<table cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" border="0" ><tr><td valign="top" style="font: inherit;">I agree. I myself never, ever use sponges either. It is super confusing since they <span style="font-style: italic;">come </span>with
soldering irons. What I like to do is use a small x-acto knife to
gently scrape off excess solder...this has been very effective over the
years. We could use more x-acto knives at the space
anyway............... especially name brand, which you can get very
nice sets of for ~$10 and replacement tips (5 packs) are only $2
something. This is at the art stores too, I'm sure it's much cheaper
online.<br><br>Obviously that idea won't be best for kids learning, but
like Jake says, you can just tap the iron. or use anything flat n
metal really.<br><br>Zach<br><br>--- On <b>Mon, 7/4/11, Zach . <i><organic_unity@yahoo.com></i></b> wrote:<br><blockquote style="border-left: 2px solid rgb(16, 16, 255); margin-left: 5px; padding-left: 5px;"><br>From: Zach . <organic_unity@yahoo.com><br>Subject: Re: [Noisebridge-discuss] new soldering irons for Crucible? - DITCH THE SPONGES<br>To: "Jake" <jake@spaz.org><br>Date: Monday, July 4, 2011, 6:28 PM<br><br><div id="yiv373363057"><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tbody><tr><td style="font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-size: inherit; line-height: inherit; font-size-adjust: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; -x-system-font: none;" valign="top">I agree. I myself never, ever use sponges either. It is super confusing since they <span style="font-style: italic;">come </span>with soldering irons. What I like to do is use a small x-acto knife to
gently scrape off excess solder...this has been very effective over the years. We could use more x-acto knives at the space anyway............... especially name brand, which you can get very nice sets of for ~$10 and replacement tips (5 packs) are only $2 something. This is at the art stores too, I'm sure it's much cheaper online.<br><br>Obviously that idea won't be best for kids learning, but like Jake says, you can just tap the iron. or use anything flat n metal really.<br><br>Zach<br><br>--- On <b>Mon, 7/4/11, Jake <i><jake@spaz.org></i></b> wrote:<br><blockquote style="border-left: 2px solid rgb(16, 16, 255); margin-left: 5px; padding-left: 5px;"><br>From: Jake <jake@spaz.org><br>Subject: Re: [Noisebridge-discuss] new soldering irons for Crucible? - DITCH THE SPONGES<br>To: "noisebridge-discuss@lists.noisebridge.net" <noisebridge-discuss@lists.noisebridge.net><br>Date: Monday, July 4, 2011, 4:21
PM<br><br><div class="yiv373363057plainMail">The reason your soldering irons, and those at noisebridge, keep wearing <br>out, is because we keep teaching people to use a wet sponge to treat their <br>iron-coated tip. This is a lot of fun for people and especially kids, <br>because it makes a cool sound and steam, but it is very bad for the iron.<br><br>I never, ever use a wet sponge. Sometimes I tap the iron on the holder to <br>shake off excess solder, and sometimes if there is junk floating in the <br>solder on the tip of the iron, i wipe it off on an edge on the holder.<br>Remember, stuff "sticking" to the iron is only floating in the liquid
<br>solder, so it's no more stuck than a poppy-seed to a wet coffee-mug.<br><br>My advice: hide the sponges forever.<br><br>-jake<br><br>Lee Sonko lee at lee.org wrote:<br><br>The Kinetics & Electronics department at the Crucible has several $12 <br>Stahl soldering irons <br><<a rel="nofollow" target="_blank" href="http://www.parts-express.com/pe/showdetl.cfm?Partnumber=374-100">http://www.parts-express.com/pe/showdetl.cfm?Partnumber=374-100</a>>, some <br>still new in the box, but they sure wear out quick. Kids take their toll <br>on an iron pretty quick. Do you think we'd get 4 times the value out of <br>the new $40 Hakko 936 knockoff from <br>Sparkfun<<a rel="nofollow" target="_blank" href="http://www.sparkfun.com/products/9672">http://www.sparkfun.com/products/9672</a>>? Better temperature <br>control might keep the tips and units alive longer. Might you have any <br>other suggested
irons?<br><br>Lee<br><br>_______________________________________________<br>Noisebridge-discuss mailing list<br><a rel="nofollow">Noisebridge-discuss@lists.noisebridge.net</a><br><a rel="nofollow" target="_blank" href="https://www.noisebridge.net/mailman/listinfo/noisebridge-discuss">https://www.noisebridge.net/mailman/listinfo/noisebridge-discuss</a><br></div></blockquote></td></tr></tbody></table></div></blockquote></td></tr></table>