Unbuilt Heathkits - solderability of parts

[Garey Barrell]

Terry -

At NASA in the 60's we had a device that was like small ice tongs, (flat
metal in the shape of a letter "U") with half of a "Pink Pearl" eraser
taped with double-sticky tape to each end.  Wow, harder to describe than I
thought!

Anyway, leads were clamped between the two pieces of eraser and then drawn
out.  Two passes made them clean as new and easily solderable.  A Pink
Pearl was also used to clean the gold plating  _completely off_  of each
pad before soldering.  The gold was not to be soldered to, only to protect
the traces from corrosion.

73, Garey - K4OAH
Atlanta


>----- Original Message -----
>From: "Terry Perdue" <k8tp at ATTBI.COM>
>To: <HEATH at LISTSERV.TEMPE.GOV>
>Sent: Sunday, December 08, 2002 12:51 PM
>Subject: Unbuilt Heathkits - solderability of parts
>
>
> > I picked up an unbuilt resistance substitution box for a few bucks a while
> > back, and decided to build it. I was disappointed to find that even though
> > the components looked fine, nothing wanted to take solder. It was
> > particularly disappointing, because the manual had you install all of the
> > resistors and then solder. (I might have been able to scrape the leads and
> > lugs if I had known beforehand.) Even the heavy bus wire, which looked
> > shiny, must have had a film on it. The parts dad still been in their
> > unopened envelopes. I'm curious - have those of you who have given in to
> > temptation to build an old kit found this to be a common problem?

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