[Elecraft] Your solder may be no clean

[Ron D'Eau Claire]

Perhaps I can offer a partial answer, Dave.

The best "no clean" solder (meaning it does not need to be cleaned for a
good, secure and stable joint for many, many years) is the same rosin flux
solder we've used for many years. 

Rosin is NOT corrosive except when heated. At normal temperatures (below the
melting point of solder) it is inert. That's why there is no reason at all
to remove excess rosin from joints or boards. 

Apparently some government agencies and their contractors like to see excess
rosin flux removed and train their people to do so. I'm not sure why they do
that, but in the environment in which Elecraft rigs are capable of being
used this is completely unnecessary. 

Some of the new types of solder intended for machine soldering applications
have a flux that remains corrosive at room temperature. It is designed for
machine-soldering in which the board is machine washed after soldering.
Failure to properly wash this flux off will result in corroded boards and
joints, even though they appear perfectly clean. From what I saw on the
reflector, this is exactly what happened to one builder who used that
solder. The corroded joints started turning up some months after the rig was
built.  

Bottom line, follow the Elecraft recommendations that you can find in any
Elecraft assembly manual:

1) Use IC-grade, small-diameter (.031") solder (Kester #44 or equivalent).

2) DO NOT use acid-core solder, water-soluble flux solder, additional flux
or solvents of any kind. Use of any of these will void your warranty. 

Ron AC7AC