ChipQuik and substitute

[kipper2k]

Hi all, i was looking around to find a replacement for chipquik. It works good but very expensive... The last batch i bought was $20 and only weighs 12 grams (0.42oz) First of all i had to find out what chipquik is actually made of and i found that it is comprised of different metals in a specific ratio that leads to the low melting point. Once i found that out i then went on ebay and i found this...

http://www.ebay.ca/itm/Virgin-Amallo...#ht_2598wt_208

It weighs 3lbs (1361 grams) and has a low melting point of 158 deg F and costs $40. Therefore you get 113 times more than the $20 chipquik at only double the price. The melting point is a little higher than chipquik but it will still do the job at a safe temperature for smd removal.

For those people that do a lot of SMD work this would be ideal. You would have to scrape bits off the block but a small price to pay for the purchase price.

[pandy71]

http://www.techni-tool.com/site/MSDS/319SO016.pdf
http://www.techni-tool.com/site/MSDS/319SO032.pdf
http://www.techni-tool.com/MSDS-Sheets#ChipQuick



however even lower melting point is offered by Gallium alloys (like Galinstan), also low melting point is offered by some alloys used in prostodontics.

[hooverphonique]

so up to 73% is tin, indium and lead - where's the rest? :-)

[kipper2k]

Originally Posted by hooverphonique

so up to 73% is tin, indium and lead - where's the rest? :-)

They use cadmium, indium, bismuth tin and lead in their own recipe. I also bought a block of alloy that will melt in hot water... 46 deg Celcius... (also works out cheaper than buying chipquik... One third of the price

for info, Chipquik melts at 136 deg F ((58 deg C)

http://www.ebay.ca/itm/280998411099?...#ht_1793wt_898

couldn't resist

[Lord Aga]

Kipps, your inbox is full

[kipper2k]

i cleaned out my mailbox a bit so i have some room.

I tested this block of amalloy i bought from ebay and it works just as good as chipquik. It really is worthwhile buying this, even if 3 or 4 people split the cost. it is the safest way of removing IC's and multiple pinned components. When you use it you need to put some flux on the component and then just use your soldering iron on the brick to grab some of the alloy to put on the component.. Simple

[demolition]

Originally Posted by kipper2k

I tested this block of amalloy i bought from ebay and it works just as good as chipquik.

Cool, maybe I should get some of that stuff as well, if I can find it from an EU seller.

[hooverphonique]

Originally Posted by demolition

Cool, maybe I should get some of that stuff as well, if I can find it from an EU seller.

that's my concern as well.. you probably won't be allowed to order from the US non-commercially and even so, you would need all sorts of clearances to import toxic metals..

[pandy71]

Originally Posted by demolition

Cool, maybe I should get some of that stuff as well, if I can find it from an EU seller.

Kein problem

http://www.ebay.de/itm/Roses-Metall-...item3a78b81f2b

http://www.ebay.de/itm/Woodmetall-Wo...item3a7b513062

[demolition]

Originally Posted by pandy71

Kein problem

http://www.ebay.de/itm/Roses-Metall-...item3a78b81f2b

http://www.ebay.de/itm/Woodmetall-Wo...item3a7b513062

Thanks for those links - I didn't find anything, but then again I didn't know what words to search for.
Question is then which one to choose. The difference seems to be that #2 has Cadmium in it and melts at 70 deg instead of 100 deg.
But #1 also doesn't seem to ship to other than German-speaking countries, so maybe I should try the homemade stuff from #2.

[kipper2k]

Originally Posted by hooverphonique

that's my concern as well.. you probably won't be allowed to order from the US non-commercially and even so, you would need all sorts of clearances to import toxic metals..

I had no problems with it being mailed into Canada. The contents of the box were labelled and an MSDS sheet was included. I believe the seller was willing to mail it anywhere and i don't believe there are any restrictions in Europe.

I had fun yesterday stripping down old boards for parts, now that this stuff is cheap it is worth salvaging these pieces. especially for those old components thst are hard to find.

If you are not sure of your countries import laws, call customs and revenue people. It's only metal so i don't think you should have problems.

[demolition]

Originally Posted by kipper2k

I had no problems with it being mailed into Canada. The contents of the box were labelled and an MSDS sheet was included. I believe the seller was willing to mail it anywhere and i don't believe there are any restrictions in Europe.

I'm not so much concerned about the contents of the box, more the customs fees that will apply from buying stuff from US, so if I can find the same stuff in EU for the same, or slightly higher price, it will be a much better deal (postage will also be cheaper since it's some heavy stuff).

Edit: If you're just stripping an entire PCB for parts, couldn't you also just put it in the oven on 250 deg. C and shake off everything?

