great results with GC10 paste

[jmelson]

I've been having such good luck with the GC10 lead-free paste that I just did a run of boards that could have been done with leaded solder with it.  I just tested 10 boards with 3740 total components, with 100% success!  That is close to a first in my setup.  I had one SOIC-8 chip upside down, and one missing cap, but those were both due to P&P fumbles.

So, just thought I'd report how well this stuff works!  It is so good, I am not going to use the SnPb solder anymore.

Jon

[Psi]

temperature stable too, interesting.
https://www.synergyelectronics.co.nz/store/loctite-2001184-gc-10-solder-paste

[chickenHeadKnob]

From what I can grasp the magic in GC10 is all in the flux, they could produce a leaded version if they wanted to, I wish they did.

[chickenHeadKnob]

From what I can grasp the magic in GC10 is all in the flux, they could produce a leaded version if they wanted to, I wish they did.

ChipQuik has the same thing with SnPb, SAC and SnBiAg.

Umm, I thought GC10 stood for game-changer 10, ie. formula 10 that doesn't need to be refrigerated and lasts for more than a year. To the point that digi-key will ship it without the cold pack, whereas all the chipquick fluxes and pastes needed to be refrigerated for longevity. 

I don't have experience with either, I am still using up my Kester Ep256 and MG 4860 both leaded. Neither purchased from vendors that ship cold.

[HHaase]

The temp stability of GC-10 is a huge plus for sure.  I've actually seen paste 2-3 years old that still reflows perfectly fine,  and decent print quality too.  We use it extensively at work. 

The only real drawback we've seen is that sometimes it doesn't roll properly on a stencil when fresh out of a tube.  After a few boards get printed though it'll run fine from that point on.  Their engineers do not recommend using a centrifugal mixer.  They make cross-cut mixing tips for the tubes that help a great deal.  It also has a much stronger smell and leaves a lot more flux residue in our ovens/exhaust ducting compared to more traditional pastes.

I'm told the initial print quality is part of the reason for the newer GC-18,  which has improved print performance but only a 6-month advertised shelf-life.   When I spoke to the Henkel engineer, he said it'll probably be stable for a much longer time period but 6 months is all they tested it for. 

[jmelson]

From what I can grasp the magic in GC10 is all in the flux, they could produce a leaded version if they wanted to, I wish they did.

ChipQuik has the same thing with SnPb, SAC and SnBiAg.

Yes, and new ChipQuik is not bad, but it seems to not last as long, or work quite as well.  I've had this GC10 for about 6 months now, no refrigeration, and if anything, it is working BETTER than when I got it.

Jon

[Psi]

I've found that ChipQuik paste is either bad right out of the box or bad after you've had it for 6-12months. Even with fridge storage.

[flydrive]

From what I can grasp the magic in GC10 is all in the flux, they could produce a leaded version if they wanted to, I wish they did.

ChipQuik has the same thing with SnPb, SAC and SnBiAg.

What's the chipquik version of GC10 called, ie what's the model number? They do a variety of pastes but looking at their website it's not obvious which one you're talking about.