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Post by Deleted on Jan 29, 2020 21:31:21 GMT -6
I use a special cleaner from "Kontakt Chemie", a german biz specialized in sprays for electronics tasks, flux remover, contact cleaners, tuner sprays etc ... it works pretty good.
Acetone and isopropanol often leave a white haze on the pcb. I guess that's more like a cosmetical problem than a functional one ...
For resin removal, you can always try orange oil or other citric oils, pure as possible. These work great on soldering residues.
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Post by Deleted on Oct 9, 2020 10:34:28 GMT -6
I use acetone and a chip brush or stiff pig/horse hair brush. I don't know that anyone uses ultrasonic cleaning. I know my production facility uses water soluble flux and does an alkaline water wash. I'm assuming you're using consumer level solder, perhaps with rosin based flux since you say it stays sticky. I'd get a pan of acetone or alcohol and brush liberally. you could switch to no-clean flux, which ironically still needs to be cleaned, but it's a lot easier to clean off although it doesn't work nearly as well when soldering. Is nail polish remover OK to use? My partner has some. It says "100% Acetone" on the bottle. Under ingredients, it also lists "Denatonium Benzoate" though, so I thought I'd see if you had an opinion. EDIT: it seems as though the additional ingredient is to give the acetone a bad taste to keep people from ingesting it. |
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Post by svart on Oct 9, 2020 15:08:42 GMT -6
I use acetone and a chip brush or stiff pig/horse hair brush. I don't know that anyone uses ultrasonic cleaning. I know my production facility uses water soluble flux and does an alkaline water wash. I'm assuming you're using consumer level solder, perhaps with rosin based flux since you say it stays sticky. I'd get a pan of acetone or alcohol and brush liberally. you could switch to no-clean flux, which ironically still needs to be cleaned, but it's a lot easier to clean off although it doesn't work nearly as well when soldering. Is nail polish remover OK to use? My partner has some. It says "100% Acetone" on the bottle. Under ingredients, it also lists "Denatonium Benzoate" though, so I thought I'd see if you had an opinion. EDIT: it seems as though the additional ingredient is to give the acetone a bad taste to keep people from ingesting it. That sounds fine. Usually nail polish remover has a lot of fragrance and buffering agents in it to keep the acetone from stinking and drying out the skin. While I don't think they'll harm the PCB or solder, they might add a layer of sticky residue when the acetone dries off. |
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Post by johneppstein on Oct 10, 2020 23:09:04 GMT -6
I read that you can get poisoned by Isopropyl Alcohol by inhaling vapors or merely touching it and then often I see people carelessly use it without gloves or other protection. I need to clean some boards but I can't find information what is safe to do. Another thing I can't find is I have a synthesizer that has a battery soldered in, but that battery leaked all over. I am not sure if it is safe to desolder it - is the substance going to emit dangerous vapours when I apply heat? (Battery is NiMH) After that I plan to use white vinegar on it and then clean with isopropyl alcohol. Thank you for any help. Don't drink the isopropyl and don't "huff" it (huffing it wouldn't get you anywhere, anyway.)
"Rubbing alcohol" is dilute isopropyl - IIRC around 60%, give or take. Doctors use it to sterilize your skin. It's the main ingredfient in many aftershaves.
Don't worry about it.
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Post by johneppstein on Oct 10, 2020 23:10:24 GMT -6
The alcohol is fine afterwards means beer, for what it’s worth. Or whiskey...
DO NOT clean your boards with beer - or Whiskey, for that matter. Not only will it make the boards sticky, it's a waste of good booze!
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Post by bowie on Oct 12, 2020 19:53:42 GMT -6
I use the high purity, 99%+, isoprop alcohol. Touching it has never created an issue for me. It skyrocketed in price this year due to the pandemic(from $3.50/bottle to $12) but seems to be settling down now.
Just running it over a PCB softens the flux so that it coats everything in a sticky mess. Don't do that. I like to scrub it with a semi-rigid plastic bristle brush, soak the residue up with a paper towel, and repeat until it's no longer sticky. I know many people just wash a board in alcohol and scrub it with a paper towel but this has only created a huge mess for me since the paper towel just rips and sticks to the flux.
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Post by Blackdawg on Oct 12, 2020 20:02:44 GMT -6
I started using cotton swabs to wash boards with alcohol. Super handy and works great.
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Post by svart on Oct 13, 2020 11:18:30 GMT -6
I use the high purity, 99%+, isoprop alcohol. Touching it has never created an issue for me. It skyrocketed in price this year due to the pandemic(from $3.50/bottle to $12) but seems to be settling down now. Just running it over a PCB softens the flux so that it coats everything in a sticky mess. Don't do that. I like to scrub it with a semi-rigid plastic bristle brush, soak the residue up with a paper towel, and repeat until it's no longer sticky. I know many people just wash a board in alcohol and scrub it with a paper towel but this has only created a huge mess for me since the paper towel just rips and sticks to the flux. I use horse hair acid brushes with acetone and/or alcohol, or old toothbrushes with alcohol. Acetone needs zero "softening" time like alcohol does. |
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Post by johneppstein on Oct 13, 2020 16:32:30 GMT -6
I use the high purity, 99%+, isoprop alcohol. Touching it has never created an issue for me. It skyrocketed in price this year due to the pandemic(from $3.50/bottle to $12) but seems to be settling down now. Just running it over a PCB softens the flux so that it coats everything in a sticky mess. Don't do that. I like to scrub it with a semi-rigid plastic bristle brush, soak the residue up with a paper towel, and repeat until it's no longer sticky. I know many people just wash a board in alcohol and scrub it with a paper towel but this has only created a huge mess for me since the paper towel just rips and sticks to the flux. It should be pointed out that alcohol is very hygroscopic and sucks moisture out of the air. If you bottle was 99% and you leave it open for a few minutes it's likely to drop to 91% (the stable point), which is still pretty strong. Unless you're in Arizona on a hot, dry day with 0% humidity...... |
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