Beginner Question

[sirlcmd]

I just finished my first PCB board from the BYOC Classic Overdrive kit, but there are some splattered solder pieces on some parts. I heard I could use some alcohol and a toothbrush to clean it, is this true? I also was looking for ways to test it by just using a multimeter. This is my first build so I'm not going to make a testing rig yet. Any other things I should know before I put it in the enclosure?

[Mark Hammer]

Alcohol will not dissolve solder.  It will make some headway cleaning flux residue off the board (though I find it less effective than other chemicals), but flux is not solder.

If you do have excess solder on your board, I would recommend getting yourself a roll of "solder wick", also known as desoldering braid.  This will set you back between 5 and 8 dollars for a small roll.  It is VERY effective for absorbing excess solder or removing solder from pads when you want to remove a component.  It works best when you wipe a little bit of liquid flux on it.  But since you are just starting, and the smallest bottle of liquid flux will likely set you back $10 on top of the solder wick, I'll simply say that plain old solder wick works fine on its own too, so long as it hasn't corroded.

[sirlcmd]

I have some solder wick. I assume you mean it is safe to use anywhere on the PCB board not just on joints?

[duck_arse]

if the solder is on exposed copper traces, or component leads, you'll prolly need the solderwick. if it is just spattered on the board where there is no copper, or on a resistor body, for instance, you should be able to pick or peel it off with a sharp metal pick of some sort.