On Mon, 12 Feb 2018 03:00:35 -0800 (PST), wrote:

On Monday, 12 February 2018 10:41:52 UTC, wrote:
On Sun, 11 Feb 2018 17:41:13 -0800, Jeff Liebermann
wrote:


What were you trying to make? Soldering flux (usually a mix of zinc
chloride and hydrochloric acid)? Don't use it on electronics as it's
conductive.


That's acid plumbing solder for copper pipes.

But you brought up a question. Electrical solder is rosin. What exactly
is roisn and how does it work for a flux? Is it the same thing used for
playing a violin, which as far as I know, is made from pine tree sap?

that's what it is. Just take pine resin & heat to drive off the volatiles.
You can get 25-50kg resin per tonne of wood pulp, but only from pine.
Spruce gives less.
NT

Yep. I've made my own rosin flux. Lots of instructions online for
both paste and liquid flux:
https://www.google.com/search?q=how+to+make+rosin+flux

However, things went awry when I tried to use my home made flux for
reflow soldering a BGA chip. It was too thick and too difficult to
clean after resoldering. When I dissolved it in some alcohol to thin
out the solution, I had a small fire. It also disappeared long before
the solder melted. I ordered "reflow flux" which is designed for
reflow soldering, which worked much better:
https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_nkw=reflow+flux
Such fluxes are either active or mildly active. Such rosin fluxes
contain abietic acid
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abietic_acid
which acts as an oxidation inhibitor. Other additives break down when
heated and produce hydrochloric acid or ammonia for the same effect.
You could mix your own formulation, but I suggest buying the
commercial product when dealing with anything that requires
temperature control (such as BGA chips) or thorough board cleaning.

--
Jeff Liebermann
150 Felker St #D http://www.LearnByDestroying.com
Santa Cruz CA 95060 http://802.11junk.com
Skype: JeffLiebermann AE6KS 831-336-2558