Tell us about your favourite solder - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: Freighternut
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: July 21, 2011, 09:23:19 am
content: Hi,I would be very interested to here from you all as to your favourite solder for fine and SMD work.Dave tells us that < 0.5mm is best, how about the other variables;Tin/lead percentages I.E. 60/40, 63/37 etcFlux type I.E. No-Clean, RA, RMA etcFlux core percentage I.E. 1%, 2%, 3%Cheers, Roger...P.S. I tried asking a similar question in the blog section, but only got a couple of replies so Ive broached the subject herein the hope of more visibility.

author: Kiriakos-GR
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 21, 2011, 09:46:13 am
content: My rule of thump, is to avoid anything that does not shines.And I prefer everything that is made in EU.There is a new factory in Poland, some people say that its good quality at sweet price, but I have not test it of find it in Greece.If they send me a free sample I will review it.. LOL

author: patb
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: July 21, 2011, 10:33:56 am
content: Quote from: Kiriakos-GR on July 21, 2011, 09:46:13 amWhat is the name of the factory?

author: mikeselectricstuff
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 21, 2011, 10:47:54 am
content: Anything that has both lead and silver in it.

author: Psi
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 21, 2011, 11:35:29 am
content: Ya can't beat 50% tin, 40% lead, 4% copper, 3% silver, 2.8% tungsten and 0.2% uranium235

author: johnmx
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: July 21, 2011, 12:39:30 pm
content: Quote from: Psi on July 21, 2011, 11:35:29 amSolder with uranium?? That should be illegal to sell if it exists.I will keep distance from all of your prototypes

author: Semantics
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: July 21, 2011, 03:53:42 pm
content: I guess I'll be the dickhead that admits to buying only lead-free solder.a) Originally the decision was based 100% in ignorance (I was a kid!) that "lead vapor" would poison meb) Therefore I learned with lead-free, so the comfort is there, even if I now know my worries were unfoundedc) Anything I build/assemble might not outlast my life in usefulness, but it will outlast my life in materialsd) Nothing I build is important enough to justify eventually adding lead to the environment when it gets tossede) I don't use enough of it that the added cost is big a deal.

author: vtl
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: July 21, 2011, 04:30:19 pm
content: I've never noticed much difference when soldering between leaded and lead free solder. Never had a problem soldering parts with lead free solder although I use leaded solder because I got my reel ages ago.But when it comes to reworking boards, leadfree is a real pain in the ass and I hate it. The stuff doesn't wet well at all and on poor quality boards with non plated thruholes it can be extremely easy to lift a track.

author: saturation
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 21, 2011, 05:20:36 pm
content: I second Mike's suggestion, but anything with Pb is fine for me too. I will however, march to the new RoHS order and go lead free when my spools of solder run out.Quote from: mikeselectricstuff on July 21, 2011, 10:47:54 amI've very limited experience with lead free, but I guess I'll find out when it comes to reworking boardsThere has always been a small amount of radioactive contaminants in solder:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solder#Lead-free_solderNot to be of health concern, but the small emissions can cause firmware errors:http://ieeexplore.ieee.org/xpl/freeabs_all.jsp?arnumber=664444

author: Neganur
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: July 21, 2011, 05:38:11 pm
content: I'm using 0.75 mm silver solder "L-Sn62Pb36AG2 F-SW32 DIN 8516" from Alpha Grillo Loetsysteme GmbH * (aka Alpha Metals). American companies in Germany used this brand. I got a partially used 1 kg reel when I was an apprentice and I've had it for almost 15 years now (it's older than that,I don't actually know if its flux is halogen freeEDIT: F-SW 32 is halogen free).I tried other solder types but usually end up swearing a lot and bring my own solder >.<I have a smaller 0.3 mm reel for SMD too, same type.*: Alpha Grillo Loetsysteme, a joint venture between Alpha Metals and Grillo-Werke, acquired the soft solder activities of Kueppers Metallwerk and Berzelius Stolberg, both units of Metallgesellschaft's Rheinische Zink subsidiary.

author: ipman
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: July 22, 2011, 06:32:45 am
content: The solder factory in Poland is called Indel.We have some company which sells theyr products, but for the time being, I've not tried (I have enough solder for now).Unfortunatelly, there is no 63/37 for sale here, and their site does not list as such (maybe I am wrong, a lot of site is in polish, not translated in english).I use the classic Sn60/Pb39/Cu1 and classic 60/40. The first one is my favorite one, from Stannol (german company).

author: patb
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: July 22, 2011, 02:28:38 pm
content: Quote from: ipman on July 22, 2011, 06:32:45 amI thought that Indel is making only transformers. Anyway, there is another company near by called Cynel that just produces solder. Check it out:http://www.cynel.com.pl/index.php/en/produkty-enThey produce very popular solder (in Poland) in various types.As for Stannol - yeah - I also use classic 60/40 0.5mm - very good imho.

