Flux remover??

[Mike Nichting]

Hey all,
what do you guys use to remove flux??

Mike

[Mike Burgundy]

I generally don't
If you have a really gunky board, warm water works great, perhaps even with a bit of soap. No kidding, it really works, and as long as you dry the board really well afterwards (I stick em above a blazing radiator for a day or two) and there are no "open" parts (trimpots, f'rinstance) it will survive just fine.

[Rodgre]

I just bought a can of stuff from ALL Electronics. I haven't used it in years, and I decided to take the plunge. This spray works alright, but in hindsight, I think I'd rather have something I can brush/scrub on. The spray just seems to go all over the place, and if it drips onto a painted surface, it can eat away at it.

Roger

[BILLYL]

I basically use a small scrub brush and rubbing acohol.  Works just fine.

BILLYL

[BDuguay]

Isopropyl alcohol.
At the risk of sounding all high fullootin, this is what we use here at work and it's recognized as a military standard. Oh yeah, and it really works too. Use an old tooth brush and apply at will. Flux should always be removed because it can literally "mess" up your circuiot, albeit very minutely. Also, it will corode your board in time.
B. :wink:

[BILLYL]

That is how I learned about it - Working for a Defense Contractor.  Makes those boards nice and clean.

:lol:

Billyl

[Dai H.]

Q-tips and/or paper towels with alcohol and/or naptha (lighter fluid). If you use alcohol and it's not dissolving the flux, then try using more alcohol. Seems it takes a certain concentration to work for bigger bits of flux residue. I used some flux remover in a can once, and it left a bunch of gunk inside my amp, and melted the color bands on a resistor too... lol. Alcohol is good for cleaning lugs, leads, etc. of oxidation too before soldering. Also, cans of compressed (used to be air but now I guess it's gas) to blow dust off/out of stuff is handy too.

Dai

[Gus]

There is a water cleanup solder.  I will look for the number and brand tonight.  The flux foams when you clean it with water.  Problems? the flux does not seem to me to be as active as reg rosin so you have to have clean connections first and the flux seems to "attack" the iron tip more than reg rosin.

[keninverse]

Kester 331 baby...oh yeah that stuff is awesome...just a quick board wash after every hour of soldering.  Use 245 no-clean for pots, trimmers and stuff you don't want water to get into.  You'll never look back.  Correct me if I'm wrong; but, for you UK diyers I think there is something called Hydro-X.

[Scott Swartz]

For really tough and or large amounts of flux, MEK (Methyl Ethyl Ketone or something like that) is great.

Alcohol is fine most of the time.

[BILLYL]

WATCH OUT FOR MEK................