Following from the EMPF HelpLine; Jeff Kukelhan sends: I would suggest that if the splashes only cover 1-3% of the contact area that the would not cause any serious problems. There are two concerns. The solder will evenetually form brittle intermetallics with the gold which could flake off under mechanical stress (i.e. connector mating). The other concern is that the solder would smear out over the surface of the finger after multiple insertion operations. This smeared solder may oxidize and cause contact resistance problems. If they are relatively small and sparse, I wouldn't worry about it. I might suggest using a temporary solder mask (tape type) in the future. You can contact us for further dialog if you wish at 317.226.5616 (Indianapolis) or e-mail to [log in to unmask]