Why do you need to tin?

To be honest, you don’t NEED to tin.

But it can help.

To “tin” is to apply a bit of tin to something.

For example – you can tin the tip of your soldering iron by first cleaning it with a sponge, then apply a bit of solder to the tip.

Or you can tin the pin of a component by heating it with your soldering iron, then melt a bit of solder onto it.

The advantage is that it will transfer heat better.

So – when you tin the tip of your soldering iron, it should make the soldering process a bit simpler.

Do it every time your tip needs to be cleaned.

Tinning the tip of your soldering iron before you put it down for the day, is said to help your tip last longer.

Soldering is something I wrote how to do in my eBook «Getting Started With Electronics». You can learn more here:

Keep on Soldering!
Oyvind

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