F
8

Heard a guy at the parts counter say he never uses flux on his soldering iron

I was picking up a new Hakko FX-888D tip in Austin and overheard this. He said it just makes a mess and he gets by fine without it. I've always used a little bit of rosin core solder, so it made me stop and think about my own habits. Has anyone else run into people who skip flux entirely, and does it actually work for them on modern boards?
4 comments

Log in to join the discussion

Log In
4 Comments
pat_moore
pat_moore1d ago
Whoa, everyone's acting like the guy committed a crime. People skip flux all the time on basic stuff and it works fine. If you're just tinning a wire or doing a quick repair, sometimes extra flux is overkill.
4
rileygarcia
Wait what, no flux at all? That's like trying to make a grilled cheese without butter. I can't even imagine the cold joints and that weird crusty mess.
2
claire872
claire8722mo ago
Right? How do you even get the solder to flow properly? I tried it once on a simple wire splice just to see, and it turned into a lumpy gray blob. The joint was so brittle it snapped when I touched it.
2
jamie_webb67
Ever try it without cleaning the tip first?
1