Brass wool for soldering iron cleaning

When soldering often, the quality of the work also depends on a "trivial" detail: a clean soldering iron tip. For this reason, in the laboratory, I almost always use brass wool instead of the classic wet sponge: it effectively removes solder residues, oxidations, and flux, without damaging the protective coating of the tip. And above all, it does not require water, thus avoiding thermal shocks that, over time, can shorten the life of the soldering iron tip.

Brass wool is also not very abrasive: it helps keep the tip shinier, improving thermal conductivity and facilitating solder adhesion during soldering.

To tidy up the workbench (and always have everything in its place) I designed a 3D printed container, and since I love 70s table lamps, I created a simple shape consisting of two spheres:

• a hollow sphere that houses the brass wool;
• a solid hemisphere that serves as a stable base.