Everybody should stock up on solder.
turbo
is being fased out, and will be banned in the near future. The new
replacement solder is VERY expensive, and also a nightmare to work
with. The main problem is that it requires a great deal more heat to
melt, which will not be good for board repairs, and switch changes,
and such, but it also has other major problems. The cost of standard
solder has allready started to shoot up in anticipation of the
changeover date. I tried to order a large quantity from Mouser right
after I recieved their latest catalogue. 60/40 Kester rosin core
solder was 19.00 in the catalogue, but when I went to order it, the
price was 26.00 This increase happened just in the time from when the
catalogue was printed to when I recieved it! I'm not positive, but I
think the price for the replacement solder was 80.00 per roll. Some
states have allready pre-empted the federal ban, and you can only buy
the new stuff, but most places still have the old for now. I went to
my local large electrical supply store yesterday, and loaded up as
they still had the regular solder at a decent price, but they did tell
me that the price has gone up dramatically, and when they have to re-
order stock, the price will go up substantially. They also told me
that some of their local large customers have told them that once the
actual ban date is announced that they will be purchasing multiple
cases of the original to stock up before the ban. The guy at the
counter has told me that NOBODY has been happy with the performance,
and useability of the replacement. I would recommend that people stock
up while they can because the price will only be going up, and it
sounds like the replacement solder could be a real nightmare. Just
wanted to let people know. Thanks. Mike.
seymour-shabow
> Most people probably do not know that the standard lead combo solder
> is being fased out, and will be banned in the near future.
That seems pretty stupid..... government at work!
There might be more behind this than just the lead issues - if the
replacement is hard to work with, it might be harder for ordinary people
to bother with any kind of electronic experimentation, they give up
knowledge...... conspiracy theorists can take over from here......
I did know that they were phasing it out, I should buy a couple extra
spools of solder next time I'm in radioshack......
-scott CARGPB#29
PT
each.
Most home electronics have been using crappy solder for 12+ years.
Not sure if it is all lead free, but it sucks. If you ever have
something fail - like a TV or stereo receiver - it usually seems to be
a solder related problem.
Recently my Sony stereo AVR failed. You could hear clicking inside
and the surround/center channels were popping in and out. I opened
the unit up and flowed a little leaded solder onto EVERY solder joint
that I could get to - especially any relays that I could find. Hooked
it back up and everything works fine. A while back I fixed a (CRT) TV
and my mom's computer monitor with the same "no brainer" method.
A friend of mine fixes TVs on the side. He says touching up solder
fixes close to 50% of the TVs and monitors that people bring to him.
No troubleshooting involved!
Ironic that the TVs and stereos going into landfills now-a-days don't
have lead in them any more, but there's probably three times as many
of them going there!
John
Ken Layton
applications are exempt from this regulation. Seems those industries
have already discovered how bad/unreliable the new stuff is and they
put up a big stink about it. So it would appear that normal solder
will still be manufactured for those folks. Maybe you simply change
your name to something like "Joe's Aircraft Electronics Repair" and
you'll get all the normal solder you want.
Kenbo
All of these "exempt" applications are made using commercial parts.
Nearly all commercial parts will be made RoHS (lead-free) since they
can be used in all applications.
So a medical device manufacturer buys them and sticks them in your
pacemaker. Then they fail, you die, the manufacturer gets sued, and
the government caused all the trouble.
Tell all the politicians to lick some leaded solder.
Kyle Wren
turbo says...
Wow, good to know. I never really felt like the old stuff was all the easy to
work with. This change could effectively eliminate some of us hobbiest doing our
own repairs.... :-(
--
Kyle Wren
CARGPB #27
"Worst... Ball... EVER!!"
Mark Clayton
that grow like tendrils out of the solder joints. They can
make contact with other pads and traces and essentially
short out the circuit. Talk about "planned" product obsolesence.
-Mark
--
http://pinballpal.com
"seymour-shabow" <seymour...@excite.com> wrote in message news:fr66qn$3rh$2...@aioe.org...
1st
What is everyone's favotrite brand?
RadioShack, Kester?
rosin % 60/40 63/37 some silver?
Diameter .015 .032 .060?
