Dirty blank pcb board

[kin0]

Hay,
My dad bought me a blank pcb board and I wanted to make a pcb (first time) the problem is that it is real dirty. It also have some scratches on it. Here is some pics. If any one can give me an idea how to clean it. I tried with spirit, water and soap but nothing worked.

[linny1982]

i use soap and water with steel wool (000 or 0000). polishes up real nice. never seen a board that bad tho

[kin0]

yea, I think cause my dad don't understands in it they gave him the worst one they had. Will this work too?

[linny1982]

yeah they work but just try it on a corner first and go easy. steel wool is better as its finer and less likely to take a lot of copper off.

[Gurner]

Not everybody has steel wool lying around, but most households have a scotchbrite variant - that's the green rough pad on the flip side of a lot of kitchen sponges (used for scrubbing dirty pans) ...that'll work.

[markeebee]

A few words from the guru:

There are a couple things you could use.
Try a brown grocery bag wadded up.
Seriously...it will work.

If that's not enough to get the oxidation off
then use a green pot scrubber under and
some water from the sink. Dry well and
knock the board on the counter to dislodge
any water in the holes.

I usually use #0000 steel wool on bare
copper boards but this will dull the solder
mask and silk screening on a pro board.

Anything mildly abrasive will work really.

John

[darron]

don't be afraid to brush it back finely (don't use sandpaper for example) as you're going to be brushing back the acid resist later anyway. once you have it clean try to avoid touching it with your fingers as this will put oil on it and tarnish it.

[Paul Marossy]

I would use 600 or 800 grit sandpaper and/or one of those green "3M pads" on it.

[Wild E]

When I was a cook one of the French chefs used a solution of vinegar & salt to clean up some copper pots.

[Mark Hammer]

Go to the hardware store and pick up a sheet of emery paper around 320 or finer, preferably the stuff that holds up well when wet.  Tarnished copper boards responds very well to wet sanding.  Once the ugly stuff is sanded off.  Dry the board and buff it with fine steel wool so that it is shiny.  That will help the toner stick nicely to the board when you go to transfer a pattern.

[kin0]

Okay, I cleaned it and it's pretty clean except a few stains (I think they are from water) that won't get off even then I used spirit. Any ideas?

[starekase502]

if you can find it get mothers mags crome polish (i get it at napa auto parts) its a bit pricey but itll shine like crazy when your done.  just make sure you clean the hell out of it with spirits when your done.

[Thomeeque]

 I'd never touch PCB by sand paper or steel wool or anything else scratchy - copper layer is pretty thin, why to make it yet thinner.. especially when there's nothing better and cheaper than our SITOL^®  - ammoniac based metal cleaner and polisher.

I assume that starekase502 advices something very similar..

T.

[tasos]

don't worry about little stains.....if you can see clean copper...!.i use acetone and scotch brite to clean the board and it works fine...[once the board was like pink and brown!!!wrong etchant...ough!but acetone cleaned it! ]

[bean]

The only way you are going to sand through 1oz copper with 000 steel wool is if you have nothing else to do for 3 or 4 hours. Oxidation occurs on a very thin portion of the overall clad thickness.

[Paul Marossy]

I'd never touch PCB by sand paper or steel wool or anything else scratchy - copper layer is pretty thin, why to make it yet thinner.. especially when there's nothing better and cheaper than our SITOL^®   - ammoniac based metal cleaner and polisher.

I assume that starekase502 advices something very similar..

T.

Just for the record, I have always used a 3M pad on all of the PCBs I have etched. All it is doing is getting the oxidation off of the surface, it's not really making the copper any thinner at all. A fine grit sandpaper isn't going to, either.

An added benefit is that the etching time is faster, too. The etchant doesn't have to "work" as hard.

[Thomeeque]

Just for the record, I have always used a 3M pad on all of the PCBs I have etched. All it is doing is getting the oxidation off of the surface, it's not really making the copper any thinner at all. A fine grit sandpaper isn't going to, either.

Fine grit sand paper won't scratch the copper?

An added benefit is that the etching time is faster, too. The etchant doesn't have to "work" as hard.

Compared to what, to chemical cleaning? How?