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Electronics Repair (sci.electronics.repair) Discussion of repairing electronic equipment. Topics include requests for assistance, where to obtain servicing information and parts, techniques for diagnosis and repair, and annecdotes about success, failures and problems. |
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#1
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Best chemical for removing flux residue?
When repairing circuitry, its often tricky to remove flux residues
from the PCB after rework. The flux remover spray I find locally in my area doesnt seem to be very effective. From what I understand years ago, they banned the really good stuff for this (some type of CFC). Can anyone recommend an effective flux- remover spray (brand) that perhaps I can order online? Thanks |
#2
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Best chemical for removing flux residue?
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#3
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Best chemical for removing flux residue?
In article .com,
wrote: When repairing circuitry, its often tricky to remove flux residues from the PCB after rework. I've never bothered in many many years of DIY building stuff and never had problems. Might make a difference with densely packed SM technology, though. -- *El nino made me do it Dave Plowman London SW To e-mail, change noise into sound. |
#4
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Best chemical for removing flux residue?
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#6
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Best chemical for removing flux residue?
In article et,
James Beck wrote: In article - media.com, says... In article .com, wrote: When repairing circuitry, its often tricky to remove flux residues from the PCB after rework. The flux remover spray I find locally in my area doesnt seem to be very effective. From what I understand years ago, they banned the really good stuff for this (some type of CFC). Can anyone recommend an effective flux- remover spray (brand) that perhaps I can order online? Thanks Isopropyl alcohol works quite well, as long as it's 99% or so. Don't use the watered-down drugstore kind. Commercial flux thinner is mostly ethyl alcohol and that works, too, but it's usually more difficult to obtain and quite a bit more expensive. Isopropyl runs in the neighborhood of $25 for a five gallon can from an industrial chemical supply house. I don't use a spray bottle because it distributes the dissolved flux all over the place rather than picking it up. I buy 6" cotton swabs by the case (10,000 pieces) for less than $50. A Menda dispenser is handy for dampening the swab prior to working the flux residue. Several swabs will be needed and patience is more important than furious pressure and speed. Still it only takes a minute or two to clean up after a typical component replacement. Why not use the watered down stuff? Some of the fluxes out there are water soluble and between the alcohol and the water I think you would have the bases covered. We have been using 90% for 20+ years. Seems to have worked just fine for us. In fact, until they changed their formula, we used a local industrial chemical manufacturer's "Window Cleaner" that was just isopropyl, water, some surfactants, and a little blue dye. 55 gallons drums of the stuff was pretty reasonable. Jim Good considerations, and I'm hardly in a position to disagree with your experience. My thinking is that if it's water soluble flux, use water. If not, the water just reduces drying time, reduces cleaning effectiveness, and helps to exacerbate the spreading of flux residue over an increasingly larger area of the board. Of course, for most repair work, that's not an issue. Perfect cosmetic cleanliness is demanded of me by my commercial customers, so a little irregularly shaped stain of flux residue, however slight, just won't fly. Your average consumer isn't going to notice or expect that. It's good to remember that rosin flux is non-corrosive and non-conductive and there's no real need (other than cosmetic) to clean it up at all, while water soluble flux is definitely corrosive and should be pretty thoroughly removed soon after use. |
#7
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Best chemical for removing flux residue?
In article
, Smitty Two wrote: If not, the water just reduces drying time, Uh, I meant increase, of course. |
#8
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Best chemical for removing flux residue?
wrote in message oups.com... When repairing circuitry, its often tricky to remove flux residues from the PCB after rework. The flux remover spray I find locally in my area doesnt seem to be very effective. From what I understand years ago, they banned the really good stuff for this (some type of CFC). Can anyone recommend an effective flux- remover spray (brand) that perhaps I can order online? Thanks For many years I've used Servisol De-Flux 160. Just got a new can today in fact. Cheap, well behaved and controlled aerosol, and very effective. Arfa |
#9
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Best chemical for removing flux residue?