Chris
Mark Clayton
For SMT rework, I have some .015.
No silver. Sounds good but doesn't work as well.
-Mark
--
http://pinballpal.com
"1st" <robert...@irco.com> wrote in message news:0eceb7bb-6f38-4328...@i7g2000prf.googlegroups.com...
Ken Layton
I use Radio Shack # 64-005 solder.
pinballkings nephew
im going to buy a lifetime supply
PinAffliction
temperature required to melt it. Mechanical strength also varies with
alloy but is not a critical factor for electronic assemblies, rather
for mechanical structures such as gutters, for example.
63/37 has the lowest possible melting temperature, and therefore is
the preferred alloy, especially when used with a temperature
controlled soldering station.
The lower the temp you can use to get the job done the better your
chances are of not lifting the copper artwork off the PCBs, burning
the substrate, or melting plastic on switches, coils, etc.
I would also suggest you stock up on leaded solder compatible flux
(non-acidic please!), as RoHS solders require a different flux
chemistry.
The list below was taken from whittemoredurgin.com website.
0% TIN 100% LEAD -- 621 Degrees F MELTING POINT
10% TIN 90% LEAD -- 572 Degrees F MELTING POINT
30% TIN 70% LEAD -- 496 Degrees F MELTING POINT
40% TIN 60% LEAD -- 460 Degrees F MELTING POINT
50% TIN 50% LEAD -- 421 Degrees F MELTING POINT
60% TIN 40% LEAD -- 375 Degrees F MELTING POINT
63% TIN 37% LEAD -- 361* Degrees F MELTING POINT
*Lowest possible melting point of the alloy.
Scott
RonKZ650
still have 9lbs or so left. TVs have always had solder connection
problems, but pretty much have all gone lead free solder in the last 5
yrs or so. I hate to say it, but the lead free has much less problems
with bad connections than standard solder surprisingly, but it's very
hard to work with.
PT
you do a whole lot of soldering. I like the thinner diameter, but the
thicker stuff from Radio Shack works well on larger items like coils.
Good:
http://www.mpja.com/prodinfo.asp?number=4457+TL
http://www.radioshack.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2062714&cp=&pg=1&sr=1&origkw=solder&kw=solder&parentPage=search
Best:
http://www.mcmelectronics.com/product.asp?product_id=21-1840&catalog_name=MCMProducts
John
Steve
a large test equipment maker. Several times the company
made attempts to get away from lead/tin solder. Not just
the solder itself, but the same lead/tin that is used to plate
PC boards.
Ever time this was tried, it was deemed unreliable because
of dendrite growth between traces. Its a property of tin
(unalloyed) that in the presence of ANY moisture and
an electric field, dendrites will grow that eventually develop
into a dead short. I was amazed at how FAST this happens.
Minutes, under the high humidity conditions.
We can all thank the Green Weenies and a clueless gov't
once again.
The good news is old solder will work on the ROHS
compliant boards. Won't matter much though....
Steve
Qbert247
No worries from me. I have a lifetime supply of the stuff(1 case of 24
1lb rolls)!
Gott Lieb?
solder in the plumbing industry nearly 20 years ago. About ten years
after that, I worked for a company that did a lot of plumbing bids for
various branches of the federal gov't. A bid came in where the gov't
requested 100's of rolls of 50/50 solder. Of course, I put on the bid
that it was NLA, and we would not be submitting.
Shortly thereafter, I received a call from that branch asking why we
weren't bidding on it, and why it was NLA. I responded with, "Well,
your employer banned the sale of it 10 years ago, and anyone who did
sell it would incur steep fines". His reply was, "What are we supposed
to use then? We've finally run out of our supply of 50/50". I told him
him that various lead free alternates were available. He stated, "No,
we can't use that. That stuff is junk!"
I just laughed to myself. Everyone else had to change 10 years prior,
now the gov't had a problem making the conversion. What a load of crap!
Jim
CARGPB35
gamefixer
I've heard from a guy that I work with (he used to be in the TV biz)
that when you mix this new solder with boards that have old solder on
them some sort of metal "growth" starts to crawl across the boards.
This takes years to develope but it can short stuff out. I guess it
has something to do with the differnet metals in the solders.
