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Solder - lead, silver or lead free? What thickness?

Anyone remember the debacle when XBox's where using lead-free solder? I bought a XBox around that time, had to send it back for repair after about one month. It lasted about another 3 months and fizzled out.

Solder selection depends on application. If I needed a high reliability electrical connection, such as in a nuclear weapon, I would use silver solder if the circuit ran hot and had to survive other environmental conditions, such as sitting for 20 years in a unheated/cooled vault.

For most uses at home, such as stereo gear, the 1mm diameter lead/tin solder is perfect. Lead and tin are used because when heated, a eutectic point is reached with regards to temperature. In other words, if the solder contains a certain percentage of lead to tin (Pb/Sn), the alloy melts at a lower temperature than lead or tin would by itself. When you are soldering, you want to join two conductive metals together so that they will stay together despite being heated and cooled during operation of the circuit. One advantage to using a solder with a mixture of silver is that the circuit could withstand higher temperatures since the eutectic temperature would be higher with solder containing silver. Many military and aircraft electronics use a solder containing silver because the goal is that the electronics survive and are reliable under much more extreme conditions than lead free and Pb/Sn solders.
 
sanyofreak said:
As long as you dont plan on eating the solder, or anything that contains lead for that matter, there is absolutely nothing toxic about it at all. There is no substitute for it in certain industrial uses, nor will there ever be. The best paint ever devised and still in use contains it for good reason - you just cant buy it without special license.
The best solder for electronics use is and always will be 63/37 rosin core. Silver content solders are not made for electronics use and offer only disadvantages. No lead solders also are not made for electronics use however some do exist, but none work as well as the alloy content I have noted.
Lead free is a hoax and lie perpetrated on us much like R12 refrigerant and CL bulbs, where the "green" alternatives not only do not work as well, but are later found to actually be more harmful to us and environment. Some may argue this, but I will not, especially after what is most likely hundreds of thousands of connections over a 30+ year career.
63/37 rosin core for electronics. 60/40 Ok. All others use to repair jewelry or connect copper water pipes.
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+1 on that post! I've been soldering for 35 years and not dead yet!

Anything other than leaded solder is pure crap. Lead free is the worst joke the EU has forced on the rest of the world. Nothing but failures, cracked connections that WON'T re-flow and shorts caused by tin whiskers.

Stick to what is known to work. :thmbsp:
 
Lead solders still available in AUstralia. I use Jaycar 60/40 if i were doing a pcb board in an amp, as the solder in them would be that anyway, and it flows better.

For my interconnects, speaker cables, i got some silver content lead free solder, Stannol (german brand) from Element14, has 3.8% silver and gives a lovely shiny finish.
 
Ordered 100g spool of 63/37 rosin core with 2.0% flux.
That should be enough for a dozen pair of crossovers.
 
I prefer 60/40, leadfree sucks. Luckily, it is still available at electronics stores - bought a 250 gram 1 mm roll of pro grade 60/40 for 20 bucks last month. I stick with .7 and 1 mm thickness, 1.5 mm for crossovers and larger joints.
 
Silver is added to solder to increase its melting point. It's used for circuits that live next to jet engines and ovens. That kind of thing. Its the exact opposite of what you want in audio circuits.

A lot of people think that it "improves" the circuit by being lower resistance. It doesn't. ;)
 
Just want to say thanks to all for your knowledge on this subject. It is now more clearer to me about the subject of solder as I get ready to tackle my first restoration project.
I have the components ready, just need the right equipment now.
 
I have some Qualitek 60/40 that I bought at the electronics store. It says that it is .032 thickness and it works well. Can't remember how much I paid but I'm pretty sure it wasn't that expensive.
 
They say this is the best or is it just marketing hype? :scratch2:

Kester 44 Rosin Core Solder 63/37 .031″ 1 lb. Spool

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SoundOfSound said:
They say this is the best or is it just marketing hype? :scratch2:

Kester 44 Rosin Core Solder 63/37 .031″ 1 lb. Spool
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Not hype. 63/37 is known as eutectic solder. Similar to 60/40 but has one big advantage. It has only two states. Solid. Liquid. It goes directly from one to the other and back again. There is NO middle 'pasty' state. Hence the possibility of getting a cold solder joint is pretty much eliminated.
 
Ohighway said:
Not hype. 63/37 is known as eutectic solder. Similar to 60/40 but has one big advantage. It has only two states. Solid. Liquid. It goes directly from one to the other and back again. There is NO middle 'pasty' state. Hence the possibility of getting a cold solder joint is pretty much eliminated.
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That's good to know about the cold solder joints. :thmbsp:

I was actually asking a question about Kester 44 solder in 63/37. Some people are saying it works better than other 63/37 solders out there but it would be hard to imagine why. Perhaps there is an impurity issue with some off brand names. :scratch2:
 
SoundOfSound said:
That's good to know about the cold solder joints. :thmbsp:

I was actually asking a question about Kester 44 solder in 63/37. Some people are saying it works better than other 63/37 solders out there but it would be hard to imagine why. Perhaps there is an impurity issue with some off brand names. :scratch2:
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It's the flux that makes Kester 44 work the way it does (that's what the "44" refers to). I do find that the fumes from 44 are particularly irritating, so try have good ventilation.
 
TRT Wonder Solder is a joy to work with. This makes my projects go much smoother.
I have not tried the lead-free Wonder Solder, they make both, but if it flows like the classic they have a real winner. Lead free is not as easy to use as leaded and requires tight temperature control which may not work for the hobbyist. Of course keeping lead and other metals from leaching out of dumps into ground water, is a fine idea.

Thanks,
Ron-C
 
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Amazon.com is watching us.

After I read this thread, I went to Amazon for something unrelated...and they tried to suggestive sell the Kester 37/63.

I read a thread about hearing loss in the Pub. My next visit to Amazon had a pair of ear plugs that had been recommended on the thread waiting for me. I bought the ear plugs; Emotivas, IIRC. They were great, but I lost them within 3 days at my former job.

I'm not sure I like being profiled by the net. I would buy the Kester solder, but I'm unemployed.
 
Another solder question: At what temp should I set my digital solder station for 63/37 solder? (I'm pretty sure I've set it too high the few times I've used it.) I have the popular cheapie station which Radio Shack sold out of a few years ago - seems to work well, though the tip could be finer. I recall reading that replacement tips for that model weren't available anymore - at least at RS at the time. I assume tips are steel and could be fashioned? Or I can grind the one I have a little?

So that's two questions...temps and tips.
 
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