Does flux expire ?? Flux discussion.

[stj]

Re: Does flux expire ?? Flux discussion.

in my case, i lift all the chips and clean it with the fiberglass pencil first.
the flux is to protect the copper and keep the solder fresh as i re-tin it all.

[Dannyx]

Re: Does flux expire ?? Flux discussion.

If possible, I hit the chip in question with my iron and lead-free solder....if it's a QFN and you can't get under it, that's a whole different story and I get around that by cranking up the temp

[eccerr0r]

Re: Does flux expire ?? Flux discussion.

Sometimes you can add a lot of flux and the solder still just won't wet...

... now what.

[Retro-Hipster]

Re: Does flux expire ?? Flux discussion.

IKR ? I really shouldn't, but here goes another rant about this place....since some of you may know that I've done it in the past in some of my other posts....

Ok, maybe I exaggerated a bit - there ARE some hot air stations in the house BUT there's only a few (i.e. not every tech has one on their desk like it should be!) and they're not terrific - they're old Gordaks which are pump-driven and (to me !) don't have any air flow whatsoever - a disappointing and overall frustrating experience, since even my mediocre fan-driven Baku station back at my old shop was....decent, so it was only natural to expect something WAY superior when stepping over to a bigger company...nope. My wildest fantasies were picturing vacuum-seal doors like in the movies, people walking around in white lab coats, nitrile gloves, blinding bright lights everywhere, scopes, microscopes and laboratory-grade supplies on every bench, walls upon walls of perfectly organized parts of every kind, down to the smallest of screws and resistors...yeah >_>

The sad part is that on the outside, the company certainly looks like it could be like that and it has HUGE potential but it's hampered by one small factor: the people ! If the people are a bunch of laid-back good for nothing undisciplined slackers who only skate by doing the bare minimum thing day in-day out, it's going to show in their work, their mentalities, their personal space, everything ! I'd show you some pics of this place, but I don't want anybody catching on somehow, though I'm pretty sure that would violate my rights to cyber-privacy or whatever's called !

I swear, I've yet to meet someone who thinks the same as me that a shop, let alone what is technically the largest around here from what I know, should be a model of perfection in every respect ! I'm fed up with clutter and useless junk everywhere (hoarding IS considered to be a form of mental disorder after all !), fed up with not having the right tools and parts when needed, fed up with getting cold stares, or worse, downright scolded for trying to do the right things like put some order in some of this junk and strive for stuff like better lights and monitors so we don't destroy our eyes day in and day out, better chairs so we don't kill our backs, better tools so we don't have to worry about not having enough battery left to install an OS, better supplies so we don't wipe screens with rags and plain water but sadly until maybe I find an "ally", I'm on my own with no option but to either quit or carry on....f**k ! >____>

The latest kicker in this regard was when some of the boys were trying to install an OS on a laptop and were praying the battery wouldn't die on them because there's not a single good quality universal laptop power brick in this joint ! I couldn't believe my ears :| The only ones at fault here are the techs themselves for not putting their foot down and who simply carry on the "good enough" way....HATE that mentality ! The boss can only thank them for being so "budget friendly" and non-demanding - every boss's dream

Ok, rant over. Back to our flux here - sorry, I lose track and I could probably fill volumes....if I ever quit, I'll send a letter to my boss just like this

It never ceases to amaze me at the prevelance of this mentality in technical fields. I once worked at a place that was questioning why they were "paying so much for backups" a few months down the line after I set up FreeNAS backing up to crashplan. :| They looked at me like I had just done cocaine before I walked through the door when I proposed using a proper cloud based BDR setup. lol I'm very lucky now though. The company I work for doesn't really bat an eye at an needed expense. They trust their staff and, when I say "The best scenerio is replication to identical hardware at a datacenter" they say "ok, let's do that." haha Pretty refreshing for me since most places I've worked for full time have that cheap skate mentality.

[stj]

Re: Does flux expire ?? Flux discussion.

i use the most flux when fixing boards damaged by nicad batteries,
i re-tin all the tracks and chip pins.

[eccerr0r]

Re: Does flux expire ?? Flux discussion.

So now I have three bits of organic-compound flux...

one is as above, orange sherbet (estimate 35 grams) (sort of smells like rosin)
another looks like brown sugar paste, but seems like it has fats in it (estimate 10 grams) (kind of smells like rosin)
third looks like dried but not crystallized coffee (estimate 10 grams) (nasty smelling)

The fourth tub I have is clearly inorganic acid flux and is white ZnCl for pipes. Doesn't have any strong odor though it does have a glycerin like carrier so that it's a paste instead of solid.

I need to get some honey flux to try out... and whether or not I can use up all this flux.

[Dannyx]

Re: Does flux expire ?? Flux discussion.

your fucking joking right??

an 858D costs around €30 and your "professional" shop does not even have that??

IKR ? I really shouldn't, but here goes another rant about this place....since some of you may know that I've done it in the past in some of my other posts....

