[UK-CONTEST] Cleaning flux off PCBs

[Ian White G/GM3SEK]

Dave Sergeant wrote:
>On 6 Nov 2005 at 19:33, Ian White G/GM3SEK wrote:
>
>> Cue Dave YMC, who will no doubt have his own favourite to recommend.
>
>Electrolube Fluxclene, available from most of the suppliers in a
>large can which lasts for ages.
>
>There is a continuing thread on the Elecraft reflector about cleaning
>solvents. Elecraft recommending leaving the flux on as it causes no
>harm.

That does surprise me. In damp atmospheres, flux deposits have been 
known to pick up moisture which causes leakage - tens of megohms 
perhaps, but sometimes enough to change the bias on  CMOS gates and 
op-amps, and alter R-C timings.

>Coming from a military environment I have been trained to
>remove it - it makes the job look much better, as well as hiding your
>tracks when you have been repairing things.

And in future, give everything a good hard scrub, to make it look rough 
like lead-free solder :-)

Seriously, a retractable fibreglass 'scratch brush' can be very useful 
indeed for cleanup jobs.


-- 
73 from Ian G/GM3SEK         'In Practice' columnist for RadCom (RSGB)
http://www.ifwtech.co.uk/g3sek