Cleaning & Finishing up

Cleaning the iron tip

Always clean the soldering iron tip after each use. There are many solutions available, but a damp sponge will suffice. Rub the soldering iron tip on the sponge after each solder. If the tip has not been cleaned in awhile, and has a lot of solder on it, you should dip it in a tip cleaner. However, be warned that tip cleaners produces a lot of fumes that you do not want to breathe in, so either clean it in a well-ventilated area as you should be already anyway, or save yourself the headache, and keep the iron tip clean. If you are working at a soldering stations that comes equipped with a pad at the base of the soldering iron holder, go ahead and use that pad to wipe the tip of the iron each and every time after a solder.

Soldering Wick

Soldering wick is used to clean solder off a PCB. Place the wick on the joint or track that needs cleaning up, and apply your soldering iron on top. The solder will melt and be drawn into the wick. If you messed up badly, and there is a lot of solder, the wick will fill up quickly, so pull the wick through the joint and your iron, and allow the solder to flow into it as it passes over it.