Ok, maybe I exaggerated a bit - there ARE some hot air stations in the house BUT there's only a few (i.e. not every tech has one on their desk like it should be!) and they're not terrific - they're old Gordaks which are pump-driven and (to me !) don't have any air flow whatsoever - a disappointing and overall frustrating experience, since even my mediocre fan-driven Baku station back at my old shop was....decent, so it was only natural to expect something WAY superior when stepping over to a bigger company...nope. My wildest fantasies were picturing vacuum-seal doors like in the movies, people walking around in white lab coats, nitrile gloves, blinding bright lights everywhere, scopes, microscopes and laboratory-grade supplies on every bench, walls upon walls of perfectly organized parts of every kind, down to the smallest of screws and resistors...yeah >_>

The sad part is that on the outside, the company certainly looks like it could be like that and it has HUGE potential but it's hampered by one small factor: the people ! If the people are a bunch of laid-back good for nothing undisciplined slackers who only skate by doing the bare minimum thing day in-day out, it's going to show in their work, their mentalities, their personal space, everything ! I'd show you some pics of this place, but I don't want anybody catching on somehow, though I'm pretty sure that would violate my rights to cyber-privacy or whatever's called !

I swear, I've yet to meet someone who thinks the same as me that a shop, let alone what is technically the largest around here from what I know, should be a model of perfection in every respect ! I'm fed up with clutter and useless junk everywhere (hoarding IS considered to be a form of mental disorder after all !), fed up with not having the right tools and parts when needed, fed up with getting cold stares, or worse, downright scolded for trying to do the right things like put some order in some of this junk and strive for stuff like better lights and monitors so we don't destroy our eyes day in and day out, better chairs so we don't kill our backs, better tools so we don't have to worry about not having enough battery left to install an OS, better supplies so we don't wipe screens with rags and plain water but sadly until maybe I find an "ally", I'm on my own with no option but to either quit or carry on....f**k ! >____>

The latest kicker in this regard was when some of the boys were trying to install an OS on a laptop and were praying the battery wouldn't die on them because there's not a single good quality universal laptop power brick in this joint ! I couldn't believe my ears :| The only ones at fault here are the techs themselves for not putting their foot down and who simply carry on the "good enough" way....HATE that mentality ! The boss can only thank them for being so "budget friendly" and non-demanding - every boss's dream

Ok, rant over. Back to our flux here - sorry, I lose track and I could probably fill volumes....if I ever quit, I'll send a letter to my boss just like this

[stj]

Re: Does flux expire ?? Flux discussion.

your fucking joking right??

an 858D costs around €30 and your "professional" shop does not even have that??

[Dannyx]

Re: Does flux expire ?? Flux discussion.

I'll probably use the lid of the tin itself - remember, the label is on the bottom of the tin


...........................

Well, I was eager to do this right now as we speak, but there's one small problem: this joint hasn't got a hot air station around

[stj]

Re: Does flux expire ?? Flux discussion.

so put some of the polish one on a metal plate and heat it - use an upside-down drink tin or something.

[Dannyx]

Re: Does flux expire ?? Flux discussion.

To me, and this is just my own personal opinion, a good way to gauge the quality of flux is to see how long it remains liquid under the hot air nozzle. As I explained in my original post, I always find the flux burning out before my part is properly soldered and it gets stuck because it's got nothing left to flow in.

[stj]

Re: Does flux expire ?? Flux discussion.

So Iso alcohol we all know and love doesn't cut it ?

no, not once it's been heated.
and it's probably too thick to use on bga - but you may want to try anyway.

[stj]

Re: Does flux expire ?? Flux discussion.

What would you guys think of the best "test case" for fluxes. A freshly cleaned copper surface will easily take on solder, but what would be a "stress test" hard to wet surface for flux?

you dont need flux for clean copper.
i compare them by trying to solder to tin/steel tuner cans.
the better the flux, the better it will flow from the iron with clean edges to the puddle.
also a good test to see how much the flux spreads or spits/burns etc.

[Dannyx]

Re: Does flux expire ?? Flux discussion.

So Iso alcohol we all know and love doesn't cut it ?

[stj]

Re: Does flux expire ?? Flux discussion.

i have that one too,
it works and is sticky, but as i said - clean it with white spirit.

[Dannyx]

Re: Does flux expire ?? Flux discussion.

I DID pop the lid off once just to see what it looks like: looks exactly like honey ! It was actually pretty tempting to take a lick at it That should be a different topic entirely: what does flux TASTE like ?

[eccerr0r]

Re: Does flux expire ?? Flux discussion.

At least it has rosin in it, but no idea until you open it to tell how much fat is in it.

[Dannyx]

Re: Does flux expire ?? Flux discussion.

Me again THIS is what I have at work on my desk - still unopened, so I have no idea how well it works. I almost thought it had no label....that was until I flipped the tin over and found it on the bloody bottom !

[eccerr0r]

Re: Does flux expire ?? Flux discussion.

What would you guys think of the best "test case" for fluxes. A freshly cleaned copper surface will easily take on solder, but what would be a "stress test" hard to wet surface for flux?

[Agent24]

Re: Does flux expire ?? Flux discussion.

OMG it's age restricted now ... BS.

I kinda think it should be though. We might think it's hilarious, and understand the risks, but some 10 year old could blow themselves up trying it. Not that a dumb adult couldn't either, I suppose, but still. Kids are more likely to do dangerous things without thinking enough about it.