[sdiy] tinning home etched boards?

[Adam Schabtach]

My understanding of the tinning compounds--which I have not used--is that
the material sticks only to copper. If it didn't it would stick to the
entire board and kind of defeat the purpose. :-)

It sounds to me like your drill bit is too large, or your pads are too
small, or your bit isn't sharp, or your drill press isn't steady, or
something like that. Drilling the holes shouldn't "pull up" the copper. 

--Adam

> -----Original Message-----
> From: Dan Snazelle [mailto:subjectivity at hotmail.com] 
> Sent: Saturday, October 18, 2008 10:32 AM
> To: lists at studionebula.com; synth-diy at dropmix.xs4all.nl
> Subject: RE: [sdiy] tinning home etched boards?
> 
> 
> maybe i worded that wrong. it sticks FINE to the traces. BUT 
> NOT so well to the HOLES. in other words, i am used to boards 
> with plated holes that the solder drips INTO the hole and 
> makes a seal. on these boards if my drill happens to pull up 
> a little TOO much of the copper surrounding the hole, well 
> then what i have to do in an emergency is bend the extra wire 
> of the lead OVER the trace, solder the lead onto the trace 
> and cut the rest of the lead with snippers.
> 
> 
> it works but it is a very unsightly and i would imagine hard 
> to repair way of doing things.
> 
> but i find it happening a lot. maybe using a #60 bit is not 
> the way to go. maybe i need to go smaller. BUT i was 
> wondering if tinning would help as then the wire could solder 
> to the pad OR to the inside of the hole. maybe i need to get 
> higher quality copper boards...the ones i got are from small bear.
> 
> thanks
> 
> 
> 
> 
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> 
> > From: lists at studionebula.com
> > To: synth-diy at dropmix.xs4all.nl
> > Subject: RE: [sdiy] tinning home etched boards?
> > Date: Sat, 18 Oct 2008 09:49:35 -0600
> >
> >
> >> one thing that has been driving me crazy about working 
> with home-made 
> >> boards is how poorly the solder STICKS to the holes...i 
> assume this 
> >> is due to there being so little copper to grab onto. correct?
> >
> > It sounds like you've got some sort of residue left on your boards. 
> > Solder should stick well to bare copper. I haven't had a problem 
> > soldering to the boards I've hand-etched, although I have 
> used a flux pen for the SMT work.
> >
> > --Adam
> >
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