Homebrew PCBs

Cleaning the board with Barkeepers Friend.

http://voodooengineering.com/index.php/pcbprocess/plating/70-plating-step-1-cleaning-the-pc-board

I was happy to find this product in our local grocery store.
It is great.

--- In Homebrew_PCBs@yahoogroups.com, Matthew Andrews <matt@...> wrote:
>
> For board cleaning, I have had very good results using "barkeepers
> friend", a white powdered cleaning agent with oxalic acid as it's prime
> active ingredient. just put some on a wet sponge and rub thoroughly on
> the board, then rinse well before laminating. of course as always never
> touch the board with bare hands after cleaing.
> 
> -Matt
> 
> coronasensei wrote:
> >  
> >
> >
> >
> > --- In Homebrew_PCBs@yahoogroups.com
> > <mailto:Homebrew_PCBs%40yahoogroups.com>, Alessio Sangalli
> > <alesan@> wrote:
> >
> > >
> > > Maybe I ended up having a very good printer/laminator combo?
> > >
> >
> > Annoyingly this is often a case with toner transfer, the differences
> > in otherwise compatible equipment does make a difference. I noticed a
> > massive difference once when we got new toner for my printer, it just
> > didn't stick well anymore - it just so happened that this was cheap
> > refill toner which didn't print as heavily/evenly either. If you go
> > the photo paper for transfer it can be very cheap but again the
> > differences between brand/type of papers is enormous.
> > I was also using a bottom dollar laminator, which I'm sure wont have
> > the heat output of a decent brand one, hence the extra heat gun
> > application. The problem with too much heat however is that paper
> > blackens and blue stuf warps as mentioned, and even the toner can
> > squash and spread if it's too hot, so it's a balancing act of getting
> > the process right for your equipment.
> >
> > I do agree to an extent with the excessiveness of my cleaning process,
> > but I find it best to overdo it for a start then try simplifying it
> > from there. I found turps to work better than acetone because of the
> > residue, and I prefer to limit my exposure to acetone! But yeah you
> > certainly need to clean the board well afterwards to solder to it.
> >
> > I used to keep a solder bath (camping oven, frypan, lots of plumbing
> > solder bars) for tinning the board after etching; flux, dip, wipe with
> > windscreen squeegie, but that was when I had a fumer cupboard to keep
> > it in. Now I use cool-amp silver plating powder, it's amazing. Only
> > catch is silver can tarnish just as bad as copper. Still worth it
> > though I feel, and looks real nice.
> >
> > speaking of soldering, I find supermarket ascorbic (citric) acid, the
> > stuff for baking that comes in granules, works wonders as a water
> > clean flux when mixed in water and used from a spray bottle, it's
> > cheap and safer than most commercial ones. spray it onto dirty copper
> > and it'll brighten before your eyes!
> >
> > Andrew
> >
> >
>