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Posted by on November 15, 2006, 5:36 am
Greetings,
Although this may seem a noobish question, I had to ask for some
advice. I read that lead solder is really bad for you...so I was
looking for some lead-free solder. I bought some silver-bearing solder,
but right after that I read that silver-bearing solder flows really
poorly. Since I'm going to be doing some heavy duty soldering, could
you recommend a type of solder to me? Is Rosin-core solder good? Or do
you know of anything better?
Thanks,
George C. Linderman
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Posted by Sir Charles W. Shults III on November 15, 2006, 10:28 am
<snip>
. Since I'm going to be doing some heavy duty soldering, could
> you recommend a type of solder to me?
> Thanks,
> George C. Linderman
Well, George, my experience is that the lead-free alloys are pretty poor
stuff to work with. The concept was originally that lead-free solder should
(and rightly so) be used on any and all plumbing systems.
Somehow this concept got extended to plain old bench soldering. In part
there was wisdom to it, in that all electronic devices end up in the
landfill one day, but when you run a wave soldering or mass production
facility, you can generate and control the soldering conditions far more
readily than for bench work.
I have tried many of the lead-free alloys and as well intended as the
concept is, they suck. It is difficult to get some component leads and
solder pads to temperature for those alloys to flow readily without risking
damage to the parts. It can be done, surely, but for the novice who often
has questionable soldering skills and almost never has had any training, it
can double the difficulty of producing a good solid joint. It used to be
that soldering was something you could figure out easily in a weekend of
tinkering, and then through the observation of professional work you could
refine your technique. It would appear that those days are nearly gone.
I would recommend a standard 63/37 SnPb solder with a rosin core. Once
you have gotten familiar with how the material works and how to create a
clean joint in a reliable manner, then you might want to try your hand at
the newer materials. Just keep in mind that most are about twice as
expensive as standard electronic solder and you can wreck a lot of parts
without some real patience and practice.
Cheers!
Sir Charles W. Shults III, K.B.B.
Xenotech Research
321-206-1840
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Posted by on November 15, 2006, 11:35 am
On Nov 15, 10:28 am, "Sir Charles W. Shults III"
> I would recommend a standard 63/37 SnPb solder with a rosin core
Ah, thank you for the advice and help. Would you think this:
http://www.radioshack.com/product/index.jsp?productId 62711&cp 32058.2032236.2032313&allCountG&fbn=Type%2FSolder&f=PAD%2FProduct+Type%2FSolder&fbc=1&parentPage=family
solder is adequate? Also, is there a difference between flux and
solder? And if so, what does flux do?
The link above isn't exactly the mixture you said, but it's pretty
close. If that's not good, please link me to what you'd recommend on
radioshack.
Thanks,
George C. Linderman
.
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Posted by Sir Charles W. Shults III on November 15, 2006, 8:50 pm
> Ah, thank you for the advice and help. Would you think this:
>
http://www.radioshack.com/product/index.jsp?productId 62711&cp 32058.2032236.2032313&allCountG&fbn=Type%2FSolder&f=PAD%2FProduct+Type%2FSolder&fbc=1&parentPage=family
> solder is adequate? Also, is there a difference between flux and
> solder? And if so, what does flux do?
That solder is perfectly adequate. For the hobbyist, the difference
between 63/37 and 60/30 is too tiny to notice.
Flux is the material that acts something like a "primer". It chemically
prepares the metal surface to ensure good adhesion or wetting action. When
the flux is heated, it literally etches the metal surface you are trying to
solder and promotes the bond. It can mean the difference between a great
solder joint and no joint at all.
Standard pine rosin is a good and well known flux and has been used for
many decades. Some newer materials are synthetic resin fluxes, but rosin is
probably one of the least harsh to your lungs if inhaled. Our ancestors
have breathed it around the campfire for millenia.
Cheers!
Sir Charles W. Shults III, K.B.B.
Xenotech Research
321-206-1840
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Posted by Gordon McComb on November 15, 2006, 10:59 am
neo1991@gmail.com wrote:
> Although this may seem a noobish question, I had to ask for some
> advice. I read that lead solder is really bad for you...so I was
> looking for some lead-free solder. I bought some silver-bearing solder,
> but right after that I read that silver-bearing solder flows really
> poorly. Since I'm going to be doing some heavy duty soldering, could
> you recommend a type of solder to me? Is Rosin-core solder good? Or do
> you know of anything better?
For the average hobbyist the exposure is usually pretty low. Lead is
being phased out in commercial production because of the sheer volume of
it all, and the fact that most electronics end up in the landfill.
Billions of tons of trash every year will have thousands of tons of lead
in it. I doubt you personally will ever use that much!
The usual caveats apply and you should be okay: avoid the smoke from the
solder (it's the rosin; the lead is too heavy to be in the smoke), wash
your hands after you solder, store the solder away from children,
animals, food prep surfaces, don't likc the end of your soldering pencil
with your tongue, etc.
I've been working with leaded solder all my life and there is nohting
worng wtih me!
(Seriously, if you are introducing kids to electronics, you might look
for a small reel of lead-free solder. Though their lead ingestion will
will be quite low even with a leaded solder, children are the most
susceptible to lead poisoning.)
-- Gordon
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