RE: Cool Idea

• To: tesla-at-pupman-dot-com
• Subject: RE: Cool Idea
• From: "Lau, Gary" <Gary.Lau-at-compaq-dot-com> (by way of Terry Fritz <twftesla-at-uswest-dot-net>)
• Date: Wed, 02 Feb 2000 18:58:17 -0700
• Approved: twftesla-at-uswest-dot-net
• Delivered-To: fixup-tesla-at-pupman-dot-com-at-fixme

That stuff you use is not rosin, I think it's the same stuff as in acid core
solder.  That's fine for plumbing and other big stuff, but fragile
electronics are potentially damaged by the stuff.  If you're soldering big
copper ground straps, fine, but I wouldn't recommend getting it on circuit
boards.

Gary Lau


>For 30 years I have used a soldering gun and the tip always get covered
with
>black stuff that needs to be wiped off with a rag or brushed off with a
wire
>brush.  After soldering for a while the solder that clings to the soldering
>gun tip gets dark looking and it won't stick to anything.  The tip can be
>cleaned and retinned by melting several inches of solder on the tip.  This
>wastes solder and makes a mess.

>I had an idea and decided to see what would happen.  I have a container of
>rosin that I bought at the plumbing store.  I stuck the hot top of the
>soldering gun into the rosin and pulled it back out.  "WOW, I like that."
>The rosin melted and washed away all the black stuff on the tip and the tip
>lookes like new again. It took only 1 second to dip the tip in the rosin
and
>clean it.  It looks like it was retinned with new solder too.

>The plumbing rosin comes in a metal container 2.5" diameter 3/4" tall with
a
>metal snap on top.  Rosin looks like grease.  It costs about $2.00.  Now I
>leave the rosin on top of the work bench all the time. Today while working
>on another TC project I dipped the soldering gun tip in the rosin to clean
>it and thats when I thought about the TC list.  I thought maybe everyone on
>the TC list would be interested in this.  Try it.....it works great.
>
>Gary Weaver
 

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