Acetone.  - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / beginners

author: ShadyK
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: April 27, 2014, 09:59:05 pm
content: Can i use acetone to clean flux from pcds?Sent from my GT-I9505 using Tapatalk

author: Matje
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: April 27, 2014, 10:50:28 pm
content: Quote from: ShadyK on April 27, 2014, 09:59:05 pmYes, in principle.Given that it is a somewhat problematic solvent you might be better off using alcohol, IPA or so.Acetone is a strong degreasing agent - it will happily strip your hands of all skin grease, that is quite nasty. It possibly is carcinogenic. It may well destroy parts, not everything is safe WRT acetone, e.g. polystyrene. In any case it is very volatile, so difficult to work with.And buying it in quantity may earn you a visit by the anti terror idiots - because one could make explosives with it (quite dangerous to try that though) and them police are only too happy to declare another "Terrarist!!1!1" caught...

author: N2IXK
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: April 27, 2014, 11:29:00 pm
content: Quote from: Matje on April 27, 2014, 10:50:28 pm[Citation Needed]As far as toxicity, acetone is pretty benign stuff. It is actually produced in small amounts by normal human metabolism.Your points about defatting skin and damaging plastics are spot on, and the flammability hazard needs to be considered, as well. But there is no need for a cancer concern with acetone according to any reputable source I am aware of.And large amounts being purchased would draw the attention of the anti-drug squads as well as the homeland security goons. It is a common solvent used by meth labs...

author: c4757p
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 27, 2014, 11:41:43 pm
content: Quote from: N2IXK on April 27, 2014, 11:29:00 pmFTFY. These assholes are so willing to throw under the bus anyone who wants to do anything "interesting" at home becauseomg it could be drugs or terrorism!Wouldn't their jobs beso much easierif we all just sat on our asses watching TV all the time...Anyway, yes, you can definitely use it, but don't do anything silly likewashingthe board in it. I use acetone or similarly strong solvents (lacquer thinner, sometimes) applied with a cotton swab to clean up localized flux deposits. It will eat "soft" plastics and some markings.

author: N2IXK
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: April 27, 2014, 11:48:47 pm
content: Quote from: c4757p on April 27, 2014, 11:41:43 pmWell, yeah, didn't you get the memo?Here in the "land of the not-so-free", your duty is to CONSUME. Not to exhibit dangerous qualities like creativity, independent thought, or (Dog forbid) actual technical literacy.

author: Richard Crowley
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 28, 2014, 12:03:17 am
content: Acetone is a solvent to many kinds of plastics (it melts them). That includes polyester resin used to make PC boards, and possibly the solder mask used by some fabs. It can also melt some kinds of polystyrene capacitors. NOT recommended for use on electronics PC boards.

author: c4757p
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 28, 2014, 12:12:04 am
content: Quote from: Richard Crowley on April 28, 2014, 12:03:17 amI've yet to see it melt any solder mask, though it wouldn't be a bad idea to test in a corner first. And I'vereallynever seen it melt a PCB.I would definitely include film caps in the list of things to keep it away from.

author: gregariz
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: April 28, 2014, 12:13:40 am
content: If you've ever used a spraycan of commercial flux remover its smells like acetone, so you know its the basis of it. But pure acetone is probably a bit strong and will melt stuff, although I've used it pure on occasion for something stubborn. But in practice they water it down with alcohol.

author: MacAttak
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: April 28, 2014, 12:16:16 am
content: I somewhat doubt the hazardous substance attention claims... you can buy acetone in large cans at home improvement stores with cash. They don't ask for an id or inquire about how you plan to use it.After all, it's just paint thinner.

author: LukeW
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: April 28, 2014, 12:18:49 am
content: Quote from: N2IXK on April 27, 2014, 11:29:00 pmAnyway, personally, I like to use acetone as a defluxing solvent, especially where there are large amounts of flux, or it's "baked" flux that is hard to remove and I want a relatively fast, lazy result without the patience to intensively scrub it with a weaker solvent such as isopropanol.The risk of material damage, such as to plastics, glues, paints, silkscreen or soldermask, is relatively high compared to weaker solvents such as isopropanol, although in my personal experience I have not found that it damages silkscreen or soldermask on PCBs.

