Can I Use A Nail As A Soldering Iron Tip

Applying lots of solder gives it more mass and a longer cool time.

Can i use a nail as a soldering iron tip. This should lead to a clean shiny tip ready for use for more info see this video. Before soldering clean your tip with a clean cloth and some alcohol. Apply lots of solder to one side of the resistor then quickly melt the other side and flick it off.

A soldering iron may be one of the simpler pieces of electronic repair equipment you will use but it needs regular maintenance in order to operate properly. If you see any solder splashes after just flick it off with you finger nail not the soldering iron. Clean Soldering Iron Tips.

Only use this device when the tip is cold as using it with a hot tip can damage the tip. Larger and wider tips are effective for bigger jobs. You can do this by hand if you use different-sized tips often.

You can in fact solder a 04mm pitch TQFP with a tip that spans several pins such as the ETA you mention but it takes a lot more skill and flux. And yes tin whiskers might be a. Take a wet sponge and rub it over the top of the solder iron.

I looked around the garage to see what I can make the tip out of and settled on a thick masonry nail. Wipe the iron off with a damp cellulose and sulfur-free sponge. If youre doing mostly through hole components the ETA is perfectly fine.

The wire is easy to bend into shape for various soldering positions. That should remove the oxides unless you have allowed the oxidation to build up excessively. If so you can do it with a normal soldering iron.