Matt
gamefixer
> One problem introduced by lead-free solder are tin whiskers
> that grow like tendrils out of the solder joints. They can
> make contact with other pads and traces and essentially
> short out the circuit. Talk about "planned" product obsolesence.
Yeah, thats what the guy I work with was talking about.
Matt
Bad Bob
Kester is out of the lead solder business according to our hdwe
warehouse.
Bad Bob, Keep your eye on the lead ball.
Del
pound rolls ) & I bet it's over 10 years old , I know it's more than
I'll ever use & I've been working on it for years.
Pin-Del,
cargpb28
Ken Layton
>
> Kester is out of the lead solder business according to our hdwe
> warehouse.
> Bad Bob, Keep your eye on the lead ball.
Kester's normal solder is available at MCM Electronics:
21-1845 63/37 1 pound .031"
21-1840 60/40 1 pound .031"
21-1830 60/40 1 pound .040"
21-1832 63/37 1 pound .040'
21-1835 60/40 5 pounds .040"
21-3195 60/40 1 pound .025"
21-3196 63/37 1 pound .025"
Multicore solder:
21-4719 63/37 1 pound .032"
21-4721 63/37 1 pound .032"
21-1106 60/40 1/2 pound .015"
21-2280 60/40 1 pound .028"
21-340 60/40 1 pound .05"
Other brands:
21-2270 63/37 1 pound .031"
21-2272 63/37 1 pound .025"
21-2275 63/37 1 pound .031"
21-2276 63/37 1 pound .020"
21-1040 60/40 1 pound .040"
So it looks like regular electronic solder is still available. Stock
up though.
Butterflygirl24
Do we know when and where this is supposed to start??
Where are you located that it is hard to find already?
I went and picked up some today...and the guy at Radio shack had no
idea that it was being phased out...It was not that expensive compared
to the prices that you stated here either? $13.00 for a LB> of
60\40...He went so far as to tell me that if I wanted more let him
know and he would order it for me.
Was just wondering where you are located that they have already
started phasing it out??
Phoebe
gbi...@gmail.com
I went through the last roll (.032 1/2 lb) in less than 4 years
working on about 35 games. That's a lot of freakin' soldering! The 4
playfield swaps is the biggest offender.
I think the thinner stuff works better even the larger things like
coils because it's all about the flux. Just seems like the thinner
stuff has more of it.
I'm curious to know where/when this so-called phase out is occuring.
-Gregg B.
GPE
current price. Ended up buying the generic "AIM" brand of solder -
"American Iron and Metal Inc" -- probably Chinese. Bought some AIM solder
in January at about $20 - I see today that this stuff's above $38/lb.
The stuff I had been using is 24-6337-6403 -- 63/37 water clean solder. But
this solder is only for use on new boards that can be water-washed... not
recommended for rework - the flux is corrosive if left on the board.
-- Ed
"turbo" <h...@comcast.net> wrote in message
news:3e145537-86e6-436f...@u72g2000hsf.googlegroups.com...
GPE
"1st" <robert...@irco.com> wrote in message
news:0eceb7bb-6f38-4328...@i7g2000prf.googlegroups.com...
New boards -- 63/37 water clean flux. Diameter 0.031 for most, 0.062 for
bridge rectifiers and heat sink posts. Water-clean flux is not recommended
for rework.
Rework - 63/37 no-clean flux. Diameter 0.031 for most, 0.015 for SMT.
-- Ed
chuckster
On Mar 11, 11:11 pm, "GPE" <GPE_NoS...@Cox.net> wrote:
> "1st" <robert_fue...@irco.com> wrote in message
Bronson
solder. New products that are just as good will be developed and
prices will come down. Everyone cries because they have to spend a few
dollars more, big deal. Lead is an environmental hazard and it is
being phased out in a whole lot of areas besides solder, people will
adapt. Getting rid of as much lead use as possible is the right thing
to do.
GPE
"Bronson" <Bro...@priest.com> wrote in message
news:75f184b4-b4fa-4e84...@2g2000hsn.googlegroups.com...
Not hard to argue with getting rid of lead being a bad thing.
But as far as a new product that is just as good being developed...wish I
could believe this.
