Based upon hour comments Steve, it sounds like this would be true for most soldering tips regardless of manufacturer. I'll have to pay closer attention to tip life here. Phil Nutting -----Original Message----- From: [log in to unmask] [mailto:[log in to unmask]] Sent: Thursday, March 07, 2002 6:06 PM To: [log in to unmask] Subject: Re: [TN] Care of Metcal tips Hi Lou! No Clean flux is actually the worse flux to use when you're talking tip life. Go to: http://www.metcal.com/tips/1.3.2.htm There's so little solids (it's mostly alcohol) that it flashes off the tip and doesn't protect the tip the same way a RMA does from oxidation. I think you'll find that you will go through more tips soldering with no clean fluxes than you do with any other flux type. -Steve Gregory- TechNetters, I've noted with interest the discussion of Metcal and other soldering irons over the past few days. A question has come up here about care of Metcal tips. We've gone to some lengths to eliminate RMA flux from the plant. However, Metcal recommends tinning tips with RMA-flux wire solder. We would like to use no-clean flux to tin tips. How risky would such a practice be? Any comments would be greatly appreciated. I called Metcal for advice and found the people I talked with to be very pleasant and eager to help. But no data were available, and, frankly, the people sounded very youthful. Lou Hart --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Technet Mail List provided as a free service by IPC using LISTSERV 1.8d To unsubscribe, send a message to [log in to unmask] with following text in the BODY (NOT the subject field): SIGNOFF Technet To temporarily halt delivery of Technet send e-mail to [log in to unmask]: SET Technet NOMAIL To receive ONE mailing per day of all the posts: send e-mail to [log in to unmask]: SET Technet Digest Search previous postings at: www.ipc.org > On-Line Resources & Databases > E-mail Archives Please visit IPC web site http://www.ipc.org/html/forum.htm for additional information, or contact Keach Sasamori at [log in to unmask] or 847-509-9700 ext.5315