i just bought a wlc100 soldering station and i fired it up for the first time and went on to solder stuff with a lead free solder with 99.3% tin to 0.7% copper tinned the tip when iit got hot enough and wiped it on the sponge several time and started soldering with it, but as i went on i realized that there was a coating on the tip of the iron and even on its highest setting it took like 5-10 seconds of touching the solder to it before it would melt how can i fix this? is it the tip or the solder?
wow thanks biire, i didnt choose the crappy leaded free stuff it just came as part of a kit, but thanks very much i do appreciate it 
The tip is "tinned". When you first put flux on the soldering iron, it removes the oxides so the solder can intimately join the metal to the copper. It does the same thing to the tip of the soldering iron. It isn't harmful to the soldering process at all. If you wipe it off or sand it off, it will just come right back the next time you solder.
And don't use that lead free crap. That makes soldering more difficult and it takes a higher heat to melt it than solder with lead in it. If you use leaded solder, you don't have to touch the soldering iron to the material near as long. Plus there is more of a chance of frying electronic components.
Find the solder with the lowest melting point possible and use a separate flux for the best results.
It also is a game of timing. Use the soldering iron to heat the connection up first. Don't melt the solder on the side of the soldering tip trying to speed it up, the solder will just roll off. Once you use flux first, then heat the connection then get the solder wire real close to the iron and when the heat is right the solder will flow to the connection like magic.
But I stress again...get new solder...the lowest temperature melting point you can find. Don't let the lead scare scare you, you probably aren't going to be eating fried bacon off your circuit boards or copper pipes so use the best stuff...lead...lead...lead !!
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