Solder wick questions

[tedmich]

good old D'Addario has several grades of stringed instrument rosins, here is their nicest one in light or dark
https://www.daddario.com/products/or...premium-rosin/
their cheap stuff is $3/oz on Amazon

hot rosin can be used to remove epoxy too, as shown in this old German hackers presentation
https://youtu.be/pIpxawdUb4I?si=vnP_1WMeRed_FZUa

[Leo_Gnardo]

I've used Chemwix and it's perfectly good. My brand for 20ish years or so is Techspray. Working on tube gear, I get the wide stuff .098 inch width, in 100 foot rolls. Deadly expensive now, Mouser's price is $82.58 for one of those. Luckily now it takes a couple years to use one up, and I haven't had any problem with it getting "stale" and refusing to soak up solder. Smaller rolls are available, I think 5 ft and 25.

I have run across some solder braids that don't work worth a damn, even if flux is added. Usually found at bargain prices. Maybe stale, or just poorly made. So I pay the rate and stick with what I know works.

Of course the new no lead solders don't play nice. I find it best to mix some leaded solder into whatever I'm trying to melt to get it to behave better whether it's up the solder sucker or into the braid.

Juan I'm amused and amazed by your tale of home made solder braid. If there's a way to do something, you'll find it. Given today's prices for store-bought I can see the attraction to rolling your own.

https://www.mouser.com/ProductDetail...EZTtED0A%3D%3D

[Chuck H]

IJuan I'm amused and amazed by your tale of home made solder braid. If there's a way to do something, you'll find it. Given today's prices for store-bought I can see the attraction to rolling your own.

https://www.mouser.com/ProductDetail...EZTtED0A%3D%3D

I think the thing to know about Juan is that many of the services and products we take for granted in the US are simply not economical or even always available to him. He's a master at undertanding mechanics and even electronics at such a fundamental level that he can get on the other side of resourse availability even to the point of making his own often and as needed. it's truely impressive. Many of us have a similar understanding of the chemistry, electronics and just general mechanical skills to do the same. But not being in Juan's position we have never been put to it. Necessity is the mother of invention and Juan has repeatedly demonstrated the knowledge and skill to fabricate almost anything related to our genre. I'm always happy for his participation and continued involvement in the forum.

[Delta362]

I typically use a solder sucker, but on certain boards I'll use the solder braid. For that, I've been using the MG Chemicals 453 (Desoldering Braid / Solder Removal SUPRWIK .075in WIDTH GREEN 50FT LENGTH). I also have the 0.050in version as well.

[Mark Hammer]

After1 or 2 years, unused PCBs (I always make a couple extra of anything) become harder to solder, because protection is not perfect so copper still oxidizes "a little".
If it becomes annoying (say over 2 years old), I wipe rosin away with a cloth/napkin wet in any solvent (alcohol/acetone/toluene/paint thinner), slightly polish copper (which became duller darker) to shiny reddish copper and cover again with fresh rosin varnish.

Whenever I make a board, I tin the entire board immediately. Brushing the traces and pads with liquid flux makes tinning quick and efficient.

I completely tin the boards for the precise reasons you note: they can tarnish easily and quickly. Reflowing solder on a trace is a whole lot easier than trying to remove tarnish. I also tin the entire board because I'm the sort of person who will likely find a reason to drill a few small holes and modify the circuit, years later. Having a completely tinned board makes it possible to easily solder in additional components. But that's just me.

[Mick Bailey]

I also tin the boards after etching using a film of liquid flux. I would rather have used the tinning salts especially made to do this, but they're very expensive compared to running over the traces with an iron. I even switched from regular untinned stripboard to gold plated epoxy-glass boards because of the long-term prospect of corrosion with bare copper.

[nevetslab]

I’ve also been using TechSpray 0.98”width and usually buy 100ft rollls. And yes it is bloody expensive! Where I can I use my Pace Desoldering iron. Now have acquired an older vacuum pump system from Pace that uses the SX20 handle iron and different tips than my SX70 desoldering iron. I have adapted the older pump to the Pace MBT200 station with much better than the now-tired vacuum system Pace went to years ago.

One more maintenance item on my list to try and restore should live so long.

[J M Fahey]

Whenever I make a board, I tin the entire board immediately. Brushing the traces and pads with liquid flux makes tinning quick and efficient.

I completely tin the boards for the precise reasons you note: they can tarnish easily and quickly. Reflowing solder on a trace is a whole lot easier than trying to remove tarnish. I also tin the entire board because I'm the sort of person who will likely find a reason to drill a few small holes and modify the circuit, years later. Having a completely tinned board makes it possible to easily solder in additional components. But that's just me.

There is a product normally found in jeweler supply shops but now also in the mighty online suppliers which is used to restore and re-silver plate jewels, pots, eating utensils, etc. , _chemically_ , no need for soldering temperatures.

Not exact same as hot tinning but it "works", at least to void copper tarnishing.

It leaves an atoms thick silver layer, which in due time can also be tarnished itself, but can be easily restored just by wiping again with a cloth wet in same liquid.



FWIW even real tin tarnishes, only it takes much longer.
I have components, specially old ICs stashed along years which are now all but impossible to solder.