Well (after trying brake fluid, and it didn't work at all), I covered some gold traced memory board parts with water and added some (about 10% of the water volume) Red Devil Lye. In about 24 hours the water was gray and syrupy thick and all the green mask was off the boards. I had broken the memory sticks into about five or six pieces so they would fit into a mason jar and lie flat. I did swirl it hard from time-to-time, but I don't know if that was necessary. And I don't know if it actually finished sooner, I just checked it after 24 hours by filling it to the top with water (it was only about 1/5 up with the solution) to dilute it, then poured it down the drain, then repeated, etc. But there was no brushing required at all, and they were clean to the bone.
I then soaked them overnight in HCl, and boiled that the next day (I don't know if that was necessary either, but I know from making stannous chloride that tin doesn't go very fast at all in cool HCl), to remove solder so it wouldn't gum up the Aqua Regia.
Here's what I'm wondering, concerning both of the above steps---
I recently read on the forum about using lye and peroxide to "remove tin and lead only." So now I'm wondering if that solution would also remove the mask all at the same time? It mentioned that the stronger peroxide solutions were used for this (which I've read are pretty nasty stuff). If this would work, it would save the extra effort of rinsing and adding HCl, and also it would eliminate the time it takes for the second soak.
Has anyone tried this, or have any idea as to whether it would work?
Don
