Where did I say it would stay at 99?
Anyway... I think we both agree on what matters. Starting at ~99% or so is good, which is what my first post on the matter said...
Didn't. Just commenting my observations. That price on 4 gallons is cheap. A gallon cost that during covid, IF you could find it.
In any event, 70% does not work as well! The best thing I ever used on older circuit boards back when I built/restored some tube stuff was toluene or something like that. Smelled just like airplane glue, and IS a hazardous substance, but boards looked brand new.
A Mcintosh repair guy showed me this stuff,
I don't use it anymore, alcohol is fine!
Russellc
A Mcintosh repair guy showed me this stuff,
I don't use it anymore, alcohol is fine!
Russellc
@Russellc - Ahhhh gotcha!
re: COVID pricing... OOOOOOOOF!
Edited to add for simul post above - Yeah... some of the solvents can be pretty scary. Heck, I think I have an eye twitch from just handling enough acetone to supply a few nail shops in chem labs over the years. (kidding). I'm glad things have been reined in a little. Some solvents that we aerosolized for "spot and oil" removers for fabrics at the factory ...
re: COVID pricing... OOOOOOOOF!
Edited to add for simul post above - Yeah... some of the solvents can be pretty scary. Heck, I think I have an eye twitch from just handling enough acetone to supply a few nail shops in chem labs over the years. (kidding). I'm glad things have been reined in a little. Some solvents that we aerosolized for "spot and oil" removers for fabrics at the factory ...
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Back to topic of builder helpers, two of the better investments I have made are the solder rig, and a variac. A good solder rig makes that job easy, and the variac is indispensable for me.
I agree on helping hands. I have only had a couple cheap ones, not so useful. There are lots of nice rigs, some clones of the old style hakkos, see eBay. I finally forked over for my 3rd hakko. First was their basic model. Second one was used, bought off a guy who had a pile of them
929 maybe? It was more powerful than the basic, used it for years and finally gave up the ghost. Then I bought one of their better new ones, I'm at work and don't know model off hand.
Let me check Amazon I think it was from them. Be back in a quick.
929 maybe? It was more powerful than the basic, used it for years and finally gave up the ghost. Then I bought one of their better new ones, I'm at work and don't know model off hand.
Let me check Amazon I think it was from them. Be back in a quick.
Ok, their basic is fx-888D-23B4, about 121.47 MSRP. The one I bought I believe is FX951, just shy of 300. Many of the old style clones on eBay are 50 bucks ish.
Clones of the old Hakko 936 used to be super affordable and worked well enough for home use. I like that they stack so I have two of them, they don't take up much space that way. One has the standard 907 iron that's fine for the smaller tips, and the other has a 908 iron for the big beefy tips. Nice not having to mess with changing tips in-and-out depending on what I'm working on. Not the most robust things though, I have broken the plastic collar on the irons with accidental drops..
^ 
Big nod to two things...
Temp control (or two irons) and/or an assortment of tips that you can change (relatively) quickly and easily. For through hole projects a nice 1/8" chisel is just fine. However, when you get to a ground plane or something like that... you really may need something to get a little more heat in there through a bigger tip and/or higher temps. It's nice to be able to just swap it out vs. telling yourself that if you just leave the iron on the joint for 15s everything will be fine... and you move the solder wire around to try and cover the pad... then you flip the board over and solder the top b/c the solder didn't flow properly through the joint.
When I was learning, I used an iron that you had to change the tip to change the temperature. It was/is a nice iron, and I still use it. However, it was truly remarkable what having variable temperatures and quick-change tips did for my soldering.
Also... I am not sure it's been mentioned other than by William and in my silly pic...
MAGNIFICATION!
If you can't see what you're doing... you don't stand much of a chance. Inspect each and every joint.
Big nod to two things...
Temp control (or two irons) and/or an assortment of tips that you can change (relatively) quickly and easily. For through hole projects a nice 1/8" chisel is just fine. However, when you get to a ground plane or something like that... you really may need something to get a little more heat in there through a bigger tip and/or higher temps. It's nice to be able to just swap it out vs. telling yourself that if you just leave the iron on the joint for 15s everything will be fine... and you move the solder wire around to try and cover the pad... then you flip the board over and solder the top b/c the solder didn't flow properly through the joint.
When I was learning, I used an iron that you had to change the tip to change the temperature. It was/is a nice iron, and I still use it. However, it was truly remarkable what having variable temperatures and quick-change tips did for my soldering.
