Thought the whole 'paste vs liquid flux' thing was overblown... until my joints started balling up

I was always a liquid flux guy, figured paste was just extra mess for no reason. But last Tuesday I was soldering some tight connections on a control panel and kept getting cold joints. A buddy at the shop handed me his tacky flux paste and told me to try it. First joint with it flowed perfect, no bridging, no cleanup issues. I mean, I still hate the goopy texture but I can't argue with results. Has anyone else had a tool or hack they ignored for years that finally won them over?

2 comments

2 Comments

patricia90519d ago

The paste flux changed my mind too, honestly. Had the exact same issue with liquid flux just rolling off and leaving me with junk joints. Paste stays put and actually works, no matter how awkward your angle is. Still hate cleaning it up though, that sticky residue feels like a crime scene. But the results speak for themselves. Sometimes the dumb simple solution really is the better one.

karenw2319d ago

Had a buddy try liquid flux for his first time soldering up a guitar pedal build. Watched him struggle for two hours, flux was everywhere except where it needed to be. He called me in a panic saying the joints looked like bird droppings. I told him to grab some paste flux and try again. Next day he sent me a photo of the board and it was night and day. Clean joints, no cold solder spots, everything held in place. He's still mad about the cleanup though, says it feels like scrubbing tree sap off your hands.