Cleaning circuit board material - Tip

[JimB]

During a recent tidy-up I found some double-sided copper clad fibreglass board. As it had been lying for many years it was very dirty and tarnished but otherwise OK.
Rather than just throw it away, I decided to clean it for use in the future.

My usual method of cleaning copper clad board is to use a Brillo pad (a steel wool pad containing soap, intended for cleaning cooking pots etc).
I started with the Brillo pad and it was hard work as the tarnish was very heavy.
I then remembered a TV advert for a cleaning spray called "Cilit Bang", the advert shows a tarnished copper coin which has been dipped in said liquid, it was shiny again.

So I sprayed the boards with Cilit Bang and waited for a minute or so, gave them a quick scrub with the Brillo and the result is clean copper clad board with a lot less effort.

So, all I need to do now is to make something using the shiny clean boards and not let them sit for another 15 years or so!

JimB

 

[3v0]

Sounds good but do not use steel wool for clean PCB material. They say small bits of steel get lodged in the copper and it rusts. Better to use a schotch-bright and dawn dish soap.

3v0

 

[JimB]

Sounds good but do not use steel wool for clean PCB material. They say small bits of steel get lodged in the copper and it rusts.

A good thought, but I have never seen that problem.

JimB

 

[3v0]

A good thought, but I have never seen that problem.

JimB

Notice that I said "They say". I switched away from steel wool years ago.

My theory is that there are enough things that can go wrong without doing things that may be a problem. The scotch-brights are cheap so there is no down side to using them.

Tthe etchants I use are water based, it makes sense that the an left over bits from the steel wool would rust. One could run an experiment. I am not that curious. If it works for you why bother.

3v0

 

[mvs sarma]

Sounds good but do not use steel wool for clean PCB material. They say small bits of steel get lodged in the copper and it rusts. Better to use a schotch-bright and dawn dish soap.

3v0

whether Scotch-bright marketed by 3M doesn't contain steel wool? I used it but if the copper thickness is less I fear for breaks or cracks.

 

[jpanhalt]

Scotch-brite does not contain metal. It is available in several grades of abrasiveness that are color-coded. #7445 (white) is almost a polish;7448 (grey) is less aggressive than 7447 (maroon ) or the green product (not sure of its number) that one sees more frequently. The coarsest grades are recommended for paint removing.

For general light cleaning, I prefer the grey (#7448).

John

 

[Boncuk]

Having a shiny surface after cleaning will most probably result in problems when applying toner transfer or an UV-photo layer.

I usually dunk the cleaned board in etchant for a few seconds, rinse it thoroughly and dry it with compressed (oil free) air. Then cover the entire surface with adhesive tape (available in big sheets known as elephant skin).

That way the boards can be stowed away and be usable on demand.

Boncuk

 

[mvs sarma]

Scotch-brite does not contain metal. It is available in several grades of abrasiveness that are color-coded. #7445 (white) is almost a polish;7448 (grey) is less aggressive than 7447 (maroon ) or the green product (not sure of its number) that one sees more frequently. The coarsest grades are recommended for paint removing.

For general light cleaning, I prefer the grey (#7448).

John

Thanks for enlightening. here in India we get grey and blue ones.