does anyone know the trick to pre tin the leads on mtx-90 tubes

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Jasper nagle

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Mar 24, 2023, 6:33:31 AM3/24/23
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tubes im having no luck putting tin to them i even managed to tin the painted surface i was working on in the process 

Batareyka

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Mar 24, 2023, 7:01:56 AM3/24/23
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H3PO4
or
H3PO4 + HCl (10:1)

пятница, 24 марта 2023 г. в 12:33:31 UTC+2, Jasper nagle:

Jasper nagle

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Mar 24, 2023, 7:17:05 AM3/24/23
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thanks for that

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Paul Andrews

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Mar 24, 2023, 8:10:31 AM3/24/23
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I had read that the little balls on the ends of the leads are solder. Is that not true?

Jasper nagle

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Mar 24, 2023, 8:57:04 AM3/24/23
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Yes that is true but I’m working with some used ones that have been cut 

Yohan Park

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Apr 29, 2023, 7:56:19 AM4/29/23
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No that's not true. It's not solder but a different metal (can't recall what it is) to make it easy to solder. You won't be able to melt the blobs with your soldering iron though.

Jasper nagle

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Apr 29, 2023, 8:01:11 AM4/29/23
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I was able to melt the blobs on the mtx-90 with a soldering iron so it must be something like tin or lead 

Yohan Park

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Apr 29, 2023, 12:23:35 PM4/29/23
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Just tried with my iron set to the highest temperature (480C/896F), added lead based solder to try to make it going but nothing happened.
So either you're soldering at insanely high temperatures or they've used different materials over the years... :)

Jasper nagle

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Apr 29, 2023, 12:31:58 PM4/29/23
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 Maybe I have another go at the blobs tomorrow on a few different tubes I’ll see if age makes a difference 

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Batareyka

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Apr 29, 2023, 12:37:30 PM4/29/23
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mth-90 used solder with a high lead content. Therefore, for a long time of non-use, the balls on the legs of the solder oxidize and form a rather large film of oxide that prevents the metal itself from melting.
To do this, you need to remove the plaque to a shiny with anything, a file or a knife.
And after that, everything is soldered quite easily.
суббота, 29 апреля 2023 г. в 19:31:58 UTC+3, Jasper nagle:

Paul Andrews

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Apr 30, 2023, 5:00:24 PM4/30/23
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Interesting. Maybe time to break the flux out? Works for me on old radios.

On Apr 29, 2023, at 12:37 PM, Batareyka <batar...@gmail.com> wrote:



gregebert

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May 1, 2023, 4:58:33 PM5/1/23
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Usually when I cant solder something it's because there is too much surface oxidation. Some of it gets so bad that rosin-based flux wont dissolve it, so the next step is to scrape it off with sandpaper, or a dremel tool.

So far, the worst I've encountered are
  • Oxidized copper leads on bulk neon bulbs from China
  • Lugs on very old switches, pots, and lamp sockets that were not previously soldered
  • Really old resistors that were never used.....from the 1950s and 1960s
  • Stranded copper wire that mysteriously corroded *beneath* the insulation. I suspect there was a slow chemical reaction between the copper and something that outgassed from the plastic insulation.

padler...@gmail.com

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May 2, 2023, 9:59:19 AM5/2/23
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Ditto on the stranded copper wire. One of the most frustrating things and almost impossible to clean the strands well enough for the solder to wet and make a reliable connection. 

Randy 

On May 1, 2023, at 4:58 PM, gregebert <greg...@hotmail.com> wrote:

Usually when I cant solder something it's because there is too much surface oxidation. Some of it gets so bad that rosin-based flux wont dissolve it, so the next step is to scrape it off with sandpaper, or a dremel tool.

Benoit Tourret

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May 2, 2023, 1:25:50 PM5/2/23
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you should try phosphoric acid ( H3PO4 ) , it works great for rust and oxyded copper.
if some black foam appears, that is the zinc (Zn) witch is dissolved.
it also stains stainless steel sinks.

gregebert

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May 2, 2023, 1:31:37 PM5/2/23
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Next time I find a hopelessly stubborn item to solder, I'm going to get my version of "The Holy Hand Grenade of Antioch"   -- acid-core solder.
I've always wanted to know if the corrosive flux can be safely and adequately removed, and possibly over-coated with rosin-based solder.

I rarely use this stuff; in the past it's always been for steel parts but that ended when I got an oxyacetylene torch and now I just braze those items.


Image result for holy hand grenade picture

Jasper nagle

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May 2, 2023, 1:40:26 PM5/2/23
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Nicholas Stock

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May 2, 2023, 1:55:03 PM5/2/23
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+1 for the Monty Python reference.... thanks Greg!

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