Quote from YouTube User: “I have a question. When I try to tin my tip of the iron, how come the solder won’t stick to part of the tip? I would love to get an answer.”

I have the same problem.

This is most likely because the tip has become oxidized. Almost all metals oxidize quickly at high temperatures, and the tip is no exception. The problem with oxidation is that solder won’t adhere to it, and this is why flux is needed to clean joints before and during the soldering process.

Preventative care is the best maintenance. Expose the hot tip to air as little as possible. This means always keeping a layer of solder on the end, especially before putting the iron back in the stand or before turning it off. Just one night with no covering can “kill” a tip. Tip manufacturers actually recommend holding a piece of solder against the tip during the first turn-on so that solder covers the tip as soon as possible (Tips usually come pre-tinned, so this could be a little overkill). It’s also a good idea to wipe off and re-tin the tip often. Flux residues will also act as a barrier to solder, and since these harden over time and heat, it’s best to remove them frequently.

• first, simply try repeatedly applying ample flux-cored solder to the tip and wiping it with a sponge. Oftentimes the flux in “no-clean” solder won’t be sufficient to remove oxides that build up on a tip, so if you use this solder, keep some more aggressive flux-cored solder around, (like Kester #44 ) to clean the tip. Sometimes it will take a couple cycles of applying solder and wiping on a sponge. I also have more luck running the tip through a dry tip cleaner than just a sponge for heavy build up, but you can certainly get by just with a sponge .
• If repeated applying of solder with flux and wiping doesn’t work, try getting a “tip tinner / cleaner.” Radioshack actually sells one that works fairly well. It’s a little tin that contains solder and a more aggressive flux than you’ll usually find in solder wire. I don’t recommend using this regularly because extremely aggressive fluxes can wear away tips much faster than normal. As usual, I hate recommending anything from RadioShack because their specs are sparse—who know what’s actually in that tin.

• Finally, if you have extreme oxidation, Weller makes a polishing stone that you can gently rub a tip against to restore it. At some point in the near future, we’ll hopefully offer this for sale. If you don’t have one of these, some fine grit sand paper will also work, but be very gentle. Tips are mostly made of copper and have a thin layer of iron plating to prevent solder from quickly dissolving the copper inside. Once you pierce this outer plating, the tip will die very quickly.

Here’s an excellent reference about prolonging tip life: Weller’s tip care and maintenance

Hi, i have also the same problem. I think my tip got oxidized. The tip does melt the solder but it won’t stick to the tip. Do i just need to repeat applying solder to the tip or do i need to get a tip tinner? Also to use a dry-tip cleaner, you need to do: thrusting the tip a few times in the cleaner, then tinning it with solder. Is it this correct? Thanks

Sorry for the late response…. yes, with the dry tip cleaner, thrust it a few times and then apply new solder to protect the tip and help in soldering. The measures you need to take depend on how bad the oxidation is. Sometimes a couple of aggressive wipes on a sponge intermixed with coating the tip with solder will fix the problem (don’t use a no-clean solder/flux for this). Other times you’ll just have to resort to the other methods, and maybe even buy a new tip.