Homebrew PCBs

One learns as time flows by!  I once had a several-$hundred job done at a 
professional PCB house, and as I was paying the lady real American money, I 
mumbled, "Ya know, I do an occasional single copper-only board for a prototype or 
experiment, but getting blank stock is a pain!  Does this firm throw-OUT much 
PCB stock?"  "What thickness?"  "Oh, just 1/16"!"  "Because our plating 
machinery can't handle any stock with work-in-progress on it less than about 4" wide, 
we throw out anything less than about 4"-5".  Want some?"  I took home 
probably 50 sq.ft. and use it all the time.  (Good timing, as they NOW refused to 
give it away!)

But HERE is the reason I bring this up:  That outfit did MOSTLY PTH and 
multi-layer, so they ordered-in only "1/2 oz. copper", as the PLATING they then did 
after drilling brought it up to "1 oz." or more.  SO, this "free stuff" IS 
very THIN, and if it was fairly corroded in handling by the time I got it home, 
years back, a little Scotch-Brite to shine it up for further work would often 
bring it right down to the green glass-epoxy!  So, only "bright areas" are of 
any use, actually!    As Emily Latella used to say, "It just shows to GO ya!  
If it isn't ONE thing, it's another!  It's always SUMPIN!  NEVERmind!"  
                                                                    Jan 
Rowland


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