James Beck wrote in
th.net: In article - media.com, says... In article .com, wrote: When repairing circuitry, its often tricky to remove flux residues from the PCB after rework. The flux remover spray I find locally in my area doesnt seem to be very effective. From what I understand years ago, they banned the really good stuff for this (some type of CFC). Can anyone recommend an effective flux- remover spray (brand) that perhaps I can order online? Thanks Isopropyl alcohol works quite well, as long as it's 99% or so. Don't use the watered-down drugstore kind. Commercial flux thinner is mostly ethyl alcohol and that works, too, but it's usually more difficult to obtain and quite a bit more expensive. Isopropyl runs in the neighborhood of $25 for a five gallon can from an industrial chemical supply house. I don't use a spray bottle because it distributes the dissolved flux all over the place rather than picking it up. I buy 6" cotton swabs by the case (10,000 pieces) for less than $50. A Menda dispenser is handy for dampening the swab prior to working the flux residue. Several swabs will be needed and patience is more important than furious pressure and speed. Still it only takes a minute or two to clean up after a typical component replacement. Why not use the watered down stuff? Some of the fluxes out there are water soluble and between the alcohol and the water I think you would have the bases covered. We have been using 90% for 20+ years. Seems to have worked just fine for us. In fact, until they changed their formula, we used a local industrial chemical manufacturer's "Window Cleaner" that was just isopropyl, water, some surfactants, and a little blue dye. 55 gallons drums of the stuff was pretty reasonable. Jim The usual "rubbing" alcohol found in US drugstores is 70% alk. -- Jim Yanik jyanik at kua.net |
#10
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Best chemical for removing flux residue?
In article ,
says... James Beck wrote in th.net: In article - media.com, says... In article .com, wrote: When repairing circuitry, its often tricky to remove flux residues from the PCB after rework. The flux remover spray I find locally in my area doesnt seem to be very effective. From what I understand years ago, they banned the really good stuff for this (some type of CFC). Can anyone recommend an effective flux- remover spray (brand) that perhaps I can order online? Thanks Isopropyl alcohol works quite well, as long as it's 99% or so. Don't use the watered-down drugstore kind. Commercial flux thinner is mostly ethyl alcohol and that works, too, but it's usually more difficult to obtain and quite a bit more expensive. Isopropyl runs in the neighborhood of $25 for a five gallon can from an industrial chemical supply house. I don't use a spray bottle because it distributes the dissolved flux all over the place rather than picking it up. I buy 6" cotton swabs by the case (10,000 pieces) for less than $50. A Menda dispenser is handy for dampening the swab prior to working the flux residue. Several swabs will be needed and patience is more important than furious pressure and speed. Still it only takes a minute or two to clean up after a typical component replacement. Why not use the watered down stuff? Some of the fluxes out there are water soluble and between the alcohol and the water I think you would have the bases covered. We have been using 90% for 20+ years. Seems to have worked just fine for us. In fact, until they changed their formula, we used a local industrial chemical manufacturer's "Window Cleaner" that was just isopropyl, water, some surfactants, and a little blue dye. 55 gallons drums of the stuff was pretty reasonable. Jim The usual "rubbing" alcohol found in US drugstores is 70% alk. Here, I have no problem finding 90% at our local national chain drug store. 70% is the most common, but 90% is not that obscure. Jim |
#11
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Best chemical for removing flux residue?
techman41973@ yahoo.com wrote:
When repairing circuitry, its often tricky to remove flux residues from the PCB after rework. Dave Plowman (News) wrote: I've never bothered in many many years of DIY building stuff This violates the teachings of every advisor I have ever had. and never had problems. Makes me think you don't live near a large body of water. When working in a Southern climate near the Atlantic Ocean, airborne moisture was the enemy. Anything that would absorb it was equally depricated. This report http://www.google.com/scholar?q=cach...e.in.SIR+rosin says that putting PCBs in a vapor degreaser made things WORSE. So much for intuition. http://www.google.com/search?q=cache....Associatio n |
#12
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Best chemical for removing flux residue?
In article . com,
JeffM wrote: When repairing circuitry, its often tricky to remove flux residues from the PCB after rework. Dave Plowman (News) wrote: I've never bothered in many many years of DIY building stuff This violates the teachings of every advisor I have ever had. and never had problems. Makes me think you don't live near a large body of water. In the UK? You're never that far from a large body of water. Including the sky... When working in a Southern climate near the Atlantic Ocean, airborne moisture was the enemy. Anything that would absorb it was equally depricated. If the sort of flux found in standard lead multicore solder was very hydroscopic surely it would be easy to wash off with water? I'm ignoring modern lead free solder and water based flux. For the rest of my life. ;-) -- *Dancing is a perpendicular expression of a horizontal desire * Dave Plowman London SW To e-mail, change noise into sound. |
#13
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Best chemical for removing flux residue?
