Fascinating!

Given my recent struggle with lead-free vs. leaded solder (conclusion: 
very little difference for hand soldering, it's the type of flux in the 
core that makes ALL the difference in wetting), this is a useful tool to 
have in the mental toolbox.  And perhaps the physical one, next time I'm 
at the music store.

Makes me want to play string bass again, too...

Peter P. wrote:
> Timothy Weber <tw <at> timothyweber.org> writes:
>> It came through fine.  How do you apply it - rub it on?
> 
> You can either break off a pea sized bit and melt it directly on the board with
> the iron, or powder it and apply it like that, or, best, put some small chunks in
> a tiny glass bottle with an equal amount of solvent (acetone works, there are
> less smelly alternatives). The result is a syrupy yellow liquid not much
> different from liquid rosin flux you can buy in a bottle. I used to cast the
> rosin into a silicone mold to make small 'sticks' which were handy to push into
> a stubborn solder point like one would add solder wire. I don't do that anymore
> (the sticks are fragile and break off and get everywhere).
> 
> I trust this substance because people use it on very expensive music instruments.
> I believe that it is purified to a high degree and chemically inert. It certainly
> works great for electrostatic experiments, the insulation resistance must be sky
> high (a simple capacitor made of amber and aluminum foil held about 20 volts for
> a week - checked with a MOSFET influence electrometer - measured capacitance was
> well under 10 pF).
> 
> Peter P.
> 
> 

-- 
Timothy J. Weber
http://timothyweber.org
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