ive seen alot of stripboards being ruined due to rust. from what i understand is that this happens when your fingers touch the copper strips. i try not to touch the strips with my fingers and i usually keep new stripboards in bubble packing. but can somebody tell me a better solution. its just that the stripboards look very ugly when they have rusted and i dont like that. what do u guys do to protect it from rusting?

 

Well, for a start it's not 'rust' - rust is iron oxide, the strips are copper so you get some kind of copper oxide.

A simple solution, if it bothers you, is to varnish the bottom of the board after it's completed - you can get spray cans to do this.

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Or tin the board in a tinning wash.
It's a normal part of PCB manufacturing.


Edit: Or just tin the board using solder. It will prevent the copper from degrading as it's more reactive.

 

You can restore a tarnished but otherwise new board if you prepare a solution of vinegar and salt and dip the board in for a moment or two, then scrub and wash. DO NOT use this method with boards that already have solder, tin or components on them, as this will actually make it WORSE.