cleaning the gunk of circuits including the flux after soldering

[M0BSW]

 Hi
Cleaning the gunk of circuits including  the flux after soldering is it ok to  use  nail polish remover it's alcohol based, thought I'd check before using , if this is no good what would any of you reccomend , Thanks in advance.
Paul

[8086]

95%+ pure isopropanol.

Readily available online and at some chemists.

[vlf3]

In the past I used ("ISOPROPANOL IPA" Isopropyl Alcohol) from a local chemist in Jersey, however some new law came-in, and stopped my supply... but can be purchase in the UK, e.g. Amazon, and possibly other suppliers.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/ISOPROPANOL-Isopropyl-Alcohol-Courier-Shipping/dp/B003D8QFQO

[M0BSW]

Thank you very helpful, before the internet I'm going to try our local chemist.
Paul

[ddavidebor]

It's also used for solve the rosin when working the wood, so you can find in wood-specialized shop.

You can also use normal pink alcool. It's cheaper, but work ok.

[Smokey]

You can get 91% IPA at the corner drug store in the states.  Just remember, the most important part of the cleaning is the post scrub rinse.  It always feels like a waste, but you will end up with a film over the whole board if you don't rinse enough.

I'd stay away from nail polish remover even if it is alcohol based.  They probably have scents and dyes and all kinds of other stuff you probably don't want on your board. 

[Fsck]

You can get 91% IPA at the corner drug store in the states.  Just remember, the most important part of the cleaning is the post scrub rinse.  It always feels like a waste, but you will end up with a film over the whole board if you don't rinse enough.

I'd stay away from nail polish remover even if it is alcohol based.  They probably have scents and dyes and all kinds of other stuff you probably don't want on your board.

Agreed. I'm a propan-2-ol snob though, 99% or else!

[G7PSK]

I use Meths, works fine and if its very greasy I use lighter petrol ( benzine).

[c4757p]

You can also use normal pink alcool. It's cheaper, but work ok.

Pink alcohol? I'm not sure that's "normal"... 

I just take a little inventory of the materials on the board and use the harshest solvent I have that's not too harsh for the weakest plastic. If I have a lot of surface mount parts (so a metric shitload of flux), I'll often do just the SMDs first, rinse with acetone (a quick splash gets all the flux off, and none of the basic SMD parts seem sensitive to it). Then I do the few more sensitive items and rinse that with IPA.

[ddavidebor]

Acetone... You exagerate!

Pink alcool is the one you found in every supermarket, the one for clean stuff...

[ddavidebor]

Oh, acetone dissolve some mark on resistor...

[c4757p]

Acetone... You exagerate!

Nope! I know it's quite harsh, and I wouldn't recommend anyone use it without knowing what's on the board, but I've found that SMD chip components and the hard plastic semiconductors are quite resilient to it. I wouldn't soak the board, but a quick splash doesn't harm anything, and I've done it loads of times with good results. I do keep it well away from "open" items like trimmers and soft plastic like connectors.

Pink alcool is the one you found in every supermarket, the one for clean stuff...

I've never seen that. Is it actually dyed pink?? All the alcohol I see is clear.

Oh, acetone dissolve some mark on resistor...

Not in my experience. TBH, I wouldn't care if it did. I can hardly read them at that size anyway...

[8086]

Pink alcool is the one you found in every supermarket, the one for clean stuff...

Methylated spirits?

[ddavidebor]

Yes, denaturated alcool!

That was the name in english!

[eliocor]

For "Pink alcohol" he means denaturated alcohol.
Here in Italy (as for ddavidebor) it is very difficult to find pure ethanol because its trade is regulated by laws.
Even IPA is by default denaturated (and difficult to get)! If you are looking for pure IPA (99%) you have to buy it from specialized distributors.
Denaturated alcohol is sold in almost any supermarket.

[c4757p]

I've never seen denatured alcohol/methylated spirits in a supermarket around here, though they always have isopropyl alcohol. The hardware stores probably carry it, though.

[8086]

Meths is sold in hardware stores for cleaning paintbrushes. Pretty easy to come by.

[G7PSK]

You need to be careful with acetone as it will attack the pcb substrate and soften it, blister any varnish paint etc.I have dunked the metal parts of large switches in gunwash or cellulose thinners though it is a very good degreaser.

[DenzilPenberthy]

I use the stuff in an aerosol can, it's very convenient and comes with a little brush for gentle scrubbing.

http://uk.rs-online.com/web/p/solder-flux-removers-cleaners/0283252/

[David_AVD]

The other solution is to use a "no clean" solder  to start with.  It's a lot easier than using other chemicals to clean afterwards.  We use "Multicore Crystal Flux 511" at work. 

[ddavidebor]

Or water-based flux, so you only need water to wash the board (in theory, in practise sometimes don'twork)

[Psi]

Meths is sold in hardware stores for cleaning paintbrushes. Pretty easy to come by.

