If the functionality loss is caused by these whiskers shorting circuits, why can't one simply restore functionality by lightly scraping the soldering to knock off the whiskers?
The whiskers are often far too short for that to work, and that assumes the whiskers are even exposed such that you could "scrape" them. Furthermore, there'd be a risk you'd end up depositing the whiskers elsewhere on the circuit...
Comments
If the functionality loss is caused by these whiskers shorting circuits, why can't one simply restore functionality by lightly scraping the soldering to knock off the whiskers?
The whiskers are often far too short for that to work, and that assumes the whiskers are even exposed such that you could "scrape" them. Furthermore, there'd be a risk you'd end up depositing the whiskers elsewhere on the circuit...