An other post for good solderwire - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: FlevasGR
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: April 19, 2015, 02:22:39 pm
content: I bought a brand new Hakko FX-888D for my projects and now i'm trying to find a decent quality solder wire. From Dave's videos i know that multicore wires are pretty good and they're also available on ebay but what other brands exist? I want to be able to purchase them through Ebay since over here i cant find anything good :/Please let me know!

author: KD0CAC John
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: April 19, 2015, 03:30:36 pm
content: I get from your question , your asking about brands , so what can be available in different countries I'm not sure , but would guess most major brands are available most everywhere .Multi core is a well regarded brand and so is Kester .Then the nest thing is deciding which alloy , starting with lead-free or not .http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solder

author: GreyWoolfe
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: April 19, 2015, 05:04:14 pm
content: I just recently picked up a spool of Kester 44, 63/37 in .031 diameter. I used it at a ham club soldering class I taught and it soldered excellently on 8 pin microphone and PL-259 connectors. They sell lead free if you need it. I also have some MG Chemicals Reliacore 60/40 in .062 that is great for soldering wires together.

author: nanofrog
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 19, 2015, 07:13:16 pm
content: This one is a bit long, so please bear with me...As per brands, the tier 1 brands would include the following:Multicore (Henkel)StannolKesterAIM (American Iron & Metals)MG ChemicalsIndiumAlpha (older labels may be marked Alpha Metals; Alpha is owned by Cookson)Not sure which of the above you'd be able to find in your market, but I do know Multicore and Stannol are available in Europe.Good quality solder is expensive initially, but it will last you a long time if stored indoors (cool, dry place).As per the alloy, unless there's a specific need for lead-free, I'd stick to lead based.63/37 (63% Tin, 37% Lead, aka Sn63,37Pb) is eutectic, which means that it solidifies at a single temperature.60/40 has a plastic range (part solid, part liquid).I'd recommend 63/37 over 60/40 (you'll get nice shiny joints, and the cost difference is minimal these days to cheapen out and go for 60/40).There's also 62/36/2, which contains 2% silver; also eutectic (want to use this on parts that have silver on/in them to prevent leaching for long term reliability). A very small spool will do if you need this. Same goes for lead-free should you ever need that as well._____________________There's the flux type and % you also need to be aware of.Rosin comes in 3 basic types, R (Rosin), RMA (Rosin, Mildly Activated), and RA (Rosin, Activated) from least active to most active. No-clean is also good for hobbyist electronics use as well (it is harder to clean though). Either of these can be left on the boards or cleaned off if desired for cosmetic reasons or there is a specific requirement for doing so, such as high impedance.There is also water soluble (organic) that's made for electronics use, but I wouldn't recommend it for hobbyist use as it must be cleaned off in a timely manner or it will corrode your joints. Best to just avoid this stuff entirely.*Whatever you do, stay away from acid flux or plumbers flux (i.e. zinc chloride or ammonia chloride) as it's not suited for electronics use at all.*As per flux amount, it comes in 1.1% (aka P1 or Core 50), 2.2% (aka P2 or Core 58), and 3.3% (aka P3 or Core 66) by weight. Generally speaking, I'd recommend 3.3% (better to have too much & clean off later than not enough flux to get a good joint IMHO)._________________Finally, there's wire diameter to sort out..031" or .032"/0.8mm is suited for tinning modest sized wire or medium - larger thru-hole parts..020"/0.5mm - .025"/0.6mm make excellent general purpose diameters..015"/0.4mm sizes are for smaller SMD packages (i.e. 0403), and .010"/0.25mm is meant for the smallest of packages under a microscope (i.e. 0201 & smaller).As a general purpose roll, I'd recommend getting .020"/0.5mm - .025"/0.6mm diameter 63/37 with 3.3% of RA flux. Keeps you to a single roll to start as it's good for both new and old work, and a few strands can be twisted up for tinning wire when needed.Get some extra flux as well (handy for tinning wire and drag soldering should you get into a lot of SMD IC packages).MG Chemicals Rosin 835is available in hobbyist friendly sized containers (less expensive than the disposable pens).Dispense via brush, refillable felt pen/brush pen, or needle bottle as you see fit.

author: dramoto
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: February 14, 2016, 09:03:57 pm
content: Thanks so much for your reply.I was looking info about solderwires, and your reply is a perfect synopsis.Quote from: nanofrog on April 19, 2015, 07:13:16 pm

author: KL27x
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: February 16, 2016, 05:08:17 am
content: I prefer a rosin core lead solder. But there are other good fluxes. Indium refined rosin flux core solder is nice. It acts like rosin flux except the residue is nearly clear. AIM Glow-core has a very similar kind of flux, although is may be listed as "no-clean."The main problems with thicker solder is it takes longer to melt with a small iron tip, and you don't get much flux on the first bit you melt (because it flowed out from the last time you used it.) But thicker solder holds its shape so you can feed a very long piece, and that longer piece lasts a longer time. It's an exponential difference. You might want to try a few different sizes. Personally, anything smaller than 0.032" is just driving me crazy, and I use 0.05" for most of my SMD soldering down to MSOP or 0402. OTOH, anything larger than 0.064" can have too much thermal mass for smaller iron tips. No problem with getting "too much solder" on a joint. The smaller the joints, the more likely I'm wave/drag-soldering, anyway, with liberal liquid flux applied to the board.

author: macboy
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: February 18, 2016, 12:26:28 am
content: Quote from: GreyWoolfe on April 19, 2015, 05:04:14 pmKester 44 is great stuff. It flows very well and can cut through all but the worst oxidation. It is Rosin-based, so it smells nice (which is surprisingly important to some people), and it has the activity of a RA (Rosin, Activated) while being officially classed as a RMA (Rosin, Mildly Activated) and is no-clean in most applications. If you need to clean it, IPA does the trick, although Kester officially recommends a saponifier, not IPA. The only downside is the distinctive hard yellow/brown residue. I don't mind it, but some people want or need perfectly clean boards, and for them maybe an easier-to-wash water-soluble flux is better.I have several other rolls of solder, with 63/37 or 62/36/2 (silver bearing) alloys. The real difference is in the flux. Kester 245 doesn't wet as nicely (doesn't spread) and won't cut through as much oxidation, AIM 209AXT is similar to 245. Alpha Cleanline 7000 wets OK but smells bad and the flux is only active very briefly, then it evaporates away (by design). Basic Rosin is nice but doesn't cut oxidation like Kester 44. None compare to Kester 44.Personally I prefer 0.020" solder. This is a good compromise between fine control and not needing to feed too much into larger joints. I have some 0.015 which is OK, and some 0.010" which is really only good for SMD. You need to feed one to two inches of that to make a single through hole joint, which isn't practical.

author: nanofrog
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: February 18, 2016, 08:00:57 am
content: Quote from: macboy on February 18, 2016, 12:26:28 amLooks like you got their fluxes mixed up a bit.Kester 44 is truly RA, not RMA (1544 is the same stuff as liquid flux). It's their 186 liquid flux that is specified as RMA, but with wetting that borders on that of RA (low solids version is 186-18, which is half the solids content of standard 186). 285 solder wire uses 186 in a paste form as it's core.The RA flux used in Kester 48 solder wire is even more active than that of Kester 44, making 48 the most aggressive stuff they offer for electronics use. Personally, I opt for a scratch brush, Scotch-Brite pad, emery cloth, ... for mechanical removal if it's so bad 44 can't cut it (pun intended).Regarding 245, it's a halide-free no-clean formulation (modified rosin, not a synthetic). If you'd like something a bit more aggressive and is in the same family, then give 275 a go (contains halides which increases activity).