They've been trying to replace lead in solder for nearly ten years now (as
far as I know). So far - zero progress has been made. Would have been much
better if a new replacement could have been devised and THEN implement the
RoHS rules - but bureaucrats don't think that way.
-- Ed
Vaxx
suspect the dogooders going hard. The worst thing is the new compact fluros
with the mecury in them and they are trying to get people to change over to
them What happens when they blow? In the bin. I would say 95% of people
don't dispose of batteries properly too. All those going into landfill.
Glad Australia is a dumping ground for the rest of the world. They'll dump
it here with all the 2-pak paint and everything else.
"GPE" <GPE_N...@Cox.net> wrote in message
news:JaKBj.47127$kp6....@newsfe07.phx...
seymour-shabow
Lead is not an environmental hazard. How can something that's part of
the environment in the first place be a hazard?
Putting landfills where lead will run off into water supplies? That's
only a hazard because of shortsightedness of the politicians involved,
and people that would be too lazy to follow recycling rules.
-scott CARGPB#29
1st
>
> I'm curious to know where/when this so-called phase out is occuring.
RoHS was July 2006 So that would be for consumer products.
Not sure about a lead free solder ban for consumers.
Here is an interesting site:
Nick
> I would say 95% of people
> don't dispose of batteries properly too. All those going into landfill.
>
disposed of in the trash. Our recycle center won't even take them
anymore and has a sign posted telling you to go ahead and throw them
out. This only applies to household batteries - not car batteries.
1st
frenchy
> 10% TIN 90% LEAD -- 572 Degrees F MELTING POINT
> 30% TIN 70% LEAD -- 496 Degrees F MELTING POINT
> 40% TIN 60% LEAD -- 460 Degrees F MELTING POINT
> 50% TIN 50% LEAD -- 421 Degrees F MELTING POINT
> 60% TIN 40% LEAD -- 375 Degrees F MELTING POINT
> 63% TIN 37% LEAD -- 361* Degrees F MELTING POINT
> *Lowest possible melting point of the alloy.
I don't get it... one problem stated for the new stuff is you need
more heat to work with it - and they are getting rid of lead in the
new stuff. But the HIGHER the lead content, the higher temp you need
to melt it? If they are getting rid of lead, why is the new stuff
requiring MORE heat?? Are they getting rid of the tin too and using
something else that melts at higher temp?
Bronson
Lots of things that are part of the environment are hazardous to it
and become far more hazardous when humans take it and spread it out
all over the globe. You wouldn't take a dip in a naturally occuring
mercury deposit would you?
PinAffliction
Though not listed, as you continue to reduce the amount of lead in the
solder alloy, the melting temperature starts to go back up as you go
below the 63/37 ratio, with pure tin melting at about 450 Degrees F.
This is one of the facinating aspects of metal alloys, that the
melting point of these two metals combined at a certain ratio, is
lower than either of them by themselves!
One of the more significant issues aside from the temperature and
wisker debate, is that the new RoHS compliant solders have higher
surface tension and much less wetting action.
Testing has shown that approximately four times longer application of
heat is required to wet the same surface area with RoHS solder over
Tin/Lead.
So if you have difficulty getting a good joint with conventional
solder, your in for a shock when you try to use RoHS! :P
Scott
Ken Layton
Lead melts at a low temperature. Tin melts at a considerably higher
temperature. The mixing of tin and lead to make solder makes a solder
that flows easily, has strength, and lasts. By removing the lead, now
you need an arc welder to solder with.
seymour-shabow
>
> Lots of things that are part of the environment are hazardous to it
> and become far more hazardous when humans take it and spread it out
> all over the globe. You wouldn't take a dip in a naturally occuring
> mercury deposit would you?
I'll correct part of what I said - it's not hazardous to the
environment, it's hazardous to US. (and other living things).
If I were a curious proto-human who saw mercury pooling somewhere, yes,
I probably would dip a finger into it. Hopefully with my tribe members
hanging around to watch me die so they could be stronger for it.
-scott CARGPB#29
frenchy
> Lead melts at a low temperature. Tin melts at a considerably higher
> temperature. The mixing of tin and lead to make solder makes a solder
> that flows easily, has strength, and lasts. By removing the lead, now
> you need an arc welder to solder with.>>
Ah-hah thanks guys, so it's just a matter of the chart not continuing
further downward in lead content and the temp going back up, makes
sense.
