How do I Fix PCB traces?

[Ponchus]

Hey there,
So I just etched my first circuit board, congrats to me!!! Especially since I managed to do it all before my girlfriend came home and saw me messing with weird chemicals...also, she wouldn't have been pleased with the fact that her desklamp was being held by a vice grip over a now-useless tupperware container containing said weird chemicals...funny how that tupperware container has now mysteriously "disappeared"...

Anyway, the toner transfer part went pretty well, and the etching seemed to go well too. However, looking over the finished circuit board, I'm worried that when I clean the toner off the board, some of the underlying copper traces will be broken or weak (some of the toner lines were a little faint)...what are my options in case there are some broken traces? I have a CircuitWriter pen from RadioShack, and my plan thus far was to go over the bad traces with that pen...am I on the right track? Or do you guys have any insider tricks to lend to a newb?   

Thanks guys

[Mike Burgundy]

As long as your careful, the toner removal process (steel wool, acetone, whatever) will not or hardly damage the copper. Just take care.
I'm not a big fan of those pens, but experiences may differ.

[Ponchus]

Thanks Mike, but the thing is that I'm not really worried about scratching off the copper, per se. When I printed the PnP paper, it wasn't quite as sharp in some places as I'd have liked. I cleaned it up with a sharpie, and it looks like it's in good shape. But in general, if I did go through all the trouble of transferring the toner, etching, etc., and then I realize that a copper trace is broken, then what?

Or, what if I had an existing pedal that wasn't working, and in the course of troubleshooting, I realize that a trace on the PCB is broken?

[jrem]

I try to get the board touched up *before* etching, with a sharpie.  Then only etch as long as it takes to get the board clean.  The I take off the laser toner with aerosol brake cleaner, avail at the auto parts store for $2 a can.

Then I touch up as I solder the parts in, with solder (hopefully).  Half baked pads, hair-line trace breaks, etc, just flux-paste them and solder over the problems.  Real big missing traces  . . .    bend a lead over, snip it to lenght, and solder to the next pad/device/etc.

[ShoeGazer]

Those pens from Radio Shack are ok for fixing traces, you just cant solder to it. Esp if you use a high wattage iron...the stuff just melts away...

[The Tone God]

I wouldn't worry too much about the removal of the toner damaging the traces. If there is damage there a couple of fixes.

1. With a hair line break you could use alot of solder and make a connection across the break with the solder.

2. Use a cut off part lead and solder one end near the beginning of the break then the other end past the break making a bridge.

3. For long or non-straight breaks use a piece of wire and just solder to the parts being connected.

Andrew

[powerplayj]

I've had good results with a sharpie but only when I etch with Ferric Chloride.