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I just got a new Hakko 888D for Christmas. I have used it a bit since then, and I'm using the wet sponge, brass sponge, and some RadioShack tip cleaner to maintain the tip quality. The issue I am having is simple, and I might know the source but I lack a fix. The very tip of the tip, when new, looks like the first picture with the bag. It has a different color, and presumably a different metal, at the end. That part gets very hot, but the shinier parts don't, and solder will NOT adhere to them. This is likely intentional by Hakko and I like this. My issue, as shown in picture #2, is that the shiny part is getting oxidized. It may be ineffectual due to the fact that the oxidized portion doesn't get solder on it anyway, but it's spreading. It's now on the non-replaceable part of the iron in small quantities. I can't remove it with any of my aforementioned cleaning "tools". It could be oxidizing due to the flux in my lead free solder, but it uses resin which isn't corrosive like rosin.

**My question: why is this happening and how can I fix it? I've had this for 2 days 😭"

new tip

oxidization

yay a new station

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  • \$\begingroup\$ At what temp do you solder, and how do you set it when first powering up the unit? \$\endgroup\$
    – Sredni Vashtar
    Dec 28, 2016 at 5:46
  • \$\begingroup\$ A bit of discoloration is normal, but if the tip getting pitted or eroded then you may have a fake youtube.com/watch?v=VvOJL8aAUO8 \$\endgroup\$
    – Bruce Abbott
    Dec 28, 2016 at 7:35
  • \$\begingroup\$ I have it set at 650 usually. When I turn it on, I wood it on the brass sponge, tin it completely, wipe it, and lightly tin it again \$\endgroup\$
    – Bobdabiulder
    Dec 28, 2016 at 12:52
  • \$\begingroup\$ Confirmed I have a legit one with that video \$\endgroup\$
    – Bobdabiulder
    Dec 28, 2016 at 13:34
  • \$\begingroup\$ just checking the obvious: do you set your temp via the ENTER key or via the UP key? (Or, to make it short: are you aware of the UI trap that might bring a "I don't read manuals" user to miscalibrate the tool?). And BTW, I take the unit is set for Fahrenheit, correct? :-) \$\endgroup\$
    – Sredni Vashtar
    Dec 28, 2016 at 16:09

2 Answers 2

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The very tip of the soldering bit is plated and accepts molten solder, the rest of the bit tends to repel it. The part that matters most is the shiny tip which is best cleaned with brass wire wool (which is a soft metal) or Multicore TTC followed by wiping with a damp cellulose sponge. It's very common for flux and contamination to gradually build up on the non-plated part of the bit. These can be kept to a minimum by wiping as above but they are unlikely to be removed altogether. I have some pics on my old basic soldering guide showing just the same thing happening on my old Ungar iron. 20 years on it's still going strong.

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As far as I know this is normal as long as you take good care of the very tip as this is whats used for the soldering. The rest will get oxidized and its normal

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  • \$\begingroup\$ How long have you been soldering? Have you experienced this?? \$\endgroup\$
    – Bobdabiulder
    Dec 28, 2016 at 3:21
  • \$\begingroup\$ @Bobdabiulder For a while \$\endgroup\$
    – Youstanzr
    Jan 7, 2017 at 19:15

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