What kind of solder to use

Puddintane

AK Subscriber
Subscriber
I've been using some Radio Shack 60/40 .32" rosin core solder that I got at the local RS a few years ago. It's one of those small tubes, and I need to get more, but that store closed. Is there a brand/content that is recommended for electronics work? That diameter seems to be good for what I use it for. Would something like this (link) be as good/better than what I've been using? Although one pound might last me 20 years!
 
Or maybe this one? I think it's the same as the one I linked above, except that it's thicker (same thickness as what I use now), plus it's $6 cheaper for the same quantity.
 
I've been using some Radio Shack 60/40 .32" rosin core solder that I got at the local RS a few years ago. It's one of those small tubes, and I need to get more, but that store closed. Is there a brand/content that is recommended for electronics work? That diameter seems to be good for what I use it for. Would something like this (link) be as good/better than what I've been using? Although one pound might last me 20 years!

This is what I use.
 
My primary solder is Multicore 63/37 in 0.048". Thick enough for bigger jobs, not too huge for normal stuff. For smaller things I keep a roll of 63/37, 0.025".
 
I use the 0.031". If you do SMT, go smaller. If you do a lot of lugs, go larger. The 63/37 is a bit nicer than 60/40, as it has no plastic state, but the difference is very small.
 
My first pound lasted from the 80s until a few years ago. Now I have 4 different sizes (because a local AKer was unloading some at a get together for fair prices). From your experience, think about how long you had the iron on the component for the solder joint to form (melt from the roll to the piece) if you go bigger that will be a shorter time (good for the component) but you will lose the ability to do small work. If you go too small, like that .025, maybe you soldering will require heat longer on the component. I think many feel that the .031 is the best compromise for all around use, but larger and smaller will work with some limitations. My .015 needs a few inches to form the fillet of solder on some larger component leads, it is really thin stuff. The .062 forms the fillet and spills out of the trace on first touch to the iron/pad/component so these two don't get used too much.
 
I use the 0.031". If you do SMT, go smaller. If you do a lot of lugs, go larger. The 63/37 is a bit nicer than 60/40, as it has no plastic state, but the difference is very small.

+1 on this. I always buy Kester, I use about 4 pounds per year. If you need a small quantity, bu yit from a local shop may be the way to go - Chris
 
Kester 44,in either 63/37 or 60/40. Multicore is also an excellent choice. Avoid the off-brand makes,they're usually crap and a waste of money.
Stay away from anything with ''no clean'' in the name; we tried some of this stuff at work,and the fumes really stink and make your eyes water:confused:
 
K44 is good stuff. I have K44 in .062, and Ersin Multicore in .031. I prefer the 63/37 but 60/40 works fine. For years I ran Radio Shack 60/40 but now that they're gone I stick to flea markets and other sources of cheap lead.

Kester has a specific smell to it that I like though. I think their flux is actually pine rosin based.
 
My first pound lasted from the 80s until a few years ago. Now I have 4 different sizes (because a local AKer was unloading some at a get together for fair prices). From your experience, think about how long you had the iron on the component for the solder joint to form (melt from the roll to the piece) if you go bigger that will be a shorter time (good for the component) but you will lose the ability to do small work. If you go too small, like that .025, maybe you soldering will require heat longer on the component. I think many feel that the .031 is the best compromise for all around use, but larger and smaller will work with some limitations. My .015 needs a few inches to form the fillet of solder on some larger component leads, it is really thin stuff. The .062 forms the fillet and spills out of the trace on first touch to the iron/pad/component so these two don't get used too much.

That's interesting. because I've watched a few videos on Youtube about soldering and electronics repair. And it seems like they touch the component for a couple seconds and then touch the solder and its melts immediately. I have a good iron but it never works like that for me. I guess it could be the solder itself, but also the thickness. Never crossed my mind.
 
I use the .062 for tube stuff mostly. Lots more terminal space there to suck up the lead.

Is the iron tip clean and properly tinned? If its not you'll have more trouble getting it to melt. Same if the joint is a bit on the crusty side. The oxide layer blocks heat transfer.
 
There are lots of varieties of solder once you start ordering from outfits like DigiKey or Mouser. Same general brand like Kester or Multicore, but different amount/percentage of flux, different agressiveness of fluxes, etc., etc.

I think I spent a couple hours contemplating the various options and ended up just picking something that looked about in the middle.

If one is doing pretty much all new work then a lesser percent of mild flux is probably the ticket. If it's crusty old rework then a higher percentage of more agressive flux may be in order.
 
#245 no-clean uses less flux, which is OK for new/clean parts and boards, but not a good choice for the DIY repair person. If I'm building brand new boards from scratch, I'll use #331 water soluble flux solder, but you absolutely have to wash it off as it's corrosive and conductive. Again, not a good choice for the average DIY repair person, but it makes for super easy cleanup. There's more than one good brand of solder, but Kester is best known in the USA. Ersin Multicore is also good and I really liked their "Savbit" alloy. The cost way exceeds the actual amount of silver, but a 1.5% Ag solder is nice for high end work, for bragging rights if nothing else. You would use silver solder when working with very fine wire because copper is slightly soluble in solder.
 
I've watched a few videos on Youtube about soldering and electronics repair. And it seems like they touch the component for a couple seconds and then touch the solder and its melts immediately. I have a good iron but it never works like that for me. I guess it could be the solder itself, but also the thickness. Never crossed my mind.

The method should be to have a bit of wetness of solder on the iron tip, not dirt, burned up flux, worn out non-tinable tip and touch that wetness to the component lead and the solder pad at the same time and very shortly after that touch the solder to those hot parts to melt what you need. Shortly is determined by how hot your iron is as folks run temps from 600 to 800 depending. All the cleanliness and small amount of solder on the tip being the same, the size of the components you need to heat have an effect, pulling heat out of the tip.

There are different types of heat control on an iron. An inexpensive pencil is a constant wattage and it maintains temp without touching anything. When you touch the work the iron cools the work heats and soon enough if the work is small there is enough heat to solder. The next step up is a variable temperature iron, one where you can set the wattage of the iron. This means it can run hotter and when put on a larger piece of work will provide that higher temp to the work for a quicker ready to solder situation but the higher temp could be enough to lift pads by melting the glue.

The irons folks talk about here are similar to the Hakko FX-888, a temperature controlled iron. These are set to a temp and they have a sensor that tells the station what the temp is. When the iron at the set point is touched to the work, it drops in temp and the station reads that and pours the coal to the iron to get back to temp as quickly as possible. There isn't a wattage change but an on off. The Weller station I got a couple years ago claims a 100°F increase in 10 sec. Nice compared to the constant wattage units.

All that said, the time needed to heat the work is going to vary based on what type of iron and what setting or wattage is used.
 
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