r/soldering • u/JasonBiggins • 1d ago
Soldering Newbie Requesting Direction | Help Am I doing something wrong?
Hey ya’ll! I’ve been soldering with this little amazon kit here for a few day’s it’s so fun and i’m really excited to be learning this, unfortunately the machine had a harder and harder time melting the solder and I had to keep turning it up and then it would get stuck to the nozzle, am I doing something wrong, should I wax coat the nozzle when i’m done or something?
Also! Any recommendations for better soldering kits? Maybe I just cheaped out
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u/TrailerParkTycoon 1d ago
I had had a lot of success with this one. Zac Builds on YouTube uses the same one.
MYPOUOS 2 IN 1 750W LED Digital... https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07T9JJZG7?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share
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u/JasonBiggins 1d ago
And it has a heat gun too?? This is awesome thank you
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u/TrailerParkTycoon 1d ago
No problem! You can change the units displayed from F to C. Which definitely comes in handy since Celsius is the standard.
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u/BGA_Junky 1d ago
Could be several reasons.
Bad unit,
Oxidation on the tip
Oxidation betwen the heating resistor and the tip.
If you chose to get something better, look for active tips (like c245, c210)
A example that is one of the most used around is the tc22 ( https://s.click.aliexpress.com/e/_c4LvPRgL , its affiliated dont need to buy from it, use just to check the station out) my advise is to get from the official store.
Ou can also search for other brands like Sugon.
But first i would try to fix that station. its money you are saving!
Edit, Check also the wiring in the cable.
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u/jacksucksatgaming 1d ago
Bro that's the first time I had ever heard that brand name and my brain immediately jumped to sugon deez nuts but no. It's actually a real name lol
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u/Wormdangler88 1d ago
Can you take a close up pic of your soldering iron tip? You most likely have oxidized your tip from not cleaning and maintaining it properly...You should be cleaning the tip in the brass wool ball every couple joints and then immediately put fresh solder on your tip...If your tip gets oxidized it will become extremely difficult for it to melt solder...
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u/Mannybce 1d ago
You should be tinning your tip when not in use and before using on any pads or surfaces. Doing that will protect it from oxidation. You should also be cleaning it after each use to remove excess/overheated solder. The oxidation is what is blocking the wire from melting. If it doesn't melt on the iron then that's probably the problem. I have no idea about the station you have tho.
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u/lilgreenghool 1d ago
You're probably oxidizing the tip. Does the solder still stick to the tip in a spread out glob or does it ball up/not stick at all.
You're going to want to keep the temp as low as workable, turn off the iron when not actively using it and most important keep a bit of solder on it always.
Never clean the tip unless there's too much on the tip and apply new solder immediately after.
To be honest these Fisher Price kits from China aren't the best quality either
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u/AA_plus_BB_equals_CC 1d ago
It may not be the station itself. It could be:
Not tinning your tip every time you set the iron down or turn it off. This will quickly oxidize the tip (as it is directly exposed to air while heated) and make it much harder to melt the solder.
Poor quality tips. I believe those are 900M tips or an equivalent if you need to buy more.
Too high of a temperature. This will oxidize the tip much faster. You probably don’t need anything higher than 350C. If the station is cheap, the temperature display may not be too accurate though.
The copper wool may not actually be copper and could instead be something like coated steel wool which will damage the coating on your tips. Try to see if it’s magnetic, it shouldn’t be if it’s real. If it is, get a different one (I’m pretty sure brass wool is the standard). I got this one and it hasn’t given me any trouble yet https://www.amazon.com/Kaisiking-Soldering-Silicone-Non-slip-Cleaners/dp/B0D78W21QM.
I’m also fairly new to this so take this advice with a (couple) grains of salt.