I wasted $80 on that fancy flux that claimed to clean itself

Bought a bottle of No-Clean Flux X400 from a supplier in Seattle, thinking it would save me time. Ended up with sticky residue all over a board I was reworking for a client. Had to scrub it with isopropyl for an hour to fix it. Anyone else try that stuff and regret it?

3 comments

3 Comments

joel_clark3721h ago

Tbh I've used that X400 stuff on maybe 2 dozen boards and never had that issue. Maybe you left it on too thick or didn't give it enough heat? The trick with no-clean flux is you still gotta spread it thin and hit it with the iron hot enough to actually burn off the excess. Sticky residue usually means user error in my experience.

piper77919h ago

Actually had my jaw drop reading this. Joel said you used it on TWO DOZEN boards and never had a problem? That is wild to me because I tried that exact X400 stuff once and my board looked like someone spilled syrup on it. I followed the directions to the letter too, spread it thin and everything. Maybe I just got a bad batch from the supplier or something, but I was honestly shocked at how much of a mess it made compared to other fluxes I've used.

the_mary16h ago

You said it looked like "syrup" and honestly I think that's exactly what happens when you don't hit it with enough heat. But Joel saying "user error" is kind of a cop out. Some fluxes just don't work the same for everyone, and if you followed the directions and it still gummed up, that's on the product not you.