Homebrew PCBs

Electroplated tin is the best method for plating a entire black board. You 
get controlled thickness, and your bath never "runs out". For tin 
electroplating solutions, talk to your local plating supplier, and ask for 
some bright acid stannous sulfate solution. The owners of a plating shop 
may give you a liters from their bath. It should look yellow milky color. 
You also need tin anodes.

Adam

Leon Heller wrote:
> Leon Heller, G1HSM
> Email: aqzf13@...
> My low-cost Philips LPC210x ARM development system:
> http://www.geocities.com/leon_heller/lpc2104.html
> 
> ----- Original Message ----- 
> From: "wheedal99" <wheedal@...>
> To: <Homebrew_PCBs@yahoogroups.com>
> Sent: Tuesday, February 17, 2004 4:49 AM
> Subject: [Homebrew_PCBs] Re: tin coating before etching
> 
> 
> 
>>--- In Homebrew_PCBs@yahoogroups.com, "Dave Mucha"
>>
>>>I am thinking about tin coating boards before mechanical etching
>>>...
>>>A friend said to send them out to a tin coater or buy a solder
>>>pot.....
>>>
>>>
>>>Who do you tin after etching ?
>>
>>I do occasionally dip the board in a "tinit" (-brand name) solution
>>after chemical etching my boards.  Its a solution of a dry white
>>powder (that you order) and hot water.  It applys a very thin gray
>>metal plating to the traces.  I've found this generally isn't thick
>>enough to survive the solder paste + oven.  --The flux in the paste,
>>(I guess), just eats away some of the plating because it ends up
>>needing to be "touched up" later with some solder +solderwick later
>>anyway.  It may just be easier to do as your friend suggests with the
>>solder pot --although that might not make your high density smt's lay
>>flat enough on your board later.
> 
> 
> You can always use some desolder braid with a soldering iron to level any SM
> pads by removing the excess solder.
> 
> Leon
> --
> Leon Heller, G1HSM
> Email: aqzf13@...
> My low-cost Philips LPC210x ARM development system:
> http://www.geocities.com/leon_heller/lpc2104.html
> 
> 
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