Tinning cream: a blackened tip that refuses solder becomes usable again

After a few dozen solder joints, an iron's tip gets covered in a layer of black oxide. The solder no longer spreads, it balls up, and heat no longer flows to the board: you keep at it, heat for too long, and end up lifting a trace. This cream strips that layer and deposits a fresh film of alloy on the tip. Two or three seconds of contact, a wipe on brass wool, and wetting returns.

What it does

• Strips oxide: the hot tip goes into the cream, and the activated flux attacks the black layer that stops solder from sticking.
• Re-tins the tip: a film of alloy is redeposited on the working area, and heat transfer to the solder joint resumes.
• Four sizes: 6 g and 8 g for an iron used now and then, 16 g and 26 g for a busy workbench.
• Resealable metal tin: the cream stays on the work surface, is used without water or a sponge and closes up between jobs.

What it doesn't do

• It can't save a mechanically worn tip. If the iron plating is pierced or pitted and the copper is eaten away, no product can rebuild it: the tip needs replacing.
• This is not solder paste. It is not for making a solder joint, resoldering a component or reflowing a chip.
• It doesn't replace routine care: wipe on brass wool after each joint, re-tin the tip before switching the iron off.
• The manufacturer does not document the exact composition: there is nothing to confirm it is lead-free. Handle it as a lead-containing product — no contact with food, wash your hands after use, keep out of reach of children.
• When hot, it gives off rosin fumes. Ventilated room or fume extractor, as for any soldering.

Compatibility

All standard iron-plated copper tips: fixed-temperature irons, adjustable soldering stations, portable USB-C powered irons. Conical, bevel and chisel shapes work without any trouble. The tip must be hot — the product does nothing on a cold iron. However, if your iron's manufacturer prohibits tinning products in its instructions, follow its guidance rather than this.

Skill level required

Beginner. Heat the iron, wipe the tip on the brass wool, dip it into the cream for 2 to 3 seconds while turning it, then wipe again. Repeat once if the tip is still dull. You will need to supply your own brass wool (or a damp sponge) and isopropyl alcohol to remove rosin residue if you're soldering straight afterwards.

In the box

• 1 tin of cleaning and tinning cream — 6 g, 8 g, 16 g or 26 g depending on the chosen variant.
• No soldering iron, tip or brass wool: these are sold separately.

Listing verified on 19 August 2026.

Delivery in 10 to 18 days · ships within 3 to 5 days · 2-year legal guarantee of conformity · 14-day returns.

Read before ordering: Workshop & Modding