So what exactly is the metallic makeup of the 'new' but not improved
solder?
PinAffliction
Lead melting point 622 Degrees F
Tin melting point 450 Degrees F.
63% Tin/ 37% Lead Alloy 361 Degrees F
And to answer Frenchy, there are over a dozen different RoHS compliant
solder alloys available, using all kinds of rare metals. Google will
keep you busy reading up on this for a while.
Scott
The Hammer
wrote on 3/11/08 8:09 PM:
I have a spool of rosin core Kester 0.031" #66/44 60/40 that I purchased
from Mouser a while back. They currently list I lb for $29.88.
A quick search turned up the same at mro2go.com for $13.43.
I think I will get a case. I wonder, after it is banned, if I will be able
to sell it on eBay? :-) Just kidding.
"You smell that? Do you smell that? Lead solder, son. Nothing else in the
world smells like that. I love the smell of lead solder in the morning."
GPE
"The Hammer" <LHNew...@verizon.net> wrote in message
news:C3FF0E26.221F8%LHNew...@verizon.net...
EXCELLENT link -- They have Kester 24-6337-6403 at less than $14/lb.
Thanks,
Ed
.
kbliznick
> Ah-hah thanks guys, so it's just a matter of the chart not continuing
> further downward in lead content and the temp going back up, makes
> sense.
> So what exactly is the metallic makeup of the 'new' but not improved
> solder?
The stuff at my work is something like 90% Tin, 8% copper and 2%
silver. We had to turn up all of the irons 100 degrees F and it
stinks. It literally smells terrible. I love the smell of a nice
rosin core 60/40 tin/lead mix, but this Rohs stuff smells just awful.
Also it is not shiny when cooled, nearly all solder joints with it
look like cold solder joints. Also have to sit on the same location
longer to get it to flow and it doesn't flow very easily.
heckheck
Ed,
Should I use "275" or "245" for no clean flux rework, or doesn't it
matter? Also, do you still use "44" for anything? I looked up "331"
water-soluble, and that says its residue "must be removed" because it
is corrosive. "44" is not supposed to be corrosive even if left
uncleaned.
Thanks
Jim Heck
getg...@gmail.com
I am stocking up this weekend!!
-Rob
jtre...@gmail.com
> silver. We had to turn up all of the irons 100 degrees F and it
> stinks. It literally smells terrible.
I agree completely. The other problem that we have with it a lot is
how brittle it is. It goes to powder under vibration.
GPE
"heckheck" <js...@heckheck.com> wrote in message
news:142877da-dbb2-429f...@f63g2000hsf.googlegroups.com...
I have about 2 or 3 rolls of rosin core #44 remaining. I don't use it
often, though. In fact, I think it's been several years since I've last used
it. It's non-corrosive but I don't like the mess it leaves on boards so I
aways clean things after I use it. More of a professional look if you clean
it off.
For no clean solder - I've always used 245... Not sure what the real
difference between it and 275 is. 275 says it's a low spatter solder.
Never noticed spattering with 245 either. This industry, it probably
doesn't matter.
They call it no-clean solder - but I usually clean up afterwards anyways.
Not quite as messy to clean as old rosin core - but still somewhat messy.
For all new boards that can be washed in water - I use #331. This stuff
MUST be washed off thoroughly after use. I have a pair of wire cutters that
I didn't clean up after last use -- the flux ate the tips right off the wire
cutters...nasty stuff! It'll do the same thing to IC legs, connectors, etc.
This stuff isn't for the novice user.
-- Ed
pinba...@hotmail.com
> Where are you located that it is hard to find already?
> I went and picked up some today...and the guy at Radio shack had no
> idea that it was being phased out...It was not that expensive compared
> to the prices that you stated here either? $13.00 for a LB> of
> 60\40...He went so far as to tell me that if I wanted more let him
> know and he would order it for me.
> Was just wondering where you are located that they have already
> started phasing it out??
