Personally I would start by using some IPA and a course cloth like denim to= scrub each pin in a circular motion as you work the cloth from the body to= the pin end. You will need to pinch the cloth tight so it is really scrubb= ing the pin. Then if they are to be soldered I would dip the pins into a pot of rosin an= d then into a solder pot to tin them. Keep the time in the solder pot to a = minimum as it is possible to damage internal connections and the crystal it= self if things get too hot. -----Original Message----- From: piclist-bounces@mit.edu On Behalf Of Manu A= braham Sent: 03 March 2019 12:41 To: Microcontroller discussion list - Public. Subject: Re: [EE] oxidized pins The problem with the scraping approach is that, the scraping might not reac= h the pin in it's entirety (the circumference, I mean). wherever the scrapi= ng does not reach, the solder does not like to stick in any manner. That's = the reason, why I would like to avoid the scrape approach. Thanks, Manu On Sun, Mar 3, 2019 at 5:31 PM Jason White wrote: > > A dremel plus a small brass wire wheel might do the trick. I suspect=20 > that if you built a fixture to hold >25 crystals at a time in a vise=20 > that a suitably skilled and motivated person could clean up your=20 > crystals in very little time. (A strip of perfboard, a block of wood, and= some bolts. > Sandwich the crystals between the perfboard and the wood with the pins=20 > poking through the holes in the perfboard. Use threaded fasteners to=20 > hold it together. Then clamp the wood block in a vise and wire bush=20 > away. Rinse and repeat until finished) > > Alternatively, > > It is hard to say if the really nasty acid core fluxes would be=20 > suitable for electronic components. You'd probably have to clean them aft= er. > > -Jason White > > > On Sunday, March 3, 2019, Manu Abraham wrote: > > > Hi, > > > > I have this large bag of through-hole standard crystals, which have=20 > > their pins oxidized, since the bag was left open for a while and=20 > > thus solderability is a big issue. > > > > The crystals are good, just that time has to be spent scraping the=20 > > oxide of the pins which is a waste of time. > > > > Is there a better way to remove the oxide layer other than scraping,=20 > > probably by a chemical process or so ? > > > > Any thoughts ? > > > > Thanks, > > Manu > > -- > > http://www.piclist.com/techref/piclist PIC/SX FAQ & list archive=20 > > View/change your membership options at=20 > > http://mailman.mit.edu/mailman/listinfo/piclist > > > > > -- > Jason White > -- > http://www.piclist.com/techref/piclist PIC/SX FAQ & list archive=20 > View/change your membership options at=20 > http://mailman.mit.edu/mailman/listinfo/piclist -- http://www.piclist.com/techref/piclist PIC/SX FAQ & list archive View/chang= e your membership options at http://mailman.mit.edu/mailman/listinfo/piclis= t --=20 http://www.piclist.com/techref/piclist PIC/SX FAQ & list archive View/change your membership options at http://mailman.mit.edu/mailman/listinfo/piclist .