author: Kiriakos-GR
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 22, 2011, 07:21:50 pm
content: Stannol is very good but very expensive.Currently I have one fresh Stannol paste, but I have run out of solder.Soon I will have to buy some.

author: orbiter
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: July 22, 2011, 08:55:37 pm
content: I generally use Multi-core 60/40 (0.7 or 0.5mm.) However I spotted a bargain on ebay the other day and bought it. I got a brand new new 500g roll Kester 63/37 (0.4mm) for £15

author: Conrad Hoffman
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 23, 2011, 12:45:58 am
content: Kester SN62 with Kester 44 activated rosin flux in whatever diameter is suited to the work at hand.For ultra low emf joints in metrology work there's a cadmium solder that's near perfect, but I don't think it's available anymore. Leeds & Northrup used to supply it.If I'm building a board from scratch, I sometimes use Kester solder with the "331" water washable flux. It works well, but you have to wash it off ASAP as it's corrosive and conductive on a finished board.You can have your lead free thank you very much. (actually I use it when required, but it simply doesn't do as good a job and can suffer from whisker problems)

author: Kiriakos-GR
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 23, 2011, 01:06:42 am
content: For metrology work I got ANTEX lead free with silver.

author: Lawsen
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: July 23, 2011, 06:49:22 pm
content: In the U.S.A., I use Kester tin/silver solder. Radio Shack sells tin/silver. I have some 1950s vintage lead/tin solder. I do not know what to do with the 3 inch diameter cylinder of lead/tin solder, when environmental attitudes told me to not use it and discard it. Could I still use lead/tin solder?Lawsen

author: IanB
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 23, 2011, 08:43:10 pm
content: Quote from: Lawsen on July 23, 2011, 06:49:22 pmEveryone who wants to enjoy their soldering uses tin/lead solder. The lower melting temperature and better wetting properties are very beneficial.The environmental hazards from the use of lead in solder are vastly over stated. If you want to be environmentally aware, just make sure to take all your dead electronics to a proper disposal center and don't just send it to the land fill. If you are paranoid about your health, just wash your hands after handling solder, flux and other chemicals at the workbench. But then, you would do that anyway, right?

author: A Hellene
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: July 23, 2011, 08:58:23 pm
content: I wonder why the so-called"Defense" Industrydoes not (and will not) comply with the lead-free directives...Perhaps they could do a nice start by reverting tolead-free bullets...But, then again, what about the depleted uranium ones with half-life of 4.5bn years?-George

author: slburris
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: July 24, 2011, 04:55:48 am
content: Quote from: A Hellene on July 23, 2011, 08:58:23 pmAnd the medical and space industries as well. Probably because of the tinwhiskers that eventually grow and short things out. There are some interestingpapers coming out of JPL (Jet Propulsion Laboratory/NASA for non US) about tinwhisker problems and lead free solder.But for consumer electronics, we now have a built-in limited lifetime with lead free, soeveryone gets to "upgrade" every few years.Scott

author: A Hellene
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: July 24, 2011, 05:19:37 am
content: Ah, Scott,Thank you for the reply; but I was already aware of that:Quote from: A Hellene on July 16, 2011, 09:11:42 pmIt was just a bitter comment to point out the absurdity of the wholeRoHS Directivematter. Additionally, I think that my mention of the "lead-free bullets" (the environmental-friendly human killing devices) is an indication of the satirical --if not sarcastic-- spirit of my previous message.-George: By the way, staying on topic, my favorite solder wire is theSn62/Pb36/Ag2(ISO-9453 (30) compliant).Or the all-time classic 60/40 (of tin and lead, respectively), I wasraisedwith!

author: david77
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: July 24, 2011, 07:07:18 am
content: I use good quality leaded 60/40 from reputable manufacturers only. At the moment it's Alphametalls Fluitin AS, a spool I found in the back of a drawer.When that runs out it's likely to be Stannol HF32 as that's the brand my employer stocks.

author: ivan747
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 24, 2011, 02:24:21 pm
content: Quote from: saturation on July 21, 2011, 05:20:36 pmIf your programmer identified a corrupted bit in your microcontroller's memory, blame the solderI like 63/37 solder.

author: grenert
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: July 24, 2011, 05:42:58 pm
content: Amazingly enough, Radio Shack actually carries some very nice solder. Their "High Tech" line is 62/36/2 and comes in small .015 and .022 inch diameter. I am stockpiling a lifetime supply for when they take leaded solder away from me. Forget their thick 60/40 stuff.