>
> Phoebe- Hide quoted text -
>
> - Show quoted text -
Does it surprise you that the guy at Radio Shack didn't have a clue
about this? Years ago, I wuold go in there looking for a micro switch
and they would have hundreds to chose from..now they have about two.
Apparently they are more interested in selling high profit cell
phones, televisions etc (which is somewhat understandable), but this
company was born from being a parts and hard to find component
supplier. They have become one of the most pathetic companies I know
of with Home Depot not far behind. I have a Baldor buffer on a stand
and went to Home Depot to buy some rubber feet with a stud post
(similar to a leg leveler) for the stand. They don't have anything
close. Seems like a pretty common item to me. I guess there's more
profit in cabinets, appliances and yard tractors.
The Hammer
Ken Layton at KLayt...@aol.com wrote on 3/12/08 10:49 AM:
Just to clarify the above, pure tin melts at 450 degrees F. Pure lead melts
at 621 degrees F. The interesting thing about led/tin and many alloys is
that the mixture melts at a lower (361) temperature than either metal pure.
http://www.chemguide.co.uk/physical/phaseeqia/snpb.html
The phase diagrams further down on the page show it all. Temps are in
degrees C (multiply by 1.8 and then add 32 to get it into our old fashion
degrees F).
I don't know why 60/40 is the most common mixture vs. 63/37, but I suspect
that they are not very precise in the mixing the metals and just try to get
it close to the eutectic (lowest melting) point? Significant figures?
The EU has banned the use of lead solder. The US has not as far as I can
find.
http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/articlerender.fcgi?artid=1281311
Kester still lists lead solder in their product line for sale in the US but
not in other countries.
The Hammer
wrote on 3/14/08 2:18 PM:
Could anyone clarify the codes on the solder? I know that 60/40 means 60%
tin, 40% lead. And I assume that 0.031 is the size of the solder (diameter?
Inches?). But what is #66/44? And the 245 vs. 275, vs 331? The 44 is the
rosin and what is the difference between them? The #66?
I have always just used small diameter (0.031) solder no matter what I
solder. It works well on circuit board work and if I need more for some
large contacts like bridge rectifiers, I just use more. Melts quickly.
GPE
These are the various flux formulas used by Kester.
You can find more info at the Kester website:
http://www.kester.com/en-us/marketingdocs/ElectronicCatalogs/Electronic%20Assembly%20Materials%208-02-07.pdf
44 = standard rosin rosin core solder
245 & 275 are 'no clean' solder
331 = Water soluable
Not sure about #66...
The most common lead type solder is 63/37 -- 63%tin, 37%lead
Next is 60/40 -- 60%tin, 40%lead
Probably the most widely used size is 0.031. Smaller solder downto 0.015
for surface mount parts. Under magnification - even the 0.015 looks
monstrously huge. I often use 0.062 sokder for soldering big stuff.
Just started using my roll of AIM brand solder last night.... Man, does that
shit smell bad!!! It's actually worth it to pay more for the Kester brand
stuff just to get rid of the smell!!
-- Ed
Steve Kulpa
stocked up. Now hoping they all ship.
I like .031" for normal board work, and .050" for header pins, coil
and switch lugs, and other big stuff.
steve
---
Steve Kulpa (cargpb10)
Hermitage, TN
http://www.geocities.com/stevekulpa/faces/rgpidx.htm - Faces
http://www.geocities.com/stevekulpa/pinball.htm - Pinball
Brian Ray
Pinfatuated
it says that #66 has a "core size" of 66. Perhaps that is the percent
of the diameter that is rosin or something of that sort?
On Mar 15, 4:48 pm, "GPE" <GPE_NoS...@Cox.net> wrote:
> These are the various flux formulas used by Kester.
> You can find more info at the Kester website:http://www.kester.com/en-us/marketingdocs/ElectronicCatalogs/Electron...
mike...@sbcglobal.net
0.031 for under $10 per 1lb spool.
http://www.pinballlife.com/index.php?p=product&id=1262&parent=0
Add it to your next order.
MIke Fox
Algonquin, IL
On Mar 15, 4:48 pm, "GPE" <GPE_NoS...@Cox.net> wrote:
> "The Hammer" <LHNewsgr...@verizon.net> wrote in message
>
> news:C4017AA6.22833%LHNew...@verizon.net...
