Isopropanol vs Ethanol for Flux cleaning

[danny_d]

Thanks for all the help guys!
I've ended up buying 99.9% IPA.

[Bubu54]

Hello guys,

Im working in a Electronic manufacturer company, and we have faced a problem of cleaning the flux off from the solder carriers. The Flux we using is IF3006 and its an alcohol based one. The Remover we are using is Contraflux BC and according to the datasheet its for waterbased fluxes. Also I noticed that the guys at solder machine who are responsible to clean the carriers are didnt use the right mixing ratio of the flux remover. Now on the top of the liquid there is grease/oil could be from the carriers. So my quistion is do we need to change the cleaner for alcohol based flux, or we need to change the Flux? Also where that oil can come from? Frames?

Kindest Regards Bubu54.

[cowasaki]

I bought 5 x 1L bottles of Isopropanol alcohol including delivery for about £20 about 9 months ago.  I can't see denatured alcohol coming in at close to that.  I'd just IPA.....

[helius]

The Flux we using is IF3006 and its an alcohol based one. The Remover we are using is Contraflux BC and according to the datasheet its for waterbased fluxes.

Flux is specified as ORL0 (organic acid based) and remover is alkaline saponifying type. This should work, but best to ask manufacturers for compatibility. Alcohol is not the issue here.

[coppercone2]

keep in mind methanol is pretty toxic and has negative effects on your body apart from short term toxicity while ethanol is very metabolizeable (but hydroscopic) and isopropyl is so-so in terms of toxicity (it will be converted partially to acetone in your body, which occurs naturally, but if you drink it you will get pretty wasted pretty quickly and you will have horrible diabetes breath). When you inhale the vapors it happens but to a much lesser extent. Methanol is downright bad compared to ISO and Ethanol. If you need something that dries very fast use diethyl ether over methanol IMO, since its vapors will metabolize to ethanol and be partially excreted unchanged, but the vapors will intoxicate you very quickly and its a massive explosion danger due to its density... still safer with good work practices then methanol IMO, since explosion hazard beats cancer surgery 15 years later any day, since its easier to protect yourself from that with safe work practices then fumes, spills and broken PPE.

For me its much better psychologically to know a threat is completely gone rather then to have some nagging persistent thought of DNA mutation ETC that can randomly pop up.