I use this. It comes with a brush tip.
https://pt.farnell.com/kontakt-chemie/kontakt-pcc-200ml/cleaner-kontakt-pcc-200ml/dp/2142400
https://pt.farnell.com/kontakt-chemie/kontakt-pcc-200ml/cleaner-kontakt-pcc-200ml/dp/2142400
It depends on the flux type (RA, RMA, no-clean and water-soluble)
Like so many things, it depends on the flux you are trying to remove. Certain fluxes are easily removed with alcohols/solvents, but some just leave a sticky mess.
I have been using this water soluble version from Electrolube. (https://www.electrolube.cn/core/components/products/tds/027/SWAP.pdf)
It biodegradable and is safe to run down a drain. It saponifies the flux into a soap that is then rinsed off with plain water. Blow dry and you're done.
With an added benefit of a metal corrosion inhibitor.
Like so many things, it depends on the flux you are trying to remove. Certain fluxes are easily removed with alcohols/solvents, but some just leave a sticky mess.
I have been using this water soluble version from Electrolube. (https://www.electrolube.cn/core/components/products/tds/027/SWAP.pdf)
It biodegradable and is safe to run down a drain. It saponifies the flux into a soap that is then rinsed off with plain water. Blow dry and you're done.
With an added benefit of a metal corrosion inhibitor.
I've used 99% IPA. But you're right, the first bath leaves the board sticky, so you have to wash it a second time. Because of that I switched to using pure denatured alcohol (99.5% ethanol) (stove fuel) widely available. One bath seems to be enough now, and it evaporates as cleanly as IPA. I use cheap vibrating tooth brushes from the dollar store to scrub with. Load it to a wash bottle for easy dispensing. I coat the whole board, scrub, then dry it best I can with paper towels, the rest evaporates.
In the USA ethanol is sold "denatured" so it tastes bad and alcoholics won't abuse it.
https://www.amazon.com/Ethanol-Dena...hvlocphy=&hvtargid=pla-4583795269260707&psc=1
In the USA ethanol is sold "denatured" so it tastes bad and alcoholics won't abuse it.
https://www.amazon.com/Ethanol-Dena...hvlocphy=&hvtargid=pla-4583795269260707&psc=1
Denatured alcohol here contains methyl alcohol.
Causes problems like blindness if ingested.
Some bootleggers try to fractionally distill it, to get the pure ethyl alcohol out of it, mostly they are not successful.
Do a small patch before using it on the full PCB, it also contains chemicals to make it taste bad. Those might give problems.
Causes problems like blindness if ingested.
Some bootleggers try to fractionally distill it, to get the pure ethyl alcohol out of it, mostly they are not successful.
Do a small patch before using it on the full PCB, it also contains chemicals to make it taste bad. Those might give problems.
Its pure in the USA no methanol. Very nice to work with, its not expensive, its not full of dozens of other volatile chemicals and it works. Restaurants, hospitals, slaughter houses, etc use it to disinfect.
The approved chemical to denature it here is denatonium benzoate and at such a small quantity it shouldn't matter as a Flux cleaner. The reason they have to add it is to avoid alcoholic beverage taxes to label the alcohol as denatured, its the bitterest chemical known I guess, interesting. I've always found alcohol (without water added) to be a repellant of moisture, that's why you add it to gasoline to keep the "water in fuel" condition from gelling in winter.
Denatonium - Wikipedia
Pure alcohol is hydrophilic and hygroscopic, it pulls water from the air, it certainly doesn't repel moisture, but its a great solvent for washing moisture off something and is miscible with a range of other solvents that do repel moisture. In petrol it keeps water solvated so it can't freeze, or put another way its a powerful anti-freeze for water.