Any tips on how to quickly deoxidize parts?

[alank2]

I've noticed that some of the parts I am using have oxidized pretty heavily.  Mostly these are through hole parts and trying to solder them leads to the solder pooling around the pin, but not really adhering to it the way it should.  Is there any quick tips on how to deoxidize parts with pins like this?  Do you need an acid or something?

[mazurov]

Pencil eraser will work in a pinch. Caig DeOxIt products  are awesome, too, but not as common as pencil erasers.

[nanofrog]

Mechanical means will suffice.   

Things like ink pen erasers (slightly abrasive), or fine emery paper or sticks (kind used for fingernails) will work. My personal favorite though, is a fiberglass scratch brush (lots of uses, such as cleaning components/pads, switch contacts, rust/crud off of tools, and battery contacts for example).

Also, you might also want to consider a more active flux (i.e. RA if you're not already using it on heavily oxidized components & boards).

As per Caig DeOxit, I wouldn't use that (amazing performance, but it's too expensive for this). A thin layer remains on the metal surfaces that could cause problems with soldering.

[T3sl4co1l]

Place object in chamber of elemental lithium gas at 1000 K.

Hey, you said "quickly", nothing about practical...

(Actually now I'm kind of curious if that would work.  Beware the smoky, acrid fumes and red flames when you take it out of the oven, though.)

Tim

[SeanB]

Pencil eraser works well, best is to take it and use a sharp blade ( not going to be sharp after though) and cut a slit in it to clean the whole lead at once, and to do IC leads in one pass.

Another is to take a small strip of 800-1200 grit wet and dry paper and use contact adhesive to stick it to a pair of tongue depressors ( or ice lolly sticks) which you then place on either side of the lead and pull it out once.

I used a small circle of 400 grit paper on the end of a pencil to clean recessed brass battery contacts, as they would frequently come with an oxide coating from new that prevented good contact.

[helius]

it's been suggested to use aspirin as a more effective reducing agent. I guess you can just smear it on the oxidized pins and apply heat. Like water-soluble flux, it needs to be washed off.

[dadler]

I've used a small stainless wire brush with good success.

[Warhawk]

it's been suggested to use aspirin as a more effective reducing agent. I guess you can just smear it on the oxidized pins and apply heat. Like water-soluble flux, it needs to be washed off.

I use Aspirin for a magnet wire isolation removal. Be careful, the generated gases are very toxic.

[obiwanjacobi]

WD-40 

[Ian.M]

Pinch in a folded green pan scourer, pull the lead through.

[GreyWoolfe]

I use a fine grit sanding pad with handle from the big box home improvement store.  I place the lead on the workbench at the edge and lightly scrub with the pad as I rotate the component. 

[jimon]

If it's only about leads, why not just retin them with tons of flux ? Works just fine is most cases.

[Pjotr]

Simply use those wall mart abrasive plastic kitchen sponges! 25 for $1     Or when you have to spend money  those 3M Scotch-Brite pads.

[ConKbot]

RA type rosin flux (full octane fully activated, not just the mildly activated stuff, gotta make sure you clean it fully) and a solder pot with 63/37 in it. Just get a to for removing the dross as it'll build up quickly as the junk comes of the leads. After the parts cool briefly, into a beaker of ipa to soak.

[T3sl4co1l]

it's been suggested to use aspirin as a more effective reducing agent. I guess you can just smear it on the oxidized pins and apply heat. Like water-soluble flux, it needs to be washed off.

I use Aspirin for a magnet wire isolation removal. Be careful, the generated gases are very toxic.

FYI, aspirin is an organic acid like regular rosin, so this should be a fine method.  It may break down into acetic acid and salicylic acids on heating, for even more stripping power.  And yes, beware the fumes; snorting vaporized aspirin is probably not a desirable method of dosing!

Tim

[oldway]

For large copper cables, I use nitric acid
Rinse well afterwards.
Be careful, use gloves and protective glasses, this acid is highly corrosive.

[rdl]

If they're jelly bean parts, just throw them away and buy new. Life is too short.

If you're in a hurry though, any of the various kinds of abrasion already mentioned here should work.

[T3sl4co1l]

For large copper cables, I use nitric acid
Rinse well afterwards.
Be careful, use gloves and protective glasses, this acid is highly corrosive.

Yikes, a little too well I would think!

HCl also dissolves copper oxides nicely, but the problem with acids (especially mineral acids) is, they stick in pores in the metal, and never really rinse away.  So you can wash with HCl, then rinse several times with neutral water and mild base, and get a clean surface ... that some months later, still inevitably turns green (not just deeper copper, then brown).

It's a good combination when the pores are about to be permanently covered, like for tinning, galvanizing, electroplating, etc.  For this reason, try to cover the entire surface, even if you don't need to.

I've also had material that's so porous on the surface (after the acid) and doesn't tin well.  If it's covered in rust or scale, you're probably best off with a mechanical solution for this reason.

Tim

[GreyWoolfe]

If they're jelly bean parts, just throw them away and buy new. Life is too short.

If you're in a hurry though, any of the various kinds of abrasion already mentioned here should work.

Life is too short to waste gas and money running to Rat Shack or wait for the parts to come in the mail.  Why buy them if I have them.   A few seconds with an abrasive pad and Bob's your Uncle.

[rdl]

Well, other than it costing you no gas to have something delivered and that the Shack probably wouldn't have what you needed even if they were still open, isn't that basically what I said?

If you're in a hurry though, any of the various kinds of abrasion already mentioned here should work.

[jdraughn]

Would battery terminal cleaner from the local auto parts store work?

[alank2]

So yesterday I tried using a small metal file on the leads.  I hit all 4 sized of each lead.  Did not help much at all.  Still the solder wanted to pool around the pin and not adhere to it.

I'll try some flux pen on them next time and see how that goes...

[ctesla75]

i usually use a sharp blade to scrape away oxidation or fine sandpaper ,element14 sell an eraser that i have used at work on pcbs that came preoxidised from chinese pcb house. part number 141330 from kelan it worked pretty well. some guys at work have used hydrochloric acid, i dont like it but do use it on oxidised cables ocassionaly that need to be fixed .

[T3sl4co1l]

Your solder is flux core, right?

Are the leads nickel or stainless by any chance?

Is your ambient air rich with an unusual concentration of fluorine by any chance?  (Joking of course; but if there were something in the air that rapidly made normally solderable metals unsolderable, I can't think of what else would.)

Tim

[alank2]

I'm using a water soluble flux solder.

This is the part:

http://media.digikey.com/pdf/Data%20Sheets/C&K/PVA%20Keyswitch.pdf