30 Dec
2002
30 Dec
'02
12:42 p.m.
My first question is why you want to clean them? Without refusing the
boards, you will never get back the shine that comes from a freshly
cleaned and fused circuit board. The second best thing might be to rinse
the boards in dilute muriatic acid to get at the oxide, and then brush
the board with a brass/horsehair brush. There is also something stronger
called SolderBrite that is also used to clean the tin-lead on circuit
boards after etching and before fusing. You might be able to get some by
talking nicely to a nearby circuit board house.
"J.C.Wren" wrote:
I have recently acquired a couple of build PC boards that are not solder
masked. There is some oxidation, ranging from minimal to mild (mild being
the not quite green, but a very hard oxide, as if the tin had reacted with
something else). Anyone got any good ideas on cleaning these? I'd like
something non-submersible, since one of the boards contains keyswitches.
I have plenty of experience cleaning unbuilt boards. Normally, I'd just
hit them with some super fine steel wool, or buff them with 20lb paper. And
I've repaired boards, but usually to get them working, not to restore their
aesthetic appeal.
I've considered using a baking soda solution and a stiff bristle brush.
This should neutralize any corrisive elements, and the baking soda might be
abrasive enough to remove the oxides without damaging the board. It would
wash off easily enough with water, and I could protect the switches during
that process.
Anyone got any ideas or standard procedures for this kind of thing?
--JOhn