Do you clean your PCBs after soldering?

[Gledison]

Hey guys!
Dont know if everybody do this but i found easy to check for solder bridges, etc.. If u clean the pcb after soldering! The rosin that is burned during soldering can be easily removed with isopropanol. I use an old toothbrush for it!
Just a tip from my side!

[micromegas]

I use alcohol, as the NASA guys do

[jimilee]

I so this only if it doesn't work and the initial debugging turns up empty. I'm lazy like that.

[rullywowr]

I do this but a lot less since I switched to "no clean" flux and solder. I have a small bottle of isopropyl and simple green on by bench at all times. Toothbrush ftw!

[pickdropper]

I always clean surface mount boards.  I just think it looks better.  I sometimes clean through-hole boards, but I am not consistent about it.

I use isopropyl and flux cleaner.  Isopropyl is a lot cheaper and works, but it takes a lot of work to get the sticky residue to go away.  Flux remover is a better solvent, but it can be pricey and it's got some pretty nasty chemicals in it.

[alanp]

Far too much like actual effort, that

[pickdropper]

Another hint for cleaning: when you wash your boards, sometimes crud will get trapped under ICs.  While the board is still wet, it helps to blow under the ICs with compressed air.

Also, keep alcohol and flux remover away from sockets and un-sealed trimmers.

[muddyfox]

Isopropyl is a lot cheaper and works, but it takes a lot of work to get the sticky residue to go away.

I knew ahead of time about this but boy was I shocked. I was populating Alan's Dopp1.4 (a pretty osh board) just the other day with regular 60/40 resin cored solder and afterwards tried to clean it with 99% IPA. That thing turned into a stick fest that was just impossible to clean off. I scrubbed it for good five minutes and the thing is not only sticky still, it's also way uglier than it was before. I guess I'm just gonna live with flux residue on my boards, it's not like anyone is gonna see them... 

[alanp]

I use 60/40, and now I'm *definitely* not cleaning my boards!

[gtr2]

I did once...

[davent]

If it's an icky glop of hardened  flux it will pop off with the encouragement of a dental pick, no nasty chemicals or sticky mess. For the most part i can only see the flux if a use a 10× magnifier to examine the pads and traces.

Dental pick works great for cleaning flux off switch, pot and jack lugs, eyelets, turrets etc... Endless uses for picks, always reaching for it to do something.

dave

[juansolo]

I ain't got no time for any stinking cleaning   


Never cleaned a board I've made... Maybe I should...!? 

[danwelsh]

does it hurt anything to leave the flux on there.....like over time?

[jubal81]

Haha. Now we're all guilty and paranoid about our dirty boards.

[alanp]

Who's worried? I'm not. If it hasn't been an issue up till now (with all the high gain pedals I've built), it's not likely to suddenly be an issue in the future. From what I've heard, it's mostly stuff in the RF region where you have to get anal about board cleaning.

So sit back, have a beer, and let it go.