Right, the separate flux is good for cleaning things that need it. In those cases, I use it to pre-clean / re-tin stuff outside and away from the build to avoid any mess. I usually use a rosin paste flux I can dip stuff into prior to dunking in my solder pot.TriodeLuvr wrote: ↑Fri 02/05/21 11:29 pmWell, that was my point - rosin flux is much superior in terms of cleaning the joint. The sole reason "no-clean" was invented was to eliminate the need for factory assemblers to remove residual flux on the outside. Manufacturing employees in lower-volume applications, such as QA and repair, still often use rosin flux because it removes oxide more aggressively (i.e. cleans the joint) and flows solder better. Rosin flux also doesn't vaporize as rapidly as "no-clean," and that helps lesser-skilled workers produce good, shiny joints.
It's great that you're not having problems with "no-clean." Nevertheless, the differences between the two types and the purposes they're best suited to are facts well-understood by industry. There simply isn't a reason in this type of work to use anything other than rosin core solder.
Jack
Some types of flux can be corrosive, and can potentially carry signals across them. Rosin core doesn't have that issue, but it still can hide the joint, making proper circuit inspection difficult or impossible. Of course rosin core isn't universally useful either.
If you or anybody else feels their soldering skills are inadequate to fully benefit from using no-clean solder (or any other type), I suggest watching and rewatching the soldering technique videos linked in my signature. Solder technique is always more important than most other things going into a build.