Cleaning Oxidized Soldering Tips

Removing Surface Oxides from Soldering Tips

Extended use of soldering tips at high temperatures can easily lead to oxidation. Here's how to deal with oxidized tips. 

  1. Use Hakko 599B Cleaning Wire to remove the surface oxide.
  2. If that does not work, use the Hakko FS-100 Chemical Cleaning Paste. Please note that the FS-100 should not be used for other purposes apart from restoring the soldering tip. 
  3. Dip the tip into the FS-100 paste for 2-3 seconds. Use a temperature setting of around 350ºC.
  4. Clean off the FS-100 paste from the tip surface with a cleaning sponge or cleaning wire.
  5. Apply solder to the tip to see if the solder melts.
  6. Repeat the process until the solder melts and wets the tip surface.
  7. This completes the re-tinning process and provides a protective layer of solder to prevent oxidation.
  8. Kindly note that oxidation can still occur in future even after re-tinning the tips. To prevent that, apply sufficient solder to the tip after each session of soldering to keep the tip protected when not in use. 

For a more effective oxide removal, use the Hakko FT-700 Tip Polisher before and after using the FT-100. 

Tip Polishing with Hakko FT-700

If the solder still does not wet the tip surface after multiple cleaning processes, it is time to replace the soldering tip. 


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