On Mon, 23 Jun 2014 14:52:25 -0700:00, Ian McLaughlin <ian at platinum.net>
wrote:
Hello all and thank you for adding me to the list.
I am in the process of restoring a NorthStar Horizon machine. The boards in this
machine
have a significant amount of flux residue on them - it certainly appears that this
particular machine was constructed from a kit. My question is about this flux - should
I
be removing it as part of my cleanup, or should I leave it in place? I know that this
isn't a super-collectible machine or anything, but I've never come across this
issue in
any other machine in my collection, and I was wondering what the general consensus was.
I'm perfectly aware of the corrosive nature of the flux and how to remove it, however
this
flux has been there for 35+ years.
Thanks in advance for your thoughts.
Ian
It is probably resin (or rosin) core solder, which is most likely not
corrosive. You will know by the smell if you put a hot iron to a solder
joint. Resin is a medium brown which darkens when heated. If you want to
remove it, resin dissolves in ethanol. If it has been there for 35 years
with no ill effects, you may as well leave it.
Jonas