servicemans aromatherapy

[microx]

Just a stupid observation,
Has anybody noticed the different smells you get from the solder flux you find used in old gear say more than 25yrs old. My favorite is that used in old German stuff like Grundig tape recorder. I find myself remelting joints just to get the "bouquet". My worst one is old Shure mics, that stuff smells like rotting fish.
Silly I know but Ihad to ask.
Steve

 

[Steffen]

haha :green: , yeah...some old flux really has THAT vintage smell...I like that too. don´t inhale too deep or you´ll look like this Mr. Green emoticon :green: :green: :green:

steff

 

[Jonathan Hayward]

I was contemplating this last night, maybe it's the old dust burning off too.

 

[Mark Burnley]

Yes,

And I had a very poignant retro-flux moment last week...

I needed some germanium AF114's, and I had some sitting on a broken radio PCB from the 60's. So I desoldered them and the smell was incredible...it was the same flux as the solder I first used when I was a kid and my Dad let me use his iron and solder...

Ahh memories!

:wink:

Mark

 

[Steve Jones]

Did some work on a REALLY old american baseball machine a while back, looked like a Bally pinball table, but simpler. It smelled like machine history, old oil, metal, electricity, oiled paper and laquer, wood and varnish... Am I getting too poetic for a tech forum?

 

[CJ]

I keep an old roll around and use it for incense!
Cops: "Whats that smell, buddy!"
cj: "You got a warrant?"
Cops: "No"
cj: "Then go away! it's just Grundig 54!"
:razz:

 

[tony dB]

i've noticed this since the very first time i unsoldered a very old tuberadio back when i was 11 (30 yr ago) or something, why didn't i proceed then and study harder :roll: i could have been doing music for a hobby and electronics for a living :grin: instead of the other way around :green:

 

[Tekay]

Back in 1970 there was a Danish electronic "kit" company called "Josty Kit" and I still get deja vu's when I get that smell!
I think Jakob knows what I mean? I still have a small orange reel with that solder.

 

[Gustav]

I sometimes solder gold thread to fix opens at work. Never noticed the smell, but it feels kinda fancy

Gustav

 

[microx]

Seems that most of the old solders would be cored with rosin made from pine resin (same stuff a violinist puts on his bow) so maybe the old Grundigs gave up a bit of the Black Forest every time you re-make a joint.
So what were Shure using to get that fish stink, maybe dried mermaids placenta.
Ugh!
Steve