I'm replacing the electrolytics on a Keithly 2000. Only one cap had a tiny bit of leakage, and the electrolytic didn't even reach/corrode the traces on the top. So I dodged a bullet but now I'm having some strange residue around the edges of the solder joints on the bottom that I've never seen before.
I'm using Kester 245 63/37 lead solder and isopropyl to clean. Mainly using acid-free brushes through kimwipes. I've never had a problem leaving spotless joints before.
Around the very edges of the pads I keep getting some white residue/corrosion immediately after cleaning. It is not soluble in isopropyl or water. None of the existing joints on the board show any signs like this. I can mechanically remove it a bit with a needle/pick, but I don't want to scratch up the board. In this case I used solder wick to pickup the existing joint and re-flowed it and still got this funny edge. I really don't want to keep trying to reheat the joints more than once more if possible, so I appreciate any ideas on what it is or how to stop it or clean it.
Something to do with the existing solder that was on the joint? I removed as much as I could with solder wick before replacing the capacitors. I'm not 100% certain if it was leaded or lead-free, it was manufactured in 2003 from what I can see. Or the flux reacting with... something about the board or the copper in the trace in some weird way creating salts? I'm using Metcal SSC-600 series tips so temp should be fixed around 675F / 350C so I'm not horribly overheating, and I'm seeing this on joints that are not ground planes so I don't think I'm failing to heat the joint fully. The solder farther up the fillet is nice and shiny.
Thanks for any advice.