16
That old timer who said flux is the secret was right
Last month I was chasing a cold solder joint on a Yamaha receiver for like 3 hours. A guy at the local parts shop named Gene told me to use more flux before complaining about the iron. I brushed a little rosin flux on every pad before touching it and the joint flowed perfect on the first try. Saved me from ripping out the whole board. Anyone else get humbled by a simple fix like this?
2 comments
Log in to join the discussion
Log In2 Comments
cameron7635d ago
Ngl, did Gene happen to mention what kind of flux he swears by for older gear like that Yamaha? I've been using a standard rosin core solder for years but never brushed any extra on before, and I'm wondering if the liquid or gel stuff works better on oxidized pads.
4
bettymurphy5d ago
Six years ago when I was restoring an old Pioneer receiver for a buddy, I finally tried the liquid flux gel from Chip Quik and it was night and day on those crusty solder joints. That stuff really helps the solder flow nice on old oxidized pads where rosin core alone just sits there beading up. I actually keep a little bottle of the regular no-clean liquid flux around now just for vintage board work because it saves me so much frustration. Have you found that the standard rosin core works okay for you on most stuff or are you running into trouble more with specific boards?
0