Fall rains have begun and so it is time to work on my antennas. But today
I was trying to repair a Copperweld dipole that was so oxidized it would
not solder. I wanted to remove the oxide without damaging the copper
cladding.
If I only had some hydrochloric acid in the house!
Then I remembered my XYL's cleaning closet and I went to see what I could
find. The label on the Lysol toilet bowl cleaner looked promising. So I
squirted some on the wire, left it a few minutes and washed it off. The
surface was cleaner than new and gave a beautiful solder joint. The stuff
is quite viscous so it clings to the wire and does its business. It worked
much better than the flux I tried in the past.
Of course, the viscosity that makes it cling to the wire would also make it
cling to the surface of your eye so be careful and wear some glasses.
WZ7I, Wes
(the chemist)
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