[Elecraft] Solvent

[Ron D'Eau Claire]

I'm sure others will suggest many options although if you read the Elecraft
manuals you'll find, in bold type: 

"DO NOT use ... solvents of any kind. Use of any of these will void your
warranty." 

If you need to clean your boards you're probably using too much solder. Try
a smaller diameter solder. 

If you look at the photos of assembled boards in any of several Elecraft
assembly manuals including the XV 50, 144, 222 or 432 transverters, the KX1,
the T1 antenna tuner or the WM1, AT1 or AF1 mini-modules, you'll see boards
I built up while writing the assembly procedures for those kits. Those
photos are the boards as they came from the soldering iron. 

If you look closely, you might see a few dark spots of flux here and there,
but they're tiny and insignificant and often in a place where I installed
and removed a part several times as the design was finalized. To be certain
the kit can be built exactly as described, I never use any tools that are
not specifically listed in the manual. That means no fancy high-powered
vacuum desoldering tool to clean up pads; just braid or the SoldapulltR
"sucker" listed under "Tools Required". 

I will admit to taking a small swab with some isopropyl alcohol to an
individual, particularly messy solder pad when I needed to re-shoot a
picture after many component changes, especially when, after many
resoldering, some flux escaped the pad itself and ran onto the PCB, but
that's the extent of any flux removal. I moisten a Q-tipR or similar swab
with alcohol, then place it on the flux and spin the tip to scrub that spot
and loosen the flux. 

Ron AC7AC

-----Original Message-----

Hi Folks,

I'd like to know from the collective wisdom what solvent may be used on
Elecraft PC assemblies to remove some residual flux and flux smears.

It seems to me that a solvent that wouldn't harm boards and components was
isopropyl alcohol (rubbing alcohol) in the old days.

What do you Elecraft Builders use!

Thanks,

Bill
NA7Y