That's my experience, too. I use emery cloth (600 grit) as well as a
good detergent scrub and IPA (isopropyl alcohol or India Pale Ale - I
like 'em both). I always assumed that the soap leaves a residue that
decreases the bonding. Also some soaps/detergents have lanolin in
them and that is way bad for bonding toner.
I believe the emery cloth creates more surface area for the toner to
bond to. My results improved significantly with that.
--- In
Homebrew_PCBs@yahoogroups.com, Richard Mustakos
<rmustakos@a...> wrote:
> I have scrubbed the surface of boards , and washed them with
> detergents, but until I used IPA, I was never able to get the toner
to
> stick reliably. Does anyone know why the detergent doesn't clean
the
> oils off? Does it leave it's own coating?
> Richard