Sticky, Taped Transistors

BuddytheReow

Breadboard Baker
Not sure if this has been addressed or not, but here goes...

Many transistors that we pick up (not all) some on a strip of cardboard with some masking tape to hold it on there. I have a few that still have a lot of the sticky residue and some tape still on the leads. What would be the best way to strip it off and still save the leads? I'm thinking goo gone or some other solvent, but would like to hear what others think.

BuddytheReow
 
Alcohol should get rid of it—I’d try that before trying to abrade it away. Even though I use sockets, there’s usually still enough length above the tape to work, but I have gotten them with the transistor body pretty close to the cardboard befoe.
 
To be honest whenever I get a component that comes taped to a strip like this I pretty much just yank off the lead and solder it as usual. In my experience the iron is always hot enough to pretty much disintegrate any sort of residue that's left behind and then I clean the whole PCB with rubbing alcohol when it's all said and done. Even in the absolute worst-case examples I've never seen a component with anywhere near enough residue left behind to prevent a solid connection in any discernible way.

So, in short...I dunno, maybe it's not the best advice but I just don't worry about it one way or another, lol. Would probably just give a quick wipe with a towel/alcohol if I had to, I guess.
 
Sometimes I don't find alcohol enough to do the trick on these and I'll use 50/50 alcohol/acetone that I also use as flux cleaner. I'll lay down a folded paper towel and just douse the cardboard and masking tape in alcohol, fold the paper towel over the tape and wait a couple of minutes before peeling them out. I'll move up to the alcohol/acetone if there's still residue but I'll rinse with alcohol before letting them dry and storing.
 
I started just snipping them right above the card when I get ready to populate. There's always plenty of leg left over.
But I would just rip the paper off and use my thumbnail to scrape the glue/tape off.
But then I don't save any legs anymore since investing in a spool of Buss wire....
 
I polish the leads of all my components with very fine steel wool wet with isopropyl before I test them, and solder them. This removes the goo and looks really nice on amps. Most of the leads disappear on pedal boards, so not so looking as good on those, but the main goal is to be sure the lead is completely free of debris and oxide before soldering....
 
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