Also... I am not sure it's been mentioned other than by William and in my silly pic...
MAGNIFICATION!
If you can't see what you're doing... you don't stand much of a chance. Inspect each and every joint.
Also... there's this thread for those that want to continue that discussion...
https://www.diyaudio.com/community/threads/how-do-you-clean-circuit-boards.406747/
https://www.diyaudio.com/community/threads/how-do-you-clean-circuit-boards.406747/
And proper lighting (say, illuminance of 1,000 lux in your work area) also in addition to the magnification. Life gets easier when you can see what the... eff you are doing.
Ok, their basic is fx-888D-23B4, about 121.47 MSRP. The one I bought I believe is FX951, just shy of 300. Many of the old style clones on eBay are 50 bucksish
These are better than just expensive toys, they make soldering so much easier.
I wasn't clear, not a soldering station, have a Hakko very nice, I was asking about Helping Hands to hold components while soldering. I have the type w/ 4 goosenecks, 2 movable, but find them to be pretty useless.
^ Holding parts and/or the boards into place while soldering is a mix for me.
For boards and parts together... I've found this to be a wonderful board holder. The little part holder is fantastic.
https://www.weller-tools.com/us/en/industrial-soldering/products/soldering-accessories/esf120
Yes, it's expensive compared to some alternatives. Do I recommend it... yes. I like it specifically b/c it holds parts in place when flipping the board. Will bending (some types of) the part's legs hold them in place? Yes. Will tape work.... sure. Fingers work also. Would I put it high up the list of must-haves? Absolutely not.
If you want to go to the extremes... something like this.
https://www.digikey.com/en/products/detail/ideal-tek-s.a./PCSA-1N/13545570?utm_adgroup=&utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=PMax Shopping_Product_High ROAS Categories&utm_term=&utm_content=&gad_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAjwte-vBhBFEiwAQSv_xSvhbT6xyqmMyo-TWHqgLOVm2gycE1E_Wjo2bFx6yrgSwqmay7BrdRoC52kQAvD_BwE
I also think these are wonderful for just clamping onto a board and flipping it over. Wonderful for certain things. Doesn't hold the part though.
https://www.amazon.com/Hakko-C1390C...lpcontext&ref_=fplfs&psc=1&smid=AJ3PYHDIZANTK
Really and truly... for most work... popping a couple standoffs into the board mounts, bending the legs of most of the components to hold them into place while soldering (or using a little tape) and flipping the board is easy-peasy. Even though I have some nice tools for certain things... it's most often what I do when I'm doing one or two boards.
When you need to solder a wire to a jack, as an example, a pair of helping hands and/or a small vice really helps me out.
For boards and parts together... I've found this to be a wonderful board holder. The little part holder is fantastic.
https://www.weller-tools.com/us/en/industrial-soldering/products/soldering-accessories/esf120
Yes, it's expensive compared to some alternatives. Do I recommend it... yes. I like it specifically b/c it holds parts in place when flipping the board. Will bending (some types of) the part's legs hold them in place? Yes. Will tape work.... sure. Fingers work also. Would I put it high up the list of must-haves? Absolutely not.
If you want to go to the extremes... something like this.
https://www.digikey.com/en/products/detail/ideal-tek-s.a./PCSA-1N/13545570?utm_adgroup=&utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=PMax Shopping_Product_High ROAS Categories&utm_term=&utm_content=&gad_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAjwte-vBhBFEiwAQSv_xSvhbT6xyqmMyo-TWHqgLOVm2gycE1E_Wjo2bFx6yrgSwqmay7BrdRoC52kQAvD_BwE
I also think these are wonderful for just clamping onto a board and flipping it over. Wonderful for certain things. Doesn't hold the part though.
https://www.amazon.com/Hakko-C1390C...lpcontext&ref_=fplfs&psc=1&smid=AJ3PYHDIZANTK
Really and truly... for most work... popping a couple standoffs into the board mounts, bending the legs of most of the components to hold them into place while soldering (or using a little tape) and flipping the board is easy-peasy. Even though I have some nice tools for certain things... it's most often what I do when I'm doing one or two boards.
When you need to solder a wire to a jack, as an example, a pair of helping hands and/or a small vice really helps me out.
You would laugh if you saw my method. I prop odds and ends so board is raised and parts in position. Very Rube Goldberg stuff. I had a board holder, but all boards didn't fit. So that and "helping hands" I gave up on. Tape works a trick here too.