[IC] geekhackers vending: kester 44

[SpAmRaY]

buy RA flux, MG chem is my favorite, ironically, but chemtronics is also good. RMA and R are also acceptable IF YOU ARE A WEAKLING

don't buy OA, SRA or IA. these fluxes are actually far too active. yes, you can use them for electronics, but they are overkill and on top of that if you use too much you can eat through your joint and board. ouch.

R is basically no-clean, but there are WW (water soluble) non-rosin fluxes and other no-clean fluxes as well. basically if it's not corrosive enough to need a little bit of cleaning afterward, it's not corrosive enough to help you make a clean joint quickly.

So this is recommended?

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B005DNR01Q/ref=biss_dp_t_asn

[mkawa]

yep, that's the stuff. mg chem 835 is my goto for liquid flux

[SpAmRaY]

yep, that's the stuff. mg chem 835 is my goto for liquid flux

one more 'dumb' question, what is the usual way of applying flux? Is there an applicator in the bottle? do you use a brush?

[pixel5]

yep, that's the stuff. mg chem 835 is my goto for liquid flux

one more 'dumb' question, what is the usual way of applying flux? Is there an applicator in the bottle? do you use a brush?

A cheap small artists paintbrush.

[mkawa]

i use a squeeze bottle with a 20ga needle. it's all up to preference.

[mkawa]

the reason i like needles is because i generally dispense exactly one drop per joint. the flux is low viscosity and will get into all the nooks and crannies of the joint, especially when you smash it with heat; the moment before it vaporizes, it's like an oxidization-seeking missile. good flux is pretty crazy stuff.

[ferociousfingerings]

Wow... i came in here not sure what "kester 44" was, and learned a whole bunch of other useful stuff.

For some reason i just pictured mkawa as randy savage, but with solder instead of a slim jim.

Where am i?

[mkawa]

that's about right.

[TLSC.wipeOut]

after reading all this.. I'm guessing this Kester 44 is THE stuff that i need to begin this new found hobby of mine ? xD haha still trying to figure out the appropriate soldering station for a beginner like myself... looking for something that can be used for a long time with good quality, suggestions would be nice hehe

[mkawa]

actually, your post just got me thinking about collaborating with edsyn on a soldering pencil design perfect for new solderers given the ideal tools: kester 44, a gh edition soldapullt, and a healthy dose of gumption

if we can mange this, there will be many awesome announcements.

like many of our older users, i've been through soldering hell and back, and would love to bring those lessons to new hobbyists with a full-on, complete, perfect kit for hobbyist electronics.

[TLSC.wipeOut]

actually, your post just got me thinking about collaborating with edsyn on a soldering pencil design perfect for new solderers given the ideal tools: kester 44, a gh edition soldapullt, and a healthy dose of gumption

if we can mange this, there will be many awesome announcements.

like many of our older users, i've been through soldering hell and back, and would love to bring those lessons to new hobbyists with a full-on, complete, perfect kit for hobbyist electronics.

omg that sounds amazing man.. good thing i haven't ordered anything yet lol xD been doing some research here and there but no real solid direction on what is good/not. Looking forward to this! =)

[MOZ]

That is amazing kawa.

A kiy fir beginners with everything they need to start off, and we can collaborate on a guide as well, both printed and electronic with videos and what not.

[MJ45]

I have been using MG Chemicals 63/37 .0032 pocket packs because it readily available in my area. Its easy to handle and one pack is enough to do a whole keyboard build and then some. I just buy them as needed insures fresh solder. I would prefer the Kester 44 but I would only need small quantity's at a time, so for me the pocket pack size is ideal. 

[mkawa]

pocket pack size is about 0.5 to 1oz. 0.0032" is exceptionally tiny though. are you sure you don't mean 0.032?

[MJ45]

Oops Your right its 0.032 I would have liked 0.020 but that was the smallest they stocked.

[JPG]

actually, your post just got me thinking about collaborating with edsyn on a soldering pencil design perfect for new solderers given the ideal tools: kester 44, a gh edition soldapullt, and a healthy dose of gumption

if we can mange this, there will be many awesome announcements.

like many of our older users, i've been through soldering hell and back, and would love to bring those lessons to new hobbyists with a full-on, complete, perfect kit for hobbyist electronics.

If this sees the light, well wow! 

Waiting on this before making a mover for a soldering station!

[mkawa]

this is officially happening.

[JPG]

this is officially happening.

wow, very nice!

So we would get a package with soldering iron, solder and soldapullt?

[mkawa]

the iron is up in the air. it's still a crazy shine in my eye. solder and soldapullts are happening

[JPG]

the iron is up in the air. it's still a crazy shine in my eye. solder and soldapullts are happening

Shipping wise, it would be nice to know if the iron is gonna work! (no pressure, no pressure  )

[mkawa]

even if it did, a product like that takes serious time to develop. you're not going to get all of these things in the mail next week bud.

[jdcarpe]

mkawa,

Another possibility of an equipment supplier/partner would be American Hakko Products (http://www.hakkousa.com). They are very customer-service oriented, and they even have a focus toward the R/C & Hobbyist market.

[Tarzan]

mkawa,

Another possibility of an equipment supplier/partner would be American Hakko Products (http://www.hakkousa.com). They are very customer-service oriented, and they even have a focus toward the R/C & Hobbyist market.

A GH-branded FX888d?  In orange/black instead of blue/yellow?   

(Hey, a man can dream, right?!)

[TLSC.wipeOut]

mkawa,

Another possibility of an equipment supplier/partner would be American Hakko Products (http://www.hakkousa.com). They are very customer-service oriented, and they even have a focus toward the R/C & Hobbyist market.

A GH-branded FX888d?  In orange/black instead of blue/yellow?   

(Hey, a man can dream, right?!)

that would be hot

[pixel5]

mkawa,

Another possibility of an equipment supplier/partner would be American Hakko Products (http://www.hakkousa.com). They are very customer-service oriented, and they even have a focus toward the R/C & Hobbyist market.

A GH-branded FX888d?  In orange/black instead of blue/yellow?   

(Hey, a man can dream, right?!)

that would be hot

I see what you did there.

[JPG]

even if it did, a product like that takes serious time to develop. you're not going to get all of these things in the mail next week bud.

OK, from what you said, I understood you had an existing product on hand and just needed to deal with the company.

Well, still very nice to get the solder and soldapullt all at once!

[mkawa]

japanese engineers can be... difficult ti deal with. after confing with the edsyn folks I firmly believe they're the right ones for this particular project...