>
>
>
>
>
> > in article DYBCj.21712$mI6.12...@newsfe08.phx, GPE at GPE_NoS...@Cox.net
> > wrote on 3/14/08 2:18 PM:
>
> >>> New boards -- 63/37 water clean flux. Diameter 0.031 for most, 0.062 for
> >>> bridge rectifiers and heat sink posts. Water-clean flux is not
> >>> recommended
> >>> for rework.
>
> >>> Rework - 63/37 no-clean flux. Diameter 0.031 for most, 0.015 for SMT.
>
> >>> -- Ed
>
> >> Ed,
>
> >> Should I use "275" or "245" for no clean flux rework, or doesn't it
> >> matter? Also, do you still use "44" for anything? I looked up "331"
> >> water-soluble, and that says its residue "must be removed" because it
> >> is corrosive. "44" is not supposed to be corrosive even if left
> >> uncleaned.
>
> >> Thanks
>
> >> Jim Heck
>
> >> I have about 2 or 3 rolls of rosin core #44 remaining. I don't use it
> >> often, though. In fact, I think it's been several years since I've last
> >> used
> >> it. It's non-corrosive but I don't like the mess it leaves on boards so
> >> I
> >> aways clean things after I use it. More of a professional look if you
> >> clean
> >> it off.
>
> >> For no cleansolder- I've always used 245... Not sure what the real
> >> difference between it and 275 is. 275 says it's a low spattersolder.
> >> Never noticed spattering with 245 either. This industry, it probably
> >> doesn't matter.
> >> They call it no-cleansolder- but I usually clean up afterwards anyways.
> >> Not quite as messy to clean as old rosin core - but still somewhat messy.
>
> >> For all new boards that can be washed in water - I use #331. This stuff
> >> MUST be washed off thoroughly after use. I have a pair of wire cutters
> >> that
> >> I didn't clean up after last use -- the flux ate the tips right off the
> >> wire
> >> cutters...nasty stuff! It'll do the same thing to IC legs, connectors,
> >> etc.
> >> This stuff isn't for the novice user.
>
> >> -- Ed
>
> > Could anyone clarify the codes on thesolder? I know that 60/40 means 60%
> > tin, 40% lead. And I assume that 0.031 is the size of thesolder
> > (diameter?
> > Inches?). But what is #66/44? And the 245 vs. 275, vs 331? The 44 is the
> > rosin and what is the difference between them? The #66?
>
> > I have always just used small diameter (0.031)solderno matter what I
> >solder. It works well on circuit board work and if I need more for some
> > large contacts like bridge rectifiers, I just use more. Melts quickly.
>
> These are the various flux formulas used by Kester.
> You can find more info at the Kester website:http://www.kester.com/en-us/marketingdocs/ElectronicCatalogs/Electron...
>
> 44 = standard rosin rosin coresolder
> 245 & 275 are 'no clean'solder
> 331 = Water soluable
> Not sure about #66...
>
> The most common lead typesolderis 63/37 -- 63%tin, 37%lead
> Next is 60/40 -- 60%tin, 40%lead
>
> Probably the most widely used size is 0.031. Smallersolderdownto 0.015
> for surface mount parts. Under magnification - even the 0.015 looks
> monstrously huge. I often use 0.062 sokder for soldering big stuff.
>
> Just started using my roll of AIM brandsolderlast night.... Man, does that
> shit smell bad!!! It's actually worth it to pay more for the Kester brand
> stuff just to get rid of the smell!!
>
> -- Ed- Hide quoted text -
GPE
<mike...@sbcglobal.net> wrote in message
news:88f16af5-4504-4ecb...@m44g2000hsc.googlegroups.com...
>Terry @ PinballLife is now carrying the 63/37 Kester solder in the
>0.031 for under $10 per 1lb spool.
>
> http://www.pinballlife.com/index.php?p=product&id=1262&parent=0
>
> Add it to your next order.
>
> MIke Fox
> Algonquin, IL
That's 245 core solder - no clean solder. Great for rework and at a price
less than 1/3 that of Mouser. Decent stuff he's got there and at a very
decent price.
-- Ed