Nope, that's turps (turpentine) for cleaning paintbrushes.

Meths is sold as a cleaning solvent and as a fuel source for some portable lamps/stoves.

Meths will work for cleaning pcbs but (depending on what additive they have used to stop you drinking it) it can leave a white film on your pcb.

If iso is expensive you can do a pre-scrub and rinse in meths then a post rince in iso.
That way your iso will last longer.

[M0BSW]

 Fantastic replies thank you all, just tryed a bit of meths, seems ok

[G7PSK]

Meths in the UK is mostly ethyl alcohol with some methyl alcohol added it is the methyl that is toxic the purple dye is often gentian violet or methyl violet.

[8086]

Meths is sold in hardware stores for cleaning paintbrushes. Pretty easy to come by.

Nope, that's turps (turpentine) for cleaning paintbrushes.

Meths is sold as a cleaning solvent and as a fuel source for some portable lamps/stoves.

Meths is used for cleaning paintbrushes too.

But IPA is better for PCBs, as you say. It can be filtered and re-used a few times to save a bit of money if that's an issue.

[G7PSK]

It used to be possible to get "washing alcohol" when I lived in Cambridge I had a friend who worked in the Cavendish laboratory, he would analyse each delivery of the alcohol that was used to wash the glassware to see if it was pure ethyl or was methyl or contained methyl alcohol. if it was pure ethyl he would make gin or vodka out of some of it. 

[peter.mitchell]

I use this stuff http://www.crcindustries.com.au/co-contact-cleaner1

Seems to do the job quite good, kinda expensive for what it does though. IPA + a toothbrush works well too.

[AndyC_772]

Flux off!

http://uk.farnell.com/jsp/search/browse.jsp;jsessionid=3X3E2KBWZL4AOCQLCIPZMMQ?N=0&Ntk=gensearch&Ntt=flux+off&Ntx=mode+matchallpartial&exposeLevel2Refinement=true&suggestions=false&ref=globalsearch&_requestid=377743

[peter.mitchell]

Flux off!

http://uk.farnell.com/jsp/search/browse.jsp;jsessionid=3X3E2KBWZL4AOCQLCIPZMMQ?N=0&Ntk=gensearch&Ntt=flux+off&Ntx=mode+matchallpartial&exposeLevel2Refinement=true&suggestions=false&ref=globalsearch&_requestid=377743

WHAT THE FLUX?!

[MacAttak]

Just curious - but how well would white lightning work? Aka, Moonshine?

Isn't it pretty much 95% ethyl plus a splash of H2O?

Obviously, a bit on the expensive side as compared to other options.

[cwalex]

Just curious - but how well would white lightning work? Aka, Moonshine?

Isn't it pretty much 95% ethyl plus a splash of H2O?

Obviously, a bit on the expensive side as compared to other options.

wouldn't you be better off just buying methylated spirits? The bottle I got from the supermarket has written on the bottle 95% alcohol 5% water. It is probably not going to have as much impurities and it only cost a couple of bucks for a litre.

[Corporate666]

Some years ago I bought a piece of equipment from a relatively large local electronics company.  They tried various different options, and they found the best thing was regular commercial dishwashers.  The owner (who was the one I was talking to and bought the equipment from) told me they added something to help cleaning off rosin flux, but that water soluble flux worked great with regular dish washing soap.  I saw the boards, they looked impeccable.

[Psi]

The "dish washing soap" was probably the stuff used for washing dishes by hand.

Typical dish washing powder is extremely corrosive, i wouldn't want to use it on a PCB.

[ddavidebor]

Just curious - but how well would white lightning work? Aka, Moonshine?

Isn't it pretty much 95% ethyl plus a splash of H2O?

Obviously, a bit on the expensive side as compared to other options.

wouldn't you be better off just buying methylated spirits? The bottle I got from the supermarket has written on the bottle 95% alcohol 5% water. It is probably not going to have as much impurities and it only cost a couple of bucks for a litre.

Of course, is very pure.
The only impurities are the denaturant, but it's not a problem.

[SeanB]

Triple distilled works well, just need to make sure the condenser pipe is very clean ( 316 stainless that has been pickled and rinsed well works best) and is not contaminating the final distillation. You can get up to 98% pure alcohol that way. You can buy it as an industrial solvent, though there is a massive excise duty on it. The duty is more than the cost of the white spirit.

[lewis]

I Googled 'PCB Cleaning Machine' and found this: http://www.blundell.co.uk/products/cleaning/pcb-cleaning/system1000/. It looks exactly the same as our workshop tabletop dishwasher. I wonder....

[SeanB]

Using an existing unit and modifying it is very common, though it may bite you if the original supplier discontinues the unit without notice, and there are no longer spares available. Very common on low volume equipment.