author: ovnr
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: April 28, 2014, 12:19:15 am
content: Quote from: Richard Crowley on April 28, 2014, 12:03:17 am... Since when were boards made with polyester? I've never heard of any fiberglass laminate that uses anything but epoxy - perhaps some of the fancy RF stuff uses something else, but I doubt it'd be polyester! And AFAIK, Teflon boards are a simple sheet of Teflon, not a fiberglass laminate.+1 for being careful with it - I imagine it'd attack electrolytics over time too (leaching through the seal and poisoning the electrolyte). I use it myself, but only on unpopulated boards - never had any issues there. As for toxicity: It's not terribly bad, but do avoid using it in large quantities in a small enclosed space. I've tried, and you get lightheaded for a while and a nice smashing headache.IPA is probably one of your best bets for cleaning populated boards - check what kind of flux you use, though. It will sometimes not remove water-soluble fluxes fully, leaving behind a nasty white residue.

author: Alphatronique
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: April 28, 2014, 01:13:07 am
content: Hicompany like "zestron" or "Kyzen" make nice and safe de-fluxing stuff wly use something dangerous like acetone ?personally i use the zestron kindmix 1:10 whit water put PCB on it ,forget it for next 15 min ,rinse ,dry and enjoy .. commercial clean quality PCBand solution was good for lot of PCB (whit closed loop system and filter it may last for many hundred of PCB)and it marked as biodegradable stuff , but i will really not drink it but at least it not melt drain pipe like acetone do ..and zestron stuff not smell bad ,have open lid 20L tank and no one notice it ..i clean 20 To 500 PCB every day whit that whit no issue and perfect clean PCB .that stuff cost ~25$ / 1L so make total of 10L of solution so quite very economic (not forgot it reusable)so wly use something that melt plastic ,may catch fire very easy , vapor may explodeor form primary explosive when mixed whit other house found stuff ??

author: krivx
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: April 28, 2014, 01:29:05 am
content: Quote from: c4757p on April 28, 2014, 12:12:04 amI have seen acetone blur and eventually remove silkscreen, when I was swapping SMD parts in and out to try to optimize a circuit. I was washing flux residue away with acetone but the frequent heating cycle might have contributed as well.

author: Nerull
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: April 28, 2014, 02:33:44 am
content: Quote from: gregariz on April 28, 2014, 12:13:40 amNone of the flux removers I have contain acetone. 3M Novec (Which leaves a board spotless with no scrubbing), Vigon EFM, and Tech-spray G3.

author: Shock
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 28, 2014, 12:57:30 pm
content: I'd lay money down that they are using exotic formulas to be non flammable odorless and CFC free.Just use IPA, Acetone and Deionized water and you can clean pretty much anything.If your residue is not being removed with IPA then you can use acetone diluted with IPA.Acetone is reactive to some soft rubber and plastics so either way a rinse is required.Deionized water or fresh pure IPA as a rinse, you can speed up the drying process by using air.IPA and Acetone are flammable, but they are both water soluble.

author: Dago
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: April 28, 2014, 01:01:24 pm
content: Acetone is not carcinogenic and it is not really "dangerous" by any measure (except maybe due to flammability). it just smells bad, I guess that why people are scared of it."Acetone has been studied extensively and is generally recognized to have low acute and chronic toxicity if ingested and/or inhaled. Inhalation of high concentrations (around 9200 ppm) in the air caused irritation of the throat in humans in as little as 5 minutes. Inhalation of concentrations of 1000 ppm caused irritation of the eyes and of the throat in less than 1 hour; however, the inhalation of 500 ppm of acetone in the air caused no symptoms of irritation in humans even after 2 hours of exposure. Acetone is not currently regarded as a carcinogen, a mutagenic chemical or a concern for chronic neurotoxicity effects."

author: jlmoon
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: April 28, 2014, 04:28:46 pm
content: I have mixed Acetone and Methyl Alcohol at a ratio of 10 - 15% Acetone to 90 - 85% Alcohol with reasonable results (Caution: Very Volatile mixture - flammable, but I don't smoke..) . Have been able to cut Lacquer Thinner 2:1 with Alcohol with really good luck as well. Never damaged a part or board in over 30 years and still counting.JLM

author: IanB
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 28, 2014, 04:37:38 pm
content: Just remember that, unlike acetone, methyl alcohol (methanol) is very poisonous. It is dangerous when absorbed through the skin and when breathing the fumes. Avoid direct skin contact and use in a well ventilated place.

