[sdiy] Storing ICs

[Travis Shire]

> Having a few old ICs that were improperly stored, with leads that have
> turned black, I'm wondering: have the leads become brittle, or is this
> just tarnish, and what's the safest way to restore the leads and make
> the chips useable?


I don't think its due to improper storage so much as the pins were probably
silver plated and the silver oxidised from exposure to air. Tarn-x removes
the black oxide but you'd want to treat them with pro gold or similar to
retard the oxidation process.
I'll usually use a Dremel and the wire wheel <carefully> to remove the
oxidation. If pins do break off you can solder the IC into a double leaf
type socket. Had to do this often in the past and it is a satisfactory
"kludge" fix.