Hi.
There are copper and iron soldering tips on the market.
Advantages and disadvantages?
Older and very cheap irons typically use a bare copper tip, which is shaped with a file or sandpaper.[citation needed] This dissolves gradually into the solder, suffering pitting and erosion of the shape.[citation needed] Copper tips are sometimes filed when worn down. Iron-plated copper tips have become increasingly popular since the 1980s.[citation needed] Because iron is not readily dissolved by molten solder, the plated tip is more durable than a bare copper one, though it will eventually wear out and need replacing.[citation needed] This is especially important when working at the higher temperatures needed for modern lead-free solders.[citation needed] Solid iron and steel tips are seldom used because they store less heat, conduct it poorly, and rusting can break the heating element.[citation needed]
Iron-plated tips may feature a layer of nickel between the copper core and the iron surface.[11] A nickel-chrome outer plating may be used further back from the very tip, as solder does not stick well to this material: this avoids solder wetting parts of the tip where it would be unwanted.[11]
Some tips have a heater and a thermocouple-based temperature sensor embedded to facilitate a more precise temperature control (TS100 and T12, for instance).
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