author: wiss
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: April 28, 2014, 09:42:18 pm
content: How would a mix of Ethanol, IPA and MEK do? The MEK might disolve plastics, right? Think mostly applied to old multimeters with polystyrene caps...

author: nanofrog
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 28, 2014, 10:22:18 pm
content: Quote from: wiss on April 28, 2014, 09:42:18 pmMEK is similar to acetone (don't get it on polystyrene), but it's not as volatile, and doesn't evaporate as quickly, so it was commonly used as a flux cleaner in past years (fallen out of favor due to more recent regs concerning VOC's).For a DIY mixture, you can also mix up IPA/ethanol and xylene (~80/20 percent respectively), if both are available to you. Inexpensive and works rather well IMHO.

author: Matje
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: April 28, 2014, 10:32:46 pm
content: Quote from: N2IXK on April 27, 2014, 11:29:00 pmOK, I seem to have misremembered that.

author: wiss
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: April 28, 2014, 10:46:58 pm
content: Quote from: nanofrog on April 28, 2014, 10:22:18 pmWell, this mix is available (car windshieald cleaner) for 3€/l, IPA at 15€/l... in a store selling to regular consumers.

author: Richard Crowley
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 28, 2014, 11:15:59 pm
content: When I worked in the plastics industry, MEK (methyl-ethyl-keytone) and acetone were used interchangeably as solvents.I would NOT use either of them on a PC board or around plastic components (particularly polystyrene capacitors which will melt straight-away).

author: Dago
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: April 29, 2014, 05:39:09 am
content: Quote from: Richard Crowley on April 28, 2014, 11:15:59 pmThey might also strip painted markings off ICs and other components.IPA is the solvent of choice for removing flux residue.

author: nanofrog
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 29, 2014, 06:24:42 am
content: Quote from: wiss on April 28, 2014, 10:46:58 pmWhat's the mix of the windshield washer fluid?

author: IanB
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 29, 2014, 07:27:54 am
content: Quote from: nanofrog on April 29, 2014, 06:24:42 amIt's not regular windshield washer fluid, which is a mix of water, glycol and surfactants.What wiss may mean is a special cleaner for removing films and other fogging residues from windshields. It is not something I have ever purchased, but I can imagine it may exist.

author: wiss
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: April 29, 2014, 07:50:53 am
content: http://biltema.se/sv/Bil---MC/Bilreservdelar/Torkarutrustning/Torkare/Torkarblad/Spolarvatska-36500/Propan-2-ol 8-9% (IPA)Butanon 1-5% (MEK)Etanol 60-100% (Ethanol)from safety-sheet, the cheapest stuff from one of the cheapest stores here!

author: David Hess
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 29, 2014, 08:27:18 am
content: Quote from: N2IXK on April 27, 2014, 11:29:00 pmI always got a chuckle out of this when cleaning carburetor parts in acetone or lacquer thinner because of the warning not to clean them in gasoline.

author: lewis
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: April 29, 2014, 08:35:13 am
content: Quote from: ShadyK on April 27, 2014, 09:59:05 pmNo. It will damage electrolytics, relay casings, connector housings, and polystyrene caps. Use Electrolube Fluxclene (FLU).

author: mzzj
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 29, 2014, 09:17:05 am
content: Quote from: wiss on April 29, 2014, 07:50:53 amSafety sheet includes (usually)only the HAZARDOUS INGREDIENTS.Local product here would be "LASOL 100" and it does not list any surfactants either. But I can tell from personal experience that it contains also surfactants.

author: peter.mitchell
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 29, 2014, 09:57:21 am
content: What most people confuse for acetone in flux removers is actually ethyl acetate, much less harsh and doesn't smell anywhere near as bad.Quote from: gregariz on April 28, 2014, 12:13:40 amUnlikely that flux removers use acetone; in fact, looking at the MSDS for a number of major vendors, only a single one listed it, Caig.Quote from: Alphatronique on April 28, 2014, 01:13:07 amNo MG Chemicals? I thought that'd be pretty cheap in canada?Quote from: IanB on April 28, 2014, 04:37:38 pmMost importantly of all, wash your freakin hands or use gloves!

author: poorchava
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 29, 2014, 11:18:48 am
content: For general flux removal i think IPA or some fluid based on it is the best. Next best thing is turpentine, and if that doesn't help the toluene, acetone and xylene come into play.