Finishing outside the box

You might try an auto parts store. The fine grits are often used for automotive paint prep.

Auto parts store.

different preferences for different locations. I bought old yeller about 3 cases at a time.

It was Empire that had TopCote before, I began using it around 1989. It was in a pump bottle vs. aerosol. TopCote was bought by Bostik and recently renamed the product as GlideCote

Not exactly the same. Have you used the 3M for your metal wood working surfaces? TopCote specifically says that it will not be a problem for finishes.

This is one of Empires most recent products.

Agreed, the home remedies do not hold up as well as the products specifically made to prevent rust. Granted home remedies probably work for some people but not all.

snipped-for-privacy@notreal.com wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@4ax.com:

Well, I just tried it. Yes, I know--but sometimes you gotta pee on the electric fence for yourself. No LED worked at all. I didn't bother metering the resistors, I probably should have.

I'll cut another board and give things a try again. It sounds like you and Markem have some experience, any suggestions? Will drying the LEDs somehow help?

FWIW, I'm cutting the traces with a CNC mill, so my traces are a good .030" taller than the rest of the board.

Puckdropper

Resistors will take quite a lot of punishment but it might be worthwhile checking them too. Any silicon devices will be far more sensitive than the resistors. You might check connections, too (to see if the soldering worked at all).

I wouldn't use a skillet. A lot of people have good luck with toaster ovens. LEDs are a special case, though. The melting point of the package is close to the solder melting point. The temperature profile (time vs. temperature) matters a lot. I'd suggest placing and soldering LEDs by hand.

Try buffing the board with a green Scotch Brite pad. It'll knock down any burrs on the traces and polish it nice and pretty. ;-)

snipped-for-privacy@notreal.com wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@4ax.com:

Argh... My test bed failed. I've got a useful little thing that's a 9V battery holder with a 1k resistor soldered to it. Unfortunately, the crimp failed and was inconsistently passing power.

I only had 6 poorly soldered LEDs out of 24, and after fixing them they all light!

Moral of the story (and why I'm posting): Occasionally verify your test equipment works properly!

Puckdropper