft water would do the trick, but unless you have a water softener it is easier to get distilled water at the supermarket.  Reverse osmosis water will work as well.

I often use distilled water at work simply because it is sitting there in a squirt bottle.  I would not be at all surprised if a novice saw me do that and thought there was a good reason other than laziness and then believed that using distilled water was necessary.

[nanofrog]

Tap water can contain minerals/substances that will contaminate a tip, reducing it's lifespan. Distilled water eliminates this issue. And as mentioned, it's cheap and lasts a long time.

Also, use appropriate sponges for soldering irons, as there can be chemicals in a household sponge that will cause corrosion on a tip, such as sulfur (tip covered in iron sulfate won't hold solder worth anything). And toss dirty sponges, as the flux can become a problem (increasing concentration, corroding hot tips).

All this said, the brass wool cleaners are worth a look IMHO, and aren't all that expensive (maybe $10). Less hassle, and the results are so good, I'm not turning back.

[jimjam]

My soldering station comes with both brass wool cleaner as well as a sponge. I just feel that the sponge "cleans" it better but then after that I'd have to add solder again. Oh well. The brass cleaner is new to me. I guess I'll get used to it soon enough. I just need something to solder now

[Bored@Work]

I've read that you're supposed to use distilled water to wet your sponge for soldering iron tip cleaning. Do you guys do this?

No, and unless you have extreme mineral water or need to do some special quality soldering, where the procedure officially asks for distilled water, there is no point using this.

Recently people seem to build up some strange urban myth about tip cleaning. Distilled water is one, the brass tip cleaner to avoid "thermal shock" thing another. Interestingly they exclude each other. A third myth is preventive usage of special tip cleaner paste.

In reality:

Buy quality tips. Keep the sponge damp, not soaking wet. Keep the tips reasonable clean, don't let oxide build up, don't use them to melt plastic, avoid abrasive wear (esp. don't put a file to it ...), don't overheat them. Don't use plumber flux, don't use solder grease, don't use a sal-ammoniac block. Use quality solder and flux for electronic purposes. Only use that special tip cleaner paste on already ruined tips to prolong their life a bit. Keep the tips tined with some solder, clean and re-tin before turning the iron off.

[nanofrog]

My soldering station comes with both brass wool cleaner as well as a sponge. I just feel that the sponge "cleans" it better but then after that I'd have to add solder again. Oh well. The brass cleaner is new to me. I guess I'll get used to it soon enough. I just need something to solder now

Don't you tin the tip after the brass wool as well?

And when you say "cleans better", do you mean less tinning on the tip or just more of the carbon/black crap is gone?

Oxide removal was fine with a sponge, but there was still carbon/crap/discoloration that would build up over time above where the tip wets. I found the brass wool gets this off better. 

FWIW, the Weller wool I'm using is flux coated, and according to their literature, it makes a difference (seen similar statements from other big name station manufacturers). 

[jimjam]

Yes I meant less tinning on the tip.

The advice is to tin the tip before turning it off. As soon as I add solder to the tip, quite a bit of flux gets there too, and "they" say not to leave this on the tip for storage? So then I'd have to "clean" (using the wool?) but this process gets rid of most of the solder off the tip.... catch 22?

My solder is Multicore brand 60/40

[GreyWoolfe]

You should notice, when you are tinning your tip when done, there is fume coming off of the tip.  That is the flux burning away.  Once the fume stops, the flux is gone.  Don't worry about it.  When done, I clean the tip, turn off the iron and immediately apply solder to the tip, rotating the handle until the solder doesn't flow toward the bottom.  This way I know I have the entire tip tinned.  Our water is fairly hard here and I've never had an issue with it leaving deposits or shortening the tip life.  Just my 2 cents.  My solder is Reliacore 63/37.

[M4trix]

Sounds like diy audio phoolery, to me.

[kolonelkadat]

Sounds like diy audio phoolery, to me.

is he laughing, crying, or climaxing?

[M4trix]

Watch Planet of the Apes (1968) and you will find your answer. 

[mcinque]

Sounds like diy audio phoolery, to me.

 

[nanofrog]

Yes I meant less tinning on the tip.

The advice is to tin the tip before turning it off. As soon as I add solder to the tip, quite a bit of flux gets there too, and "they" say not to leave this on the tip for storage? So then I'd have to "clean" (using the wool?) but this process gets rid of most of the solder off the tip.... catch 22?

My solder is Multicore brand 60/40

I'm not sure of what you're techniques are, so please bear with me.

You'll want to retin the iron when working (i.e. every few joints or so), as well as before putting it away. It's easy, and certainly much cheaper than replacing tips all the time. You'll also get more consistent, high quality joints.

Regarding flux, you'll either want to use rosin or no-clean (not sure what flux core you're using). They're not active at room temperature, and can be left on the board if you chose. So they're not corroding your tip when the iron is off (no need for concern).

