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A customer said my solder joints looked like 'cold oatmeal' last week
I was fixing a vintage radio and thought my joints were fine, but the guy pointed out the dull, grainy finish on three of them. I went back to my bench, cranked the iron to 700 degrees, and redid them with fresh flux. Does anyone have a good visual guide for what a perfect joint should look like on older, thicker boards?
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cameronrivera2mo ago
Cold oatmeal is a new one, I usually get the "spider wearing a hat" comparison. That 700 degree fix is the classic panic move, I've been there. Honestly, half the battle with old boards is just fighting the crust that forms on the solder. I keep a picture of a shiny, concave joint from an old Motorola service manual taped to my bench as a guilt trip.
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xena_rivera632mo ago
Cold oatmeal? Harsh. Vintage stuff is never gonna look like a new board anyway. As long as it works and isn't a cold joint, who cares.
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