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Clean Up For Rosin Flux?

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Clean Up For Rosin Flux?
Posted by gmpullman on Thursday, November 13, 2014 7:27 PM

I'm no novice to soldering from 30 ga. wire on a decoder to 1,000 pound copper tanks at my job but I have a question about cleaning up the residue of rosin flux.

All the time I was building the layout the rail, wire, joiners and all were brand new and I just relied on the flux found within the core of the solder itself. Seemed to be enough to do the job.

 
Lately I have been changing out some older turnouts where I'm soldering joiners to rail that has been painted AND it is nearing 15 years old so I picked up some Superior brand rosin flux. The stuff is great and it makes a nice smooth, shiny joint but I'm probablly putting a bit too much on and after the job is done the rosin has seeped onto the nearby ties and rail.

You can't prevent the way this stuff flows—that's what it's made for—so I wonder if anyone has a recommendation for clean up? Baking soda would seem to me to be a bigger mess.

IdeasConfused

Thanks, Ed

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Posted by rrinker on Thursday, November 13, 2014 7:50 PM

 Few quick searches turned up a lot of people using either isopropyl alcohol or acetone and a toothbrush. There are also some commercial flux removers. My big sppool of fine solder is solid core, not rosin core, and the flux I have is water soluable so I can just rins things off - DI water, not tap, if you want the thing to work afterwards.

                  --Randy


Modeling the Reading Railroad in the 1950's

 

Visit my web site at www.readingeastpenn.com for construction updates, DCC Info, and more.

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Posted by gmpullman on Thursday, November 13, 2014 7:54 PM

Thanks, Randy

I wasn't sure if there were any tricks to it. I'll try some alcohol and Q=tips first, then acetone if there still seems to be some residue. Everything will get repainted eventually but I'm sure if I didn't clean it off it would come back to haunt me!

Ed

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Posted by rrinker on Thursday, November 13, 2014 7:57 PM

 I would use an old toothbrush or at least those foam swabs like they used to seel for cleaning tape heads - the q-tip will leave little fuzzies all over every connection unless you've ground them all down perfectly smooth.

                   --Randy


Modeling the Reading Railroad in the 1950's

 

Visit my web site at www.readingeastpenn.com for construction updates, DCC Info, and more.

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Posted by modelmaker51 on Thursday, November 13, 2014 8:42 PM

Alcohol and a tooth brush.

Jay 

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Posted by mlehman on Friday, November 14, 2014 10:07 AM

I use the denatured alcohol you get at the paint store. I suspect 91% isopropyl alcohol will do about the same job with others reporting success.

Mike Lehman

Urbana, IL

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Posted by gmpullman on Friday, November 14, 2014 12:26 PM

Thanks, Everybody!

I have been more careful about making sure I don't over do the flux and the toothbrush and isopropyl do a fine job of cleanup. I just didn't want this stuff oozing up through the ballast in a year or so down the road!

Appreciate the pointers! Ed

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Posted by gandydancer19 on Friday, November 14, 2014 5:29 PM

91% Alcohol (red label).  The 70% (blue label) won't work.

Elmer.

The above is my opinion, from an active and experienced Model Railroader in N scale and HO since 1961.

(Modeling Freelance, Eastern US, HO scale, in 1962, with NCE DCC for locomotive control and a stand alone LocoNet for block detection and signals.) http://waynes-trains.com/ at home, and N scale at the Club.

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Posted by rrebell on Friday, November 14, 2014 7:51 PM

Never bothered to do more than wipe it down, never had a problem with paint either on the area.

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Posted by gmpullman on Saturday, November 15, 2014 1:23 AM

rrebell

Never bothered to do more than wipe it down, never had a problem with paint either on the area.

 

The stuff I'm using seems to be like Crisco® or lard. The first few applications it seeped across the tops of a few ties.

It's tough enough to get paint to stick to that slippery plastic so i thought I had better try to clean up all the excess flux. Using the alcohol (I have 99% isopropyl) I can blot it with a cotton rag and get most of it up. I'll just be more careful in the future. 

Thanks again, Ed

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Posted by BroadwayLion on Sunday, November 16, 2014 9:17 AM

gmpullman
I have a question about cleaning up the residue of rosin flux.

What is this "cleaning" that you speak of? LION makes a good solder joint and does not worry about splatterd flux residu. If LION comes back later to solder to the same binding post, flux is already there.

LION keep nice soft furry paws clean, not worry about nasty old wire.

blink blink

 

ROAR

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Posted by rrinker on Sunday, November 16, 2014 10:06 AM

 Even the proper rosin flux for electical work is slightly acidic, just not as strong as acid flux used for plumbing. It sort of has to be, to have any sort of cleaning action. Any leftover residue will eventually cause corrosion and should be cleaned up. Most of that residue is just that - residue, not leftover flux that will activate again when heat is applied.

                         --Randy

 


Modeling the Reading Railroad in the 1950's

 

Visit my web site at www.readingeastpenn.com for construction updates, DCC Info, and more.

  • Member since
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Posted by gmpullman on Sunday, November 16, 2014 12:15 PM

BroadwayLion
LION keep nice soft furry paws clean, not worry about nasty old wire.

LION, My concern is in regards to soldering rail joiners. The particular situation I have is that I am replacing switches {turnouts} that the rail has previously been painted SO besides using a small brass wire brush in a Dremel I am making sure there is some flux on the joiner since some of the paint oxides are sure to be remaining on the rail.

I told my cat to lick the rail clean for me but he just gave me a quizzical stare =^.^= and went back to licking himself...

As Randy said, the flux is mildly acid and I just didn't want it to react with the paint and ballast later on.

For most of my wiring jobs everything is shiny and new (or at least very clean) and the flux in the core of the solder is enough. I use Kester "44" .015 with very good results.

Thanks Everyone!

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