Sal Ammoniac (WAS: [Elecraft] Hakko 808 tips)
WØIFL
w0ifl at hotmail.com
Sat Oct 8 10:03:46 EDT 2005
How about Kester's NO CLEAN ? I used that to build my entire K2 as well as
several other kits and 'projects' . The only drawback I noticed is that
removing something after it is soldered in place requires a little extra
care and time. My solder joints still appear fine after a couple of years
anyway. I hope not to wake up one day to find them all eaten through! I
didn't do any extra cleaning steps after soldering, that's WHY I bought the
NO CLEAN.
RonE.
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Along that same line, there are some new fluxes sold specifically for
electronic use that are advertised at "no clean" that are also very
dangerous. These fluxes, like acid fluxes used by plumbers and the like,
remain active at room temperature. They are sold for use in mass production
where the boards are thoroughly washed after soldering to remove the
remaining flux immediately. Most of these fluxes are water-soluble so the
washing doesn't involve dangerous chemicals, but it's absolutely critical
that be done, and done thoroughly and properly. If not, the joints will be
eaten through by the flux after a few months, destroying the entire circuit
board. The message is that not all 'electronic' solders are safe to use on
the bench.
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