[sdiy] O sweet, magical flux

[Jim Patchell]

    If you were truely trying to solder without flux, I think you would have
found it imposible.  Most solder intended for electronic work has a flux core.
The trouble with added extra flux is that you have more to clean off.  Also,
depending on the type of flux core solder you are using, adding extra flux can
in the long run end up causing more problems than it solves.

    A better solution to adding extra flux is to use a quality solder.

    Kester 44 Flux Core Solder has just about the best wetting characteristics I
know of.  I have amazed friends by soldering things that other solders just ball
up on (corroded metal, paint, etc).  However, cleaning Kester 44 involves the
use of volatile chemicals, which I don't like to use.

    I prefer the use of Kester 331 Flux Core Solder.  This is an example of the
a flux core solder that, if you added extra flux to it (well, anything except
more Kester 331), you will end up with an extremely nasty mess.  One problem
with Kester 331 is that it does not wet quite as nicely as Kester 44, but, I can
clean Kester 331 up with just mild soap and warm water.

    Kester also has some other fluxes which are classified as "No Clean" and
"Low Residue" which are also very nice, although, I have never used them.

    For more info on Kester 331, Kester does have a web site (can't remember the
url, but try http://www.kester.com ), and I wrote about my experiences with it
here :http://www.silcom.com/~patchell/diytips/diytips.html

    Of course, these are just my opinions on the subject.

Jon Darby wrote:

> I had my first experiments with flux last night after 2 years of flux-less
> soldering and can't believe the difference. In fact, I feel compelled to put
> my astonishment  into haiku:
>
> mysterious flux,
> you guide my solder so nice.
> sticky brown wonder.
> splash
>
> Now if I can find a practial way to apply it to the places I need it and not
> all over my hands and pants everything will be wonderful. What is it about
> flux that makes it tame solder so well? Does it do something to the metals
> chemically to make solder adhere and flow  better? It also seemed to help
> the parts heat quicker. Dammit, I wish I had more electronics friends to
> show me this stuff.
>
> Viva la flux,
> Jon Darby