[sdiy] Favourite flux cleaning ritual?

[Harry Bissell]

Back in the late 70's we used a vapor-phase degreaser with triclorotrifluoroethylene (freon). It was 
supposed to be recovered by the cooling coils at the top to the unit, but if you lifted the boards too quick the
solvent evaporated into the room / ozone layer. If the machine failed you might lose all the solvent. Don't
put your hands into the vapor or you'll lose all the oil/fat in your skin.

Made the boards absolutely clean and shiny. Might have been the inspiration for Rachael Carson's "Silent Spring"

(ok, not really... but :^)

H^) harry


----- Original Message -----
From: Ingo Debus <igg.debus at t-online.de>
To: sdiy DIY <synth-diy at dropmix.xs4all.nl>
Sent: Mon, 12 Sep 2011 12:27:15 -0400 (EDT)
Subject: Re: [sdiy] Favourite flux cleaning ritual?


Am 12.09.2011 um 16:41 schrieb Tom Wiltshire:

> Back when I worked in the industry, we used to use a spray can product that was brilliant. It'd shift anything with only a few squirts. This was right about the time everyone started getting worried about CFCs and such like, and we had to change to a greener alternative.

Was the CFC really the solvent itself, or was it just the stuff that drove the solvent out of the can? As far as I know, back in the day virtually any spray can product used CFC as propellant.

> Unfortunately, it wasn't anywhere near as good, and you finish up using the whole can

Like René, usually I don't remove (resin) flux residue at all. But if one really wants to get the flux off, Kontakt PCC (in Germany it's called Kontakt LR) from CRC/Kontakt Chemie works quite well. It comes with a little brush attached to the nozzle, and you certainly don't need a whole can to clean a board.

Like a friend of mine used to say, a good solvent just has to bad for the health. Otherwise it can't be a good solvent...

Ingo
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-- 
Harry Bissell & Nora Abdullah 4eva