Homebrew PCBs

The common stuff is only about 70%, but you can get the 91% at Wal-Mart and elsewhere for a few cents more.  The balance of the mix is of course water.  I have never been impressed with IPA as an electronics cleaning material (the expensive anhydrous stuff sucks also)..  Ethanol is a much better cleaner.  The denatured stuff stinks, but it just has a little methanol added to make the whinos go blind.  If you want really good Ethanol, go to the liquor store and buy Everclear (PGA).  We have been using it as flux cleaner here ever since they outlawed our 1,1,1.  One caution:  ethanol will attack some of the nastier plastics like styrene; it does not bother typical PCB material at all.

http://www.logwell.com/editorials/1-1-1.html

Syd

  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: Roland Harriston 
  To: Homebrew_PCBs@yahoogroups.com 
  Sent: Monday, November 27, 2006 1:02 PM
  Subject: Re: [Homebrew_PCBs] Isopropyl Alcohol 90%


  I can always find 90% isopropyl alcohol at my local Walgreens drug 
  emporium or
  at the Safeway supermarket. I'm quite sure that this material is widely 
  available.
  A 16oz bottle is worth about a dollar.
  The stuff is water clear with no additives. I also see on the shelves a
  "Rubbing Alcohol" that is tinted green and it contains some other
  ingredients, perhaps wintergreen or some such.

  I've been using 90% isopropyl for many years as a general purpose
  cleaner.

  It is relatively safe, although flammable, and the fumes are
  not too nasty.

  Roland F. Harriston

  DJ Delorie wrote:
  >
  >
  > "Leon Heller" <leon.heller@... 
  > <mailto:leon.heller%40bulldoghome.com>> writes:
  > > I forgot to mention that it might contain oil of wintergreen, which 
  > will
  > > leave an oily residue. Pure IPA is best, and is easy to obtain from
  > > electronic suppliers.
  >
  > Ok, the two alcohols I have are both 70% alcohol, with nothing else
  > but water. They got off most but not all of the residue. The water
  > pic didn't do much for the remainder. Xylene helped a little, but
  > there's still residue.
  >
  > Time to email the manufacturer, I suppose.
  >
  > 



   

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