Homebrew PCBs

Excellent post Bill....good detailed report.

I'll note only one thing:  you're either not accounting
for emissivity in your optical temp-measurements; or
you were measuring a broken household iron.

The temps you reported were at or below the boiling
point of water.  The bottom surface of the normal 'iron'
gets far hotter than that.  One doesn't need a thermometer
for it even...just crank up an iron for a few minutes, then
turn it over and sprinkle water on it... <g>

When you see the tiny droplets dancing all around like
that, accompanied by a hissing sound, you know it's
far hotter than 212F.  Like sprinkling water on top of
a wood cookstove.

I've never measured an iron; but would guesstimate my
wife's at around 350F when running wide open.  It gets
HOT.  It'll easily melt almost any plastic.  But like I said,
the real clue is the way water 'dances' on the surface.
Water doesn't do that unless a surface-temp is well over
212.

Again, excellent detailed report.  Thanks very much for
taking the time.

Richard
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