I recently came to the realization that I’ve been kinda punishing myself with cheap no-name solder that is really difficult to work with.
I reluctantly bought this (rather expensive) lead free solder for around $25 and the difference really took me by surprise - it melts and flows so easily!
Kinda got me wondering what everyone else has been using for solder, or what’s worked well for you so far at least?
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Ages ago (80’s I think) there was talk of making lead free solder the only type that was available to consumers, and my great uncle (a deal horder) went out and got 2 cases of radioshack 64/40 resin core. Pretty sure it’s the same stuff you can still buy today, but I’ve got another 4 spools in my kit (that are old enough to drink).
In my uncles defense sometimes his deal hording paid off. He once saved a family reunion when our venue fell through because he happened to have a dozen brand new hibachi grills in the apartment he rented just for his stuff. And he made a small fortune when he bought a bunch of freon before it went off the market.
Kester 63/37 no-clean 22AWG for leaded work, SN100C no-clean for RoHS. Mg chemicals and chip quik are good alternatives, Kester can be expensive to justify for home use.
I use cheap trash solder, and dislike soldering, very possibly because of it
I’ll look into upgrading my solder, thanks 👍
I got some cheap solder with my solder station and it was the bane of my existence. Found some leaded solder I think I got from radio shack years ago and it works so well. I hate to say it but I haven’t yet had good success with unleaded solder. Someone please save me from the brain damage.
That’s just healthy, you’ll build up a resistance to lead poisoning
“What doesn’t immediately kill you always makes you stronger”
“What doesn’t immediately kill you always makes you stronger”
Cancer?
I have 60/40 leaded solder that worked pretty well. I’m definetly going to invest into some good lead free solder
I’m all about the leaded solder – but I also use it very infrequently and don’t worry about the motility of my swimmers ;)
I think it’s the your synapses you need to worry about, but I forget, I love my 60/40 too. Still have a couple big rolls from RadioShack.
Really though if you wash hands after handling it, and use it in such small hobby scale quantities as most, it won’t matter. The smoke from the burning rosin is probably more dangerous.
Leaded baby
With no ventilation! Mmm, smells like dying brain cells.
The smoke is from the rosin core and flux. Lead free is equally bad for the lungs.
I wouldn’t eat after touching Lead though.
60/40 leaded solder with rosin core, from a local reputable supplier
While 60/40 is a joy to work with, I gave SAC305 a shot and it’s been totally fine for my uses with hobby electronic projects. You need to run your soldering iron hotter so it’ll be rougher on your iron’s tips, but I haven’t noticed much difference in ware, etc.
As a hobbyist, contributing to junk with lead in the world is something that’s been bugging me for some time. Additionally, it feels silly but there’s also a certain relief in not having to worry as much about contamination between my workbench and the rest of my environment.
If you haven’t already I’d also suggest getting some good flux. The Amtech NC-559-ASM has been working great for me.
That makes sense! In my case I actually needed to turn down my iron temps for the lead-free solder, previously had it ridiculously high from when I was trying to work with the cheap no-name solder.
This new lead free stuff is great, it comes with a price tag but it’s eons better than the no-name stuff IMO.
I have flux (syringe type) but I have no idea if I’m using it correctly, or if it’s just not that great. Haven’t noticed too much of a difference when soldering with it, apart from needing to brush off the circuit board with some contact cleaner to remove the residue
What temperature are you using?
350°C, although I occasionally turn it down to 325 when I don’t need the extra heat.
When I was using my older, cheaper solder, I had the iron maxed out at 420 and that wouldn’t melt or flow easily
The navy gave me a spool like 5+ years ago. It has no label. They were going to trash it. I have no idea whatsoever what its composition is. It’s rosin core and that’s about all I know. I also have a few different gauges of safety wire and shear wire.
I have a similar-sized roll of 0.5mm Felder Sn100Ni+ with their ultra clear flux. Love the shinyness.
Indeed, don’t skimp on solder, especially when soldering lead-free.
Give me good ole rosin core 60/40 lead solder any day.
Admittedly I’ve never used any “good” lead free solder.
I use ChipQuik’s 62/36/2.
I haven’t found a lead free solder that works as well as this stuff. Plus, I never need to worry about silver-plated stuff cracking at the joint.
60/40 baby! https://www.esr.co.uk/shop/contents/en-uk/p32410_100g_0.7mm_(22SWG)_60_40_Solder_(RoHS_Exempt).html Not from this shop, but the hqproducts label is the same.
Word came down from on high, that I wasn’t to use 60/40 for teaching anymore. Usually went through about 1kg annually, and I had just stocked up. I think I had just gotten 8kg, or something like that, because of the bulk rebate, about a year before. And what was I to do? We weren’t allowed to have the solder on premises anymore.
So anyway, 60/40 for 1.0 and 0.7mm and some sn/pb/ag for 0.25mm. And no, I don’t have ventilation for my workspace, but I do have enough solder to last a couple of lifetimes.
I finally bought some flux last year and was angry at myself for all the wasted years, proper solder is next on the list but I still have some cheap but usable solder that I want to use up first
Kester 48 SAC305 or K100LD, depending on the application. If you’re not trying for ROHS compliance, the Kester 44 with 66 Core is very good.
