[sdiy] Radio Shack solder.

[Seb Francis]

The main reason not to use no-clean for everything is cosmetic.  A 
secondary reason is that no-clean flux is not as active as organic or 
rosin flux, so does not solder quite so easily to old tarnished 
boards/components.  Having said that though, I haven't had any 
problems.  I also use no-clean flux for SMT work.

You can get different variations of no-clean.  Some have more active 
fluxes, but are not true no-clean in that for critical applications they 
advise cleaning.

I would recommend using a true no-clean then you know that any residue 
is safe to leave on the board.  I don't know about Kester 245 - we don't 
get this brand in UK, but I expect someone else can comment.

Seb



Tavys Ashcroft wrote:
> On 9/26/06, Seb Francis <seb at burnit.co.uk> wrote:
>> Personally I've switched from using organic to using no-clean.  The end
>> result doesn't *look* quite so nice but once the PCBs mounted inside a
>> box of behind a panel who can tell the difference.  With no-clean
>> there's no hassle of washing or scratching off the flux.  Just solder
>> and you're done.
>
> So you use no-clean for everything?  Kester 245?  I've considered
> that, but I wasn't sure if there was a good reason or not to keep
> using 331 on boards and wash it off.
>
>
> On 9/26/06, Harry Bissell Jr <harrybissell at prodigy.net> wrote:
>> why is everyone so thrilled with
>> organic solder. essentially this is
>> like "acid core" solder - so corrosive
>> it will eat the board.
>
> Can anybody speak to how well this stuff holds up over the years if it
> has been properly washed away?  I use Kester 331 for most through-hole
> components, wash with warm water and a toothbrush, and then switch to
> Kester 245 for pots and switches and other off-board stuff.  Perhaps I
> could just be using 245 for everything and not bother with the washing
> step.  Is it merely for cosmetics that I'm using solder that I can
> rinse to squeaky-clean?  Is there any longevity reason to not use 245
> for everything?
>
> -Tavys
>
>