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Honestly, I see so many folks skip the flux step on basic through-hole soldering.
Tbh, I was fixing a 1980s radio for a friend last week and the old joints were a mess. I used my regular iron and some fresh solder, but the joints looked dull and grainy. Then I remembered my old boss in Tampa always said 'flux is your friend' and added a tiny bit of MG Chemicals 8341. Ngl, the difference was night and day, the solder flowed perfectly and made a shiny, solid connection. Has anyone else found a specific job where skipping flux just ruins the whole repair?
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torres.grant27d ago
Nah, I usually just crank the heat up a bit more on my iron. Gets the old solder flowing again without needing extra stuff.
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That MG Chemicals flux is good stuff. When you reflowed those old joints, did you have to clean off a lot of the old, crusty solder first, or did the fresh flux just eat right through the oxidation?
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young.kim28d ago
Honestly that flux works wonders on old oxidation. Just add a little fresh solder to help it along and it'll clean up most joints. Really saves you from having to scrape everything first.
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