"Smitty Two" wrote in message
news In article et, James Beck wrote: In article - media.com, says... In article .com, wrote: When repairing circuitry, its often tricky to remove flux residues from the PCB after rework. The flux remover spray I find locally in my area doesnt seem to be very effective. From what I understand years ago, they banned the really good stuff for this (some type of CFC). Can anyone recommend an effective flux- remover spray (brand) that perhaps I can order online? Thanks Isopropyl alcohol works quite well, as long as it's 99% or so. Don't use the watered-down drugstore kind. Commercial flux thinner is mostly ethyl alcohol and that works, too, but it's usually more difficult to obtain and quite a bit more expensive. Isopropyl runs in the neighborhood of $25 for a five gallon can from an industrial chemical supply house. I don't use a spray bottle because it distributes the dissolved flux all over the place rather than picking it up. I buy 6" cotton swabs by the case (10,000 pieces) for less than $50. A Menda dispenser is handy for dampening the swab prior to working the flux residue. Several swabs will be needed and patience is more important than furious pressure and speed. Still it only takes a minute or two to clean up after a typical component replacement. Why not use the watered down stuff? Some of the fluxes out there are water soluble and between the alcohol and the water I think you would have the bases covered. We have been using 90% for 20+ years. Seems to have worked just fine for us. In fact, until they changed their formula, we used a local industrial chemical manufacturer's "Window Cleaner" that was just isopropyl, water, some surfactants, and a little blue dye. 55 gallons drums of the stuff was pretty reasonable. Jim Good considerations, and I'm hardly in a position to disagree with your experience. My thinking is that if it's water soluble flux, use water. If not, the water just reduces drying time, reduces cleaning effectiveness, and helps to exacerbate the spreading of flux residue over an increasingly larger area of the board. Of course, for most repair work, that's not an issue. Perfect cosmetic cleanliness is demanded of me by my commercial customers, so a little irregularly shaped stain of flux residue, however slight, just won't fly. Your average consumer isn't going to notice or expect that. It's good to remember that rosin flux is non-corrosive and non-conductive and there's no real need (other than cosmetic) to clean it up at all, while water soluble flux is definitely corrosive and should be pretty thoroughly removed soon after use. Rosin-based flux comes in several levels of activity. Type R (rosin) flux contains rosin only, with no cleaning agents. RMA flux (rosin-mildly activated) contains a nominal amount of cleaning agents, and RA (rosin-activated) flux contains a fair amount of cleaning agents. The cleaning agents act on the metals being soldered to remove surface contaminants and float them away so the metals are adequately wetted by the solder. The RMA and RA fluxes are corrosive if insufficient heat is applied to the fluxed area during solder to neutralize the cleaning agents, and over time will definitely cause problems if not properly cleaned after soldering. Water soluble fluxes are more active than any of the rosin-based fluxes. Organic flux is more active than RA flux and inorganic flux is the most active. Obviously, all fluxes need to be cleaned after soldering to avoid any possibility of contamination or corrosion. Mil-spec soldering requires that all flux residue be removed after soldering is complete. -- Dave M MasonDG44 at comcast dot net (Just substitute the appropriate characters in the address) Life is like a roll of toilet paper; the closer to the end, the faster it goes. |
#14
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Best chemical for removing flux residue?
In article ,
"DaveM" wrote: The RMA and RA fluxes are corrosive if insufficient heat is applied to the fluxed area during solder to neutralize the cleaning agents, and over time will definitely cause problems if not properly cleaned after soldering. Kester disagrees. |
#15
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Best chemical for removing flux residue?
In article ,
DaveM wrote: Rosin-based flux comes in several levels of activity. Type R (rosin) flux contains rosin only, with no cleaning agents. RMA flux (rosin-mildly activated) contains a nominal amount of cleaning agents, and RA (rosin-activated) flux contains a fair amount of cleaning agents. The cleaning agents act on the metals being soldered to remove surface contaminants and float them away so the metals are adequately wetted by the solder. The RMA and RA fluxes are corrosive if insufficient heat is applied to the fluxed area during solder to neutralize the cleaning agents, and over time will definitely cause problems if not properly cleaned after soldering. I've never noticed being given a choice when buying lead multicore. And I buy it from a large supplier, and keep four reels of different sizes on a dispenser. Perhaps I've simply never looked. Of course what industry uses for mass production can well be different from that used for one off construction, repair and servicing. The earliest PCB I have and assembled is well over 40 years old. Still works fine. ;-) -- *Sleep with a photographer and watch things develop Dave Plowman London SW To e-mail, change noise into sound. |
#16
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Best chemical for removing flux residue?
