[sdiy] The case of the sticky solder pt. 2

[John Blacet]

--This almost sounds like solder missing the flux. Without flux, solder is
loath to stick to much of anything!

I've assembled a Ken Stone board and it went fine.

I would certainly suggest trying another roll of solder.

> Also I never brush the board before soldering. It is good to go right off
> the bat. I clean the board after soldering to remove any flux residue.
>
> Ray
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Sam Ecoff" <secoff at execpc.com>
> To: "Synth DIY" <synth-diy at dropmix.xs4all.nl>
> Sent: Friday, November 10, 2006 9:39 PM
> Subject: [sdiy] The case of the sticky solder pt. 2
>
>
>> So, I did a little soldering tonight, this time at the correct
>> temperature (700 degrees F). I had previous set the iron to only 350,
>> so
>> things went considerably better tonight. However, the solder is  still
>> misbehaving. It's still more interested to stick to the iron's  tip than
>> to components and pads on the board.
>>
>> Ken Stone suggested in a private e-mail that the pads may have become
>> dirty or oxidized, but I can't see how that could have happened as I
>> keep
>> the boards wrapped in anti-static plastic when I'm not working  on them
>> in
>> a temperature and humidity controlled environment (68  degrees F, 30-35%
>> relative humidity). I wash them each time I finish  soldering a few more
>> components and use a gentle nylon brush which  means that each board is
>> getting scrubbed 5-6 times, which I would  guess is enough to remove oil
>> left by my hands. I've had these boards  in my possession for maybe 3
>> months, and none of them are copper  boards. All stuff from Tom Gamble,
>> Ray Wilson, and Ken Stone. Have I  missed something here which could
>> have
>> caused the boards to get dirty  or oxidized? I suppose I could wear
>> latex
>> gloves to keep oil from my  hands completely off the pads, but that
>> seems
>> a tad anal. I just  can't figure how they would get dirty otherwise.
>>
>> While I appreciate the tips on soldering technique, I know that I
>> haven't
>> changed what I'm doing, but the result has changed. I used to  be able
>> to
>> go down a row of pins on an IC socket zip-zip-zip, and now  it's 10+
>> minutes of work to get the solder to stay on the pads.
>>
>> I just upgraded my Rat Shack iron to an entry level weller, which has
>> helped the problem a bit, but the solder is still more interested to
>> stick to the iron's tip than to pads and component legs. The only  other
>> thing that I can think that has changed since I began my  current
>> projects
>> is that I used up the batch of Kester 331 that I had  originally
>> purchased
>> from John Blacet while building his excellent  kits, and I am now using
>> a
>> reel of 331 I purchased from Mouser. So  here's a question... does
>> solder
>> go bad? Has anyone ever gotten a bad  reel? I'm just left scratching my
>> head here, because I'm eliminating  variables but haven't seen much
>> improvement yet. I guess the next  step will be to try some of the
>> Kester
>> 245 I bought and see if things  are different. I'm planning to solder up
>> a
>> few pots tomorrow night,  so I'll use the 245 and then report back. If
>> anyone has any ideas as  to what the hell is going wrong (or what I'm
>> doing wrong) please feel  free to chime in.
>>
>> As always, I'm grateful for all of the help and suggestions I've
>> received.
>>
>> Kind regards,
>>
>> Sam E.
>> _______________________________
>> Sam Ecoff
>> Secret Society Productions
>> 5307 S. 92nd St. Suite 105
>> Hales Corners, WI 53130
>> (414) 427-0615
>> www.samecoff.com
>>
>>
>
>


-- 
John Blacet