Water soluble is nasty stuff however, and should be avoided for hobbyist use, if not hand soldering entirely IMHO (has it's place in reflow and wave production though). It's also more dangerous to humans (nastier chemistry in the fumes).

Few resources that might be of some help.
Better Soldering
How to Maximize Soldering Iron Tip Life
Pace Soldering Video Series

[John Coloccia]

You should notice, when you are tinning your tip when done, there is fume coming off of the tip.  That is the flux burning away.  Once the fume stops, the flux is gone.  Don't worry about it.  When done, I clean the tip, turn off the iron and immediately apply solder to the tip, rotating the handle until the solder doesn't flow toward the bottom.  This way I know I have the entire tip tinned.  Our water is fairly hard here and I've never had an issue with it leaving deposits or shortening the tip life.  Just my 2 cents.  My solder is Reliacore 63/37.

Does your water have iron?  The minerals and iron are hell on my tips.  When the softener's running it's better, but you end up with SALT in the water, which is maybe just as bad.  I never had a problem with municipal water.  Wells can really have quite a bit of stuff in it that would be nice to avoid.

[G7PSK]

Just use water from the hot tap, if you don't have a water softener fitted the lime-scale is left in the boiler, that's all I have ever done and my iron tips last for years.

[miguelvp]

Don't know about distilled water for cleaning the iron (I use tap water).

But since my wife has gone through several steamers for refusing to use distilled water readily available at the grocery store.

High pressure steam + mineral deposits = 

Maybe I'll just get distilled water for myself then she might use it, I'll use the soldering iron tip life as an excuse.

[dfmischler]

I have a well, with an iron filter and softener.  I also have a reverse osmosis system for drinking/cooking water.  I use the RO water for the soldering sponge.

[max666]

I don't know who does the ironing in your household, but you can use distilled/deionised water for that too.

But the main benefit as I see it, is just to avoid having to descale the iron or the sponge.

EDIT: damn it, miguelvp beat me to it 

[GreyWoolfe]

You should notice, when you are tinning your tip when done, there is fume coming off of the tip.  That is the flux burning away.  Once the fume stops, the flux is gone.  Don't worry about it.  When done, I clean the tip, turn off the iron and immediately apply solder to the tip, rotating the handle until the solder doesn't flow toward the bottom.  This way I know I have the entire tip tinned.  Our water is fairly hard here and I've never had an issue with it leaving deposits or shortening the tip life.  Just my 2 cents.  My solder is Reliacore 63/37.

Does your water have iron?  The minerals and iron are hell on my tips.  When the softener's running it's better, but you end up with SALT in the water, which is maybe just as bad.  I never had a problem with municipal water.  Wells can really have quite a bit of stuff in it that would be nice to avoid.

No appreciable iron here, calcium is probably the more prevalent mineral.  We have moderately hard city water.  Those who use well water for irrigation deal with iron as you can see the "rust" spots on their homes where the sprinklers hit the house.  Hydrogen sulfide exists in the well water also, love that rotten egg smell.  As I said, no real issue with the tips.  However, I am not soldering everyday so I may not be noticing anything.  All my tips are a few years old and still work just fine.

[rob77]

i'm using plain water for the sponge and i'm not adding extra tin when powering off. the tip costs something between 1 and 5euros (depending on the type) and lasts quite long for me (can't even remember when changed last time). i doubt the distilled water and extra tinning will extend the life span significantly (to make it economically viable).
and the water here is quite nasty - my water boiling pot (i hate the electric kettles) looks like a 100year old something after few weeks of usage (vinegar is my friend here)  

[John Coloccia]

You should notice, when you are tinning your tip when done, there is fume coming off of the tip.  That is the flux burning away.  Once the fume stops, the flux is gone.  Don't worry about it.  When done, I clean the tip, turn off the iron and immediately apply solder to the tip, rotating the handle until the solder doesn't flow toward the bottom.  This way I know I have the entire tip tinned.  Our water is fairly hard here and I've never had an issue with it leaving deposits or shortening the tip life.  Just my 2 cents.  My solder is Reliacore 63/37.

Does your water have iron?  The minerals and iron are hell on my tips.  When the softener's running it's better, but you end up with SALT in the water, which is maybe just as bad.  I never had a problem with municipal water.  Wells can really have quite a bit of stuff in it that would be nice to avoid.

No appreciable iron here, calcium is probably the more prevalent mineral.  We have moderately hard city water.  Those who use well water for irrigation deal with iron as you can see the "rust" spots on their homes where the sprinklers hit the house.  Hydrogen sulfide exists in the well water also, love that rotten egg smell.  As I said, no real issue with the tips.  However, I am not soldering everyday so I may not be noticing anything.  All my tips are a few years old and still work just fine.

Pretty much, building widgets for my customers is what I do for a living these days.  I do thousands of joints a week.  It's not hard for me to tell the difference between a tip that lasts 6 months and a tip that lasts 4 months.  It would be harder to tell the difference between a tip that last 5 years and a tip that lasts 4.5 years.