Reflux soldering at 2am changed my whole stance on hot air pens

For months I fought through cold joints hand soldering little LED boards for my Halloween props, then last night I borrowed my buddy's $30 hot air pen and tried flux paste for once. That goopy stuff is not a scam, it made the solder flow like water and I redid a whole 12-pin strip in 5 minutes. Anyone else stubbornly avoid flux paste until they actually used a heat gun on a real job?

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lunashah2mo ago

Gotta say I kinda see it the opposite way, flux paste is great but it also makes a mess that takes forever to clean up, especially on those small boards where it gets stuck in every little corner. A good iron with a fine tip and some liquid flux can do the same job if you take your time, and you don't have to worry about blowing components around. Maybe it's just me, but I'd rather stick with the slower, cleaner method than deal with that sticky residue at midnight.

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