author: FenderBender
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 25, 2011, 01:34:40 am
content: Kester "44" 63/37. Great stuff. Just super. Only complaint I have about it is that it makes a real mess and it's hard to clean, unless you have the industrial solder cleaning solutions.I haven't used any water soluble flux solders, but I'm curious to try one of Kester's.Kester is great quality and pretty cheap. 1lb spool was like $22USD for 63/37.

author: FenderBender
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 25, 2011, 01:38:06 am
content: Quote from: A Hellene on July 23, 2011, 08:58:23 pmPretty much what slburris said. For 99.99% of us, lead-free solder works well, and won't give us any problems, and it most likely wouldn't give problems to aerospace/military ...HOWEVER, there is a very slight chance that the lead-free stuff grows "whiskers" and they may short out something if the whiskers "grow" enough.Is it worth taking the chance to use a more eco-friendly lead-free solder where human lives are at risk? I'm not sure either...

author: westfw
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 25, 2011, 03:20:45 am
content: Are there any lead-free solders with "exotic" compositions that let it work better (lower temp) for non-professional soldering? I've been a bit surprised that no indium-bearing solders have shown up (other than the chipquick rework stuff), given that indium is common in low-melting temperature alloys, and about the same price as silver. Does it just not have any effect in small concentrations? Or does it result in detrimental effects? (same question re Bismuth, which is much cheaper. I found a table somewhere (once) with a list of possible lead-free solders and the various problems with each alloy (whiskers, thermal expansion mismatch, poor wetting of copper/etc. All sorts of things that you never knew that solder was "carefully engineered" to avoid (hah!))

author: A Hellene
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: July 25, 2011, 09:02:10 am
content: Quote from: FenderBender on July 25, 2011, 01:38:06 amThe older of us still remember the dreaded AF114 (RF Germanium transistors) that developedmicrophonic phenomenaor they suddenly died, due to Tin whiskers growing from the inside walls of their cans that eventually touched and shorted the internal P-N construction.Even NASA hostsan interesting documentabout this phenomenon.But tin solder is responsible for more than that. A very good example is the recent massive failures of Nvidia's GPUs in Macbook Pros, a couple of years ago. In a few words, the overheating GPU chip thermal expansion destroyed their non-forgiving (RoHS compliant) bumps (the tiny balls of solder that hold the chip to the PCB it sits on).This is a fine technical analysis (in three parts):Why Nvidia's chips are defective, of the problem described here:INQUIRER confirms Apple Macbook Pros have Nvidia bad bump material.-George

author: Kiriakos-GR
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 25, 2011, 09:47:03 am
content: Thanks God I own ATI .. (AMD) LOLBut it was one generation of laptops, that they had add on Video card from Nvidia.I found an ACER with such a card in it.The problem was the solder, and the cure was to baked it so to force a reflow of the solder.Some times it worked , some times it did not.

author: A Hellene
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: July 25, 2011, 09:54:58 am
content: Quote

author: Semantics
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: July 25, 2011, 06:12:11 pm
content: Quote from: A Hellene on July 25, 2011, 09:02:10 amWhile I'm not going to comment on the likelihood the stuff I'm assembling today will be relevant to even me in 45 years (they're hardly relevant now!), this brings up a good point: with most components being RoHS compliant anyway, what percentage of whiskers are you going to avoid soldering with lead-free? Not enough to make a difference IMHO.Quote from: FenderBender on July 25, 2011, 01:38:06 amIf the thread is about your favorite solder, I'm going to assume this is aimed at hobbyists and enthusiasts, and you're not making stuff that can take people's lives (or at least I would hope not!). If you're building for defense, aerospace, or medical, aside from a prototype, you're using what you're supposed to and favoritism doesn't count.Quote from: westfw on July 25, 2011, 03:20:45 amIndalloy 227 sounds promising as a drop-in replacement at similar temperatures to leaded, so long as the device isn't supposed to be in environments over 100C, but damned if I could find anyone selling any of it since I'd really like to try it! But if you have an adjustable temperature iron, or simply must use a flux that can't survive the extra heat, I'm fine with the extra heat. I'm still on my first spool of SAC305 from Kester with RMA flux, but I'm always open to alternatives. I did try KD100 but it wasn't as good, despite the fact that I too can enjoy shiny joints while staying lead-free.

author: Neganur
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: July 25, 2011, 07:37:35 pm
content: Quote from: Semantics on July 25, 2011, 06:12:11 pmNot sure if I understand you correctly. Lead free solder is said to be more prone to grow whiskers than leaded solder. Also, the whiskers found in the transistor you reference to, originate from the transistor's pure tin case and not the solder.