In article , Smitty Two wrote:
In article .com, wrote: When repairing circuitry, its often tricky to remove flux residues from the PCB after rework. The flux remover spray I find locally in my area doesnt seem to be very effective. From what I understand years ago, they banned the really good stuff for this (some type of CFC). Can anyone recommend an effective flux- remover spray (brand) that perhaps I can order online? Thanks Isopropyl alcohol works quite well, as long as it's 99% or so. Don't use the watered-down drugstore kind. Commercial flux thinner is mostly ethyl alcohol and that works, too, but it's usually more difficult to obtain and quite a bit more expensive. Isopropyl runs in the neighborhood of $25 for a five gallon can from an industrial chemical supply house. I use ethanol when I get it for free. You can even take a drink if you need it. 95% is the common variety, and the higher % stuff has some nasties. Electronic supply houses sell the isopropal, allthough shipping can be a problem fo rthe high % stuff. I have also used some harsh spray cleaners, but they can damage components. We used to use Tri back in the 60's to clean boards. used to have a spigot at DEC for cleaning boards. Worked the best. greg I don't use a spray bottle because it distributes the dissolved flux all over the place rather than picking it up. I buy 6" cotton swabs by the case (10,000 pieces) for less than $50. A Menda dispenser is handy for dampening the swab prior to working the flux residue. Several swabs will be needed and patience is more important than furious pressure and speed. Still it only takes a minute or two to clean up after a typical component replacement. |
#17
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Best chemical for removing flux residue?
I use laquer thinner on a q-tip. Wrks well for me. It does leave a
slight whit residue sometimes, but that is easy to wipe off. - Tim - In article .com, says... When repairing circuitry, its often tricky to remove flux residues from the PCB after rework. The flux remover spray I find locally in my area doesnt seem to be very effective. From what I understand years ago, they banned the really good stuff for this (some type of CFC). Can anyone recommend an effective flux- remover spray (brand) that perhaps I can order online? Thanks |
#18
Posted to sci.electronics.repair
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Best chemical for removing flux residue?
When repairing circuitry, its often tricky to remove flux residues from the PCB after rework. The flux remover spray I find locally in my area doesnt seem to be very effective. From what I understand years ago, they banned the really good stuff for this (some type of CFC). Can anyone recommend an effective flux- remover spray (brand) that perhaps I can order online? Thanks Isopropyl alcohol works quite well, as long as it's 99% or so. Don't use the watered-down drugstore kind. Commercial flux thinner is mostly ethyl alcohol and that works, too, but it's usually more difficult to obtain and quite a bit more expensive. Isopropyl runs in the neighborhood of $25 for a five gallon can from an industrial chemical supply house. Electronic supply houses sell the isopropal, allthough shipping can be a problem fo rthe high % stuff. I have also used some harsh spray cleaners, but they can damage components. We used to use Tri back in the 60's to clean boards. used to have a spigot at DEC for cleaning boards. Worked the best. greg I don't use a spray bottle because it distributes the dissolved flux all over the place rather than picking it up. I buy 6" cotton swabs by the case (10,000 pieces) for less than $50. A Menda dispenser is handy for dampening the swab prior to working the flux residue. Several swabs will be needed and patience is more important than furious pressure and speed. Still it only takes a minute or two to clean up after a typical component replacement. Acetone and a small brush works nicely. ----== Posted via Newsfeeds.Com - Unlimited-Unrestricted-Secure Usenet News==---- http://www.newsfeeds.com The #1 Newsgroup Service in the World! 120,000+ Newsgroups ----= East and West-Coast Server Farms - Total Privacy via Encryption =---- |
#19
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Best chemical for removing flux residue?
me wrote:
When repairing circuitry, its often tricky to remove flux residues from the PCB after rework. The flux remover spray I find locally in my area doesnt seem to be very effective. From what I understand years ago, they banned the really good stuff for this (some type of CFC). Can anyone recommend an effective flux- remover spray (brand) that perhaps I can order online? Thanks Isopropyl alcohol works quite well, as long as it's 99% or so. Don't use the watered-down drugstore kind. Commercial flux thinner is mostly ethyl alcohol and that works, too, but it's usually more difficult to obtain and quite a bit more expensive. Isopropyl runs in the neighborhood of $25 for a five gallon can from an industrial chemical supply house. Electronic supply houses sell the isopropal, allthough shipping can be a problem fo rthe high % stuff. I have also used some harsh spray cleaners, but they can damage components. We used to use Tri back in the 60's to clean boards. used to have a spigot at DEC for cleaning boards. Worked the best. greg I don't use a spray bottle because it distributes the dissolved flux all over the place rather than picking it up. I buy 6" cotton swabs by the case (10,000 pieces) for less than $50. A Menda dispenser is handy for dampening the swab prior to working the flux residue. Several swabs will be needed and patience is more important than furious pressure and speed. Still it only takes a minute or two to clean up after a typical component replacement. Acetone and a small brush works nicely. ----== Posted via Newsfeeds.Com - Unlimited-Unrestricted-Secure Usenet News==---- http://www.newsfeeds.com The #1 Newsgroup Service in the World! 120,000+ Newsgroups ----= East and West-Coast Server Farms - Total Privacy via Encryption =---- I use MEK (methyl ethyl ketone). I can pick it up in gallon sized cans at a paint store. Does a wonderful job with flux, just don't get it on plastic... Mark Z. |
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