Mike Knudsen wrote:
I just received the following from a friend who has been building
electronic circuits for his home pipe organ (talk about boat
anchors). He got shorts in a solid state circuit, so imagine what
the new solder he describes would do in high-impedance tube gear!

Apparently some solder makers are using a new "organic" flux that
cleans off PC boards easier, but is conductive. I quote:

At the point that I had completed 5 of these, I ran out of my usual
spool of Kester solder and began using another (spool of Kester
solder). I recall that the odor of the melting flux was strange and
different than that of the older spool.

Now I discover that the flux residue on the new spool is CONDUCTIVE!
It's easy to discern the difference between the old and the new: the
earlier "rosin" material was yellowish and hard, and when you picked
at the edges of it, it would break off in hard granules. The new
residue is clear and soft, about the consistency of ear wax. (The
label on the spool says that the flux is "Organic," so perhaps it
*is* ear wax.) (end quote)
--Mike K.

Oscar loves trash, but hates Spam! Delete him to reply to me.

Mike:
Many of the older acid fluxes were highly conductive but most of the newer
ones are not - some are even no-clean fluxes that don't have to be cleaned
up at all.

--
Brian Denley
http://home.comcast.net/~b.denley/index.html