Homebrew PCBs

Richard,

I like simple and easy life and I don't like cleaning PCBs at all. In 
fact, when I was using all kinds of 'secret' papers (Ihave a foot 
high pile of all kinds of exotic papers suggested for inkjets and 
lasers) with a hot iron, I cleaned my PCBs in numerous nad complex 
ways, including an 18th century secret preactivation of copper... not 
anymore. Don't need to. First, I use clean boards from ebay, they are 
new or at least look like new that means they are not oxidized like 
some old phenolic boards I inherited from a Woodstock engineer.

So my cleanup is following

1. Wash the PCB with dish soap (few drops) rubbed with paper towel. 
Do it few times and if both sided, do the both sides, finally it's 
your laminator... Then wash well under warm water. Dry it outwith 
sheet of paper towel.

2. Clean with a green, kitchen, scouring pad. It is that thin spnge 
like pad, that is made of some fiber, not metal. It has abrasive 
properties. Clean in diagonal directions, methodically, doesn't have 
to be excessive, just make sure you have that fine and visible 'grid' 
from abrasive surface.

3. Clean with dish soap, wash with water and dry with paper.

That;'s it, just don't touch the surface.

4. Stefan suggested to 'preshrink' the paper and run it first thru 
the laminator and I think it will work but we don't know that. That 
would be a nice improvement if it works.

5. I do not use 'Bnzine' anymore as I don't know anymore what those 
chemicals do additionally. I remember vaguely htat during my initial 
test with other papers I ws not too happy with the results. Of 
course, if you have a dirty board than I would use it.

6. As far as using IPA (isopropyl alcohole) I see no reason for it. 
Alcohol does not dissolve fat. Period. It may smear or make some new 
compound, but I don't thinkit makes any sens from chemical point of 
view. If thre are anychemists on board, please comment on it, what 
does isopropyl alcohol do to cleaning copper surface? I don't think 
it does anything except for 'smearing'.

Good luck,

Mike



--- In Homebrew_PCBs@yahoogroups.com, "rmustakos" <rmustakos@a...> 
wrote:
> Mike Thanks for answering.  IPA is isopropal alcohol, but I have to 
think too hard to try to spell that, and I saw someone else just 
writing IPA, so I helped push the bandwagon.
> Does the rest of your anwser ("Originally ...") mean that now you:
> 1) rinse it with benzine and let it air dry,
> 2) wet a _cloth_ rag with benzine and wipe the board down,
> 3) douse it with benzine and burn off the film,
> 4) do something different, now?
> thanks
> Richard
> 
> --- In Homebrew_PCBs@yahoogroups.com, "mikezcnc" <eemikez@c...> 
wrote:
> > That question puzzled me, too. Originally I used a cigarette 
lighter 
> > fluid (european Benzine) which always removed something 'dirty' 
afer 
> > having used the dish washer soap (detergent). On a similar 
subject I 
> > read somwhere, maybe even on this board, that a paper towel 
leaves 
> > silicon dilms on board. Talking to a paper eengineer did not 
confirm 
> > it though.
> > 
> > What is IPA?
> > 
> > Mike