From: clare@snyder.on.ca   
      
   On Wed, 24 Sep 2025 10:02:58 -0400, Leon Fisk    
   wrote:   
      
   >On Tue, 23 Sep 2025 17:59:38 -0400   
   >"Jim Wilkins"  wrote:   
   >   
   >>It was visible because I used a powerful Optivisor headband magnifier (a   
   >>recent flea market treasure) and soldered for a living so I know what a bad   
   >>or failed  joint looks like. Instead of flowing smoothly onto the pin the   
   >>solder was peeled back very slightly at the intersection with the pin, as   
   >>though 25 years of thermal cycling had torn it loose. The break was visible   
   >>as a hairline gap in what should have been a continuous light bulb   
   >>reflection along the fillet/meniscus.   
   >   
   >Had to do a lot of soldering too. Had two pencils, a kinda pencil vacuum   
   >sucker and a 250 watt gun at my work bench. The vacuum unit had a   
   >pretty strong heater in it, sometimes used it for soldering to   
   >supplement the 60 watt pencil.   
   >   
   >I had several magnifiers too. A 7x Loupe was the most   
   >useful. Also had a "microscope" shaped like a fat Sharpy   
   >pen. It was useful some of the time if you could get a bright light,   
   >focal distance and angle all aligned at the same time??   
   >   
   >I spotted an Optivisor 2x Model on AZ several years ago that had been   
   >returned for a nice price and bought it. Also have the flip up/down   
   >booster (LP1 OptiLoupe, Adds 2.5X) for one eye for it but haven't put it   
   >on. The working distance on it is pretty close-up which kinda limits   
   >its usefulness for me.   
   >   
   >I'm really near sighted, I can push my glasses up or take them off   
   >and do a fair job checking solder joints that way. Suspect far sighted   
   >people would find the Optivisor a lot more helpful...   
    I USED to be able to see fine details up close even in questionable   
   light - but I was YOUNG then!!! now even with good light and my   
   glasses AND a magnifier the details sometimes escape me. That's when I   
   pull out the temperature controlled pencil and the roll of solder and   
   reflow every joint that looks anything CLOSE to a possible problem.   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)