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Old timer at the repair shop near Kansas City opened my eyes about flux | Electronics Repairers - Talk Freely

Old timer at the repair shop near Kansas City opened my eyes about flux

I swung by Apex Electronics in Lenexa last Saturday to grab some caps and ended up talking to this guy who's been doing repairs since the 70s. He saw me using liquid flux on a motherboard and laughed, then handed me some tacky flux paste and said try this. Has anyone else switched and noticed how much less cleaning you need to do after soldering?

3 comments

3 Comments

jennysullivan5mo ago

I switched to tacky flux paste about two years ago after a buddy at a ham radio meetup put me on to it. He was doing some old tube gear and showed me how it stays put and doesn't run everywhere like liquid does. Honestly, it cut my cleanup time way down, especially on delicate boards where you don't want to be scrubbing with alcohol too much. The stuff holds components in place while you solder too, which is a nice bonus. Once you get used to how much to apply, it's hard to go back.

danielb435mo ago

@jennysullivan I gotta be honest, I dunno if tacky flux is really THAT life changing. I bought a little tub two years ago too and it just sits in my drawer most of the time. Liquid flux from a syringe works fine for me on 90 percent of stuff. And honestly that sticking thing drives me crazy sometimes because I'll want to move a component and it's glued in place before I'm ready.

the_logan4mo ago

Has anyone tried the really thick flux paste that's almost like honey? I had a friend who swore by the stuff for SMD work because he said it keeps those tiny resistors from swimming away like they're trying to escape. I tried it once on a microcontroller board and it worked decent but I got it all over my fingers and ended up with flux everywhere. The sticky part is definitely a downside when you're trying to lean something back into position - feels like you're fighting against the glue. I mostly stick with liquid flux in a needle bottle these days, just seems fuss-free. But maybe I'm missing something if everyone else is using the paste.