> Hello all,
>
> I've been making my first few pcbs, using an iron-on method (laserprint
> to special paper) and they're looking sharp.
>
> But cutting them is a royal pain.  I use a hacksaw and its basically
> impossible to get a straight cut (maybe I need a new/better hacksaw).
> And it takes forever.
>
> What do people use for this?  A discussion on this webpage
> (http://www.netcomuk.co.uk/~wwl/pcbs.html) suggests a guillotine /
> shears, but I'm hoping for something cheaper - and in the usa, this
> source is in the UK.  Jigsaw?  How well do they work?  I don't need
> perfect cuts but a hacksaw is quite ugly.
>
> Also I need to cover the copper with something after its assembled to
> prevent oxidation.  Tinning is mentioned ... seems like a messy and
> expensive pain.  What about a "flux pen" or "flux rework"?  Could I just
> spray clear acrylic sealer stuff over it?  A couple coats would seal
> well, I'd think.  Anyone try that?
>
> Thanks yet again for advice from the list...
> Regards
> Jesse
>
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> >I never saw the need to electroless tin plate pcb's. It's
> >an added step with messier chemicals. Most boards won't
> >tarnish like a copper penny. I have boards in working equipment
> >for over 15 years and they still look as shiny as the day I
> >made them.
>
> Did you etch these yourself or commercially made. Commercial manufacturers
> are likely to spray them with a plastic spray to stop tarnishing if there is
> no tinning in my experience.
>
> If you etch boards yourself it can be worth doing this also with a flat
> matte finish plastic. This can be readily soldered through, just watch the
> fumes, which you should be doing anyway. Some people spray with this after
> the solder/clean cycle as well, can be worth doing in a high humidity
> climate.
>
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> Hello all,
>
> I've been making my first few pcbs, using an iron-on method (laserprint
> to special paper) and they're looking sharp.
>
> But cutting them is a royal pain.  I use a hacksaw and its basically
> impossible to get a straight cut (maybe I need a new/better hacksaw).
> And it takes forever.
>
> What do people use for this?  A discussion on this webpage
> (http://www.netcomuk.co.uk/~wwl/pcbs.html) suggests a guillotine /
> shears, but I'm hoping for something cheaper - and in the usa, this
> source is in the UK.  Jigsaw?  How well do they work?  I don't need
> perfect cuts but a hacksaw is quite ugly.
>
> Also I need to cover the copper with something after its assembled to
> prevent oxidation.  Tinning is mentioned ... seems like a messy and
> expensive pain.  What about a "flux pen" or "flux rework"?  Could I just
> spray clear acrylic sealer stuff over it?  A couple coats would seal
> well, I'd think.  Anyone try that?
>
> Thanks yet again for advice from the list...
> Regards
> Jesse
>
> --
> http://www.piclist.com#nomail Going offline? Don't AutoReply us!
> email spamBeGonelistservspamBeGonemitvma.mit.edu with SET PICList DIGEST in the body

> Hello all,
>
> I've been making my first few pcbs, using an iron-on method (laserprint
> to special paper) and they're looking sharp.
>
> But cutting them is a royal pain.  I use a hacksaw and its basically
> impossible to get a straight cut (maybe I need a new/better hacksaw).
> And it takes forever.
>
> What do people use for this?  A discussion on this webpage
> (http://www.netcomuk.co.uk/~wwl/pcbs.html) suggests a guillotine /
> shears, but I'm hoping for something cheaper - and in the usa, this
> source is in the UK.  Jigsaw?  How well do they work?  I don't need
> perfect cuts but a hacksaw is quite ugly.
>
> Also I need to cover the copper with something after its assembled to
> prevent oxidation.  Tinning is mentioned ... seems like a messy and
> expensive pain.  What about a "flux pen" or "flux rework"?  Could I just
> spray clear acrylic sealer stuff over it?  A couple coats would seal
> well, I'd think.  Anyone try that?
>
> Thanks yet again for advice from the list...
> Regards
> Jesse

> > I've made thousands myself. Never tinned them, never will.
>  Yeah, but let's look at the real issues here:
>
> 1. tarnished/oxidized copper may get ugly, but eventually, the Copper Oxide
> layer will block the oxidation of the copper beneath the ugly surface.
> Tinning and otherwise plating of etched copper boards originally was done to
> preserve solderability. Boards that would sit in storage for any significant
> time after fab would have to be lightly etched or heavily fluxed before
> subsequent soldering. Strong fluxing became the method of choice, but since
> it was difficult to remove residual flux from these boards, more serious
> corrosion of joints sometimes occurred later on. I think it was US mil spec
> 454 that first required plating to prevent this. Since virtually every board
> house wanted their process lines to comply, it became standard procedure. It
> made no sense to skip such an inexpensive process for commercial boards.
>
> 2. If a board has been well-cleaned of flux residue and the solder joints
> are solid, there's not too much harm that can come from an oxidized surface
> layer, other than reduced cosmetic appeal.
>
> 3. The level of humidity and contamination in the local environment is
> directly proportional to the time it will take for the board to become fully
> ugly.
>
> 4. PCB Plating is a process that is notorious for being poorly controlled.
> Sometimes, a *fresh* copper board will solder better than a week-old plated
> board, so judgment is sometimes required.