[pandy71]

Originally Posted by demolition

Thanks for those links - I didn't find anything, but then again I didn't know what words to search for.
Question is then which one to choose. The difference seems to be that #2 has Cadmium in it and melts at 70 deg instead of 100 deg.
But #1 also doesn't seem to ship to other than German-speaking countries, so maybe I should try the homemade stuff from #2.

This is very good question - both are eutectic alloys and this means that melting point is valid only for particular composition - adding more lead or tin can dramatically change melting point - best alloy will be non eutectic however i'm not sure is there any reasonable (price) non eutectic alloy that will melt bellow 100 C deg.

Perhaps both are OK not sure on this - price seems to be reasonable - alternative source to ebay can be any chemicals distributor that sells for example Merck or similar companies products.

[demolition]

Originally Posted by pandy71

http://www.ebay.de/itm/Woodmetall-Wo...item3a7b513062

I bought this a while ago and got around to testing it yesterday when I wanted to replace the CPU in one of my 600s with an 010.

Unfortunately it didn't work like the Chipquik I've seen in videos and in fact it didn't help me at all in the desoldering process. It does melt at a low temperature and stays melted for a very long time, so that part is fine. It just doesn't seem to want to mix easily with the solder, so eventhough I applied plenty of it all the way around and it was sticking to all the CPU pins, which meant the solder should have melted when I applied it, it still wouldn't budge.

I had to use the good ol' heat blower for over 5 mins before the CPU wanted to come off.

I don't know what makes this 'Woodmetal' different from Chipquik. Any ideas?

[kipper2k]

Originally Posted by demolition

I bought this a while ago and got around to testing it yesterday when I wanted to replace the CPU in one of my 600s with an 010.

Unfortunately it didn't work like the Chipquik I've seen in videos and in fact it didn't help me at all in the desoldering process. It does melt at a low temperature and stays melted for a very long time, so that part is fine. It just doesn't seem to want to mix easily with the solder, so eventhough I applied plenty of it all the way around and it was sticking to all the CPU pins, which meant the solder should have melted when I applied it, it still wouldn't budge.

I had to use the good ol' heat blower for over 5 mins before the CPU wanted to come off. I removed an old CPU socket last night, cut the middle bars and removed the strip of 32 pins easily. use desoldering braid to get rid of most of the solder from the pads before you apply the chipquik

I don't know what makes this 'Woodmetal' different from Chipquik. Any ideas?

Did you apply lots of flux? it should work fine but you have to use the flux (same with the real stuff)

[demolition]

Originally Posted by kipper2k

Did you apply lots of flux? it should work fine but you have to use the flux (same with the real stuff)

Did use a little, but maybe not enough. I will test it again on something else but with plenty of flux to see if it will work.

[Loedown]

Originally Posted by demolition

I bought this a while ago and got around to testing it yesterday when I wanted to replace the CPU in one of my 600s with an 010.

Unfortunately it didn't work like the Chipquik I've seen in videos and in fact it didn't help me at all in the desoldering process. It does melt at a low temperature and stays melted for a very long time, so that part is fine. It just doesn't seem to want to mix easily with the solder, so eventhough I applied plenty of it all the way around and it was sticking to all the CPU pins, which meant the solder should have melted when I applied it, it still wouldn't budge.

I had to use the good ol' heat blower for over 5 mins before the CPU wanted to come off.

I don't know what makes this 'Woodmetal' different from Chipquik. Any ideas?

I did have a similar issue recently with a hard drive controller board, little 8 pin SOIC just didn't want to come off the board.

In the case of the A600 was there any electrolyte on the site because that can make life hard too. One other solution that may work is to drag a line of fresh solder gently across the front of the pins making sure that it melts into the old stuff. I use a pair of very fine pointed tweezers to periodically test whether the solder has melted by applying very slight pressure and seeing if the chip moves.

FYI
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wood%27s_metal

Toxicity:
Wood's metal is toxic because it contains lead and cadmium, and therefore contact with the bare skin is thought to be harmful, especially in the molten state. Vapour from cadmium-containing alloys is also known to pose a danger to humans. Cadmium poisoning carries the risk of cancer, anosmia (loss of sense of smell), and damage to the liver, kidneys, nerves, bones, and respiratory system. Field's metal is a non-toxic alternative.

The dust may form flammable mixtures with air.

Use:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Field%27s_metal

[demolition]

Good point. I quickly noticed a nasty smell when using it, so used a suction vent above it to remove the fumes.

Btw, I did test the stuff I got from ebay again, and it works great as long as you apply plenty of flux. I still use the hot air gun for removal of plcc's though as it is faster overall (much faster to clean up).