material from the area around the solder joint. A scraper [7]
is a good tool for removing excess solder since the solder is
soft enough to be removed by scraping but the metal (such as
brass) is hard enough that it is unaffected.
I purchased a set of three scrapers from some unknown source
a few years ago. Micro-Mark
) has a set of four
scrapers with different heads, with the largest usable for scrap-
ing excess solder. The set sells for about $12.00.
Sanding sticks
Sanding sticks [8] can be thought of as emery paper bonded
to a piece of foam-core in the shape of a “file." They are avail-
able from a number of online sites including beauty supply
companies such as Sally Beauty Supply
7
7. Scrapers work well in removing excess solder. The wide
head makes it easy to remove solder without damaging the
underlying metal.
The Tool Shed - 4
8
8. This sanding stick features four different grits.
Unfortunately, I don’t remember where I bought it. But single-
grit sanding sticks are available from a number of sources.
where they are called “nail files,” but it is difficult to deter-
mine the grit of their nail files. Another online supplier, Flex-
i-file
, has a number of options, although they
are more expensive.
These sanding sticks range in grit from coarse to ultra-fine. Be
sure to get a set which covers this range and not just the ultra-
fine end of the range. I don’t use mine very often, but I did
while working on a model which used brass shapes, since the
ultra-fine grit sticks worked very well in cleaning surfaces for
soldering. I also use one to clean the tips of my resistance sol-
dering tweezers, since they need to be very clean to function.
They are handy tools.
Diamond sharpeners
A friend recently told me about diamond sharpeners [9] which
are sold for sharpening tools and knives. They consist of an
MRH-Nov 2014