>
> 5. Many fab-houses use only solder-tinning for prototype quantities. While
> this may not be a good long term prevention of all oxidation, boards done
> this way seem to solder easily for months afterward, even in very humid
> conditions.
>
> So, unless boards are going to be stored for a while between fab and
> assembly, plating or tinning is not as important as it may seem. If however
> you want your boards to shine and reflect all the effort you put into the
> design, plate or tin them. The best analogy I can come up with is this: Some
> people never wash and wax their cars. Some do. After considering the
> practical side of this issue, this is all that's left.......I think.....
>
> Personally, when I etch my own, I use a cold-plating chemical called ITP,
> from Kepro, which stands for 'Immersion Tin Plating'. CuTech makes this as
> ST225. It's cheap, re-useable, forgiving, and works great. It leaves a real
> tin plating about .2 mils thick.
>
> With board houses out there like Advanced Circuits, Inc. who do excellent
> proto's tinned, masked, and silked for $33, I just cant often justify
> rolling my own very often anymore....The last two jobs I sent them were back
> in 3 days, and were perfect.
>
> Chris
>
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> Humm, ok, now that there are 2 votes for the papercutter I will go to
> staples and get one.  I find it hard to belive a paper cutter can cut
> regular-grade pcb's (that fiberglass/epoxy stuff is tough) but I don't
> need to do anything in volume and it certainly is the cheapest (and
> least messy) route.  For $40 I'll give it a shot.
>
> I wonder if the blade can be sharpened?  Maybe with a kitchen knife
> sharpening file?
>
> The nibbler tool Roman mentioned also works, but it is laborious and
> hurts one's hands after 10 minutes of intensive nibblin.  But for
> non-rectangular shapes I can see it being the method of choice.  Chop
> with papercutter, form with nibbler.
>
>  > Brendan Morgan: Personally, I use a hacksaw and a vise for straight
>  > lines.  Just clamp the vise slightly below the line you're going to
>  > cut, and cut along the jaws of the vise, using them as a straight
>  > edge guide for the hacksaw blade.  I can
>
> Excellent idea.  Didn't think of using the vise as the guide.
>
>  > Chris Loiacono on tinning: 3. The level of humidity and contamination
>  >  in the local environment is directly proportional to the time it
>  > will take for the board to become fully ugly.
>
> Is there a mil-spec standard for "fully ugly" ?  :)  :)
> But I do appreciate the aesthetic sensibility.  Something that will be a
> "portfolio piece" should look great.  Something that will be in a clear
> enclosure (electronic art stuff) should look great.  I built and
> point-to-point hand soldered two 24-triac+LED midi controlled boards for
> an electroluminescent wire light display, and since I knew people were
> going to be looking at the board and watching the LEDs blink along with
> the EL wires I did the layout in a symmetric, elegant manner.  Looks do
> matter, sometimes.
>
> Nobody has commented on acrylic spray sealant.  Since I have some
> sitting around (bought it to seal the paint and stickers and glitter I
> put all over my cell phone) I'll give it a try.
>
> The piclist is such a fantastic resource.  Thanks everyone.
> Jesse
>
> Charles Craft wrote:
>  > After trying to cut boards with a Dremel (way too much dust) and a
>  > hacksaw (a fair amount of work), I finally tried the paper cutter
>  > route a few weeks ago. Works like a charm!
>  >
>  > (of course I used the paper cutter out of my wife's home office so
>  > we'll see how long that lasts) :-)
>  >
>  > later chuckc
>  >
>  >
>  >
>  > On Thu, 4 Jul 2002 08:11:33 -0400 "Rick C." <RemoveMErixyKILLspamVVALLEY.COM> wrote:
>  >
>  >
>  >
>  > I still recommend the paper cutter. Will cut almost perfect edges.
>  > Brand new at Staples for $39.99.
>  > www.staples.com/Catalog/Browse/SKU.asp?BCFlag=False&PageType=1-
>  >  &SKU=108209
>  >
>  >
>  > I have bought them at yard sales for 5 bucks. Highly recommend going
>  > this route first.
>  >
>  > To get a factory edge, I use a table top combination belt sander/disc
>  >  sander. Brand new from Sears for $119.95, Harbor Freight $79.99,
>  > again buy used for about $20.
>  > www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/Displayitem.taf?itemnumber=5154
>  >
>  >
>  >
>  > A hand disc sander will work if you can hold the board steady too.
>  > Rick
>  >
>  > Jesse Lackey wrote:
>
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> > Granted, if I were to have a pc house fab the boards in quantity for
> commercial
> > use, I would have them SnPb electroplated and infrared reflowed. Still,
> most
> > hobbyists and experimenters aren't going to want to spend that much money
> on a
> > single or handful of boards. The link below shows some of the boards I
> have made
> > and the effects of no tin plating:
>
> I understand that you've had good results, but please be aware that a board
> I made 2 days ago is now more tarnished than some of your 25-year-old
> boards.  I suspect it has much to do with climate and the particular alloy
> used as "copper" cladding.  the other possible variable is the etching
> process used.  I used a positive art photo etching process on my now
> tarnished boards.
>
> > http://www.pic101.com/pcb
> > Every time I wash my car, it rains. :-(
> > Rick
>
> It almost always rains here, in Vancouver.  No matter what anyone does, it
> rains when they wash their cars.
>
> --Brendan
>
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