author: Semantics
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: July 25, 2011, 09:45:04 pm
content: Quote from: Neganur on July 25, 2011, 07:37:35 pmThe point is that if you're buying components, many of which are RoHS compliant, your choice of solder isn't going to stop whatever future reliability issues may arise.In the transistor's case, worst case scenario (pure tin) developed issues after 40 years! In context, even if that transistor was connected with wire-wrap it didn't stop whatever processes are going to disable it, possibly not even within your own lifetime.The argument being made by others is that lead-free is unsuitable because it's more prone to whiskers is a bit of overkill unless you're in those three protection-of-life industries: defense, aerospace, and health.

author: img
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: July 27, 2011, 08:38:47 am
content: Quote from: Kiriakos-GR on July 25, 2011, 09:47:03 amOh, don't you worry, some ATI chips also have this issue.As for solder, I've used mostly Kester 245 63/37, but have 2 Multicore reels somewhere.I'll try Stannol, as people praise it.

author: Kibi
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: July 27, 2011, 02:09:58 pm
content: I like to use the Multicore 62 / 36 / 2 0.46mm solder for most work. I'll use 0.7mm for soldering large devices.I've still got a reel of good old 60 / 40 which I've had since I was a little boy. I have used some really nasty solder's in my lifetime and I have settled on the Multicore as my preferred brand.

author: img
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: July 28, 2011, 08:41:44 am
content: Quote from: Kibi on July 27, 2011, 02:09:58 pmWhat's the difference between the 62/36/2 and the ordinary 63/37 in practical terms? What do you think about these?What about the ones with copper vs the ones with silver? The silver one costs a lot more, it seems.And what about 0.35mm solders - have you used them?I live in a cave with my 0.4mm and 0.8mm Kester 245, and 0.56mm Multicore, and there's a whole world of solder out there waiting to be discovered. The question is, are there tangible benefits in using these other types, what's their intended application, etc.

author: Unknown
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: July 28, 2011, 05:49:48 pm
content: Solder with silver is made because some SMD components would have endcaps made of an alloy that contained silver. If you would use solder without any silver, it would leach the silver from the endcaps, changing their composition. I don't believe silver-containing endcaps are used nowadays, so regular solder should be fine.The silver is not added to increase conductivity or to please the audiofool crowd, although I'm sure some manufacturers are selling it as such.

author: saturation
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 28, 2011, 08:38:51 pm
content: Funny you should mention that; they tried but because some failed at just being solder, it didn't catch on. Also, anyone who solders probably knows a little more electronics. I have read them attribute sound qualities in eutectic solder.http://baasnotes.com/blog/2008/07/13/the-perils-of-audiophile-solder/Quote from: alm on July 28, 2011, 05:49:48 pm

author: img
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: July 28, 2011, 08:55:31 pm
content: Myeah, I think I'll stick with the old faithful 63/37.

author: KJ6EAD
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: July 29, 2011, 01:07:53 pm
content: 62Sn/36Pb/2Ag is a pleasure to use. I don't like lead free. The higher temperatures and stronger fluxes erode the tip plating on my iron way too fast. The flux fumes are a significant health hazard unless you use an exhaust system that vents outside. The poor wetting performance and high melting point make it much more difficult to overcome the heat sinking of the PCB and components so if you're going to use lead free, get a station with more wattage than you'd use for leaded.

author: img
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: July 31, 2011, 08:47:25 am
content: Quote from: KJ6EAD on July 29, 2011, 01:07:53 pmI don't like lead-free either.As for 62/36/2, it costs a lot.If I could find a reasonably-priced good quality reel, I'd probably get one just to try out.

author: plesa
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: August 03, 2011, 11:09:30 am
content: Quote from: img on July 31, 2011, 08:47:25 amHi,I'm using the Multicore 5C 362 series solder for long time. Yesterday when I was looking for information about lead free solder on Wikipedia i found that this solder is "not recomended for gold".http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SolderThere is also lot of solders with higher percentage of tin and there it could be problem due to intermetalic compounds.I openned the mentioned source reference but there is the same table on page 387 with "not recomended for gold"http://books.google.com/books?id=IcxDPA2U6esC&printsec=frontcover&hl=cs#v=onepage&q&f=falseBut I really don't understand why this is not recomended for gold plated components.Do you have any suggestions?

author: Kozmyk
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: August 03, 2011, 12:21:45 pm
content: Quote from: plesa on August 03, 2011, 11:09:30 amThe Wiki link you gave provides the answer.Those solder types dissolve gold which is removing the plating and causing regions of brittle material where the gold is mixed in the solder.I must admit though that I've never had a problem using Lead/Tin solder onto gold plated contacts.

author: Joker94
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: August 11, 2011, 09:29:22 am
content: for a while I have been usingDigitor Resin cored solder. .56mm diameter, 60/40 tin/lead!Quite like it, flows well and small diameter is good for the finer work.