can I solder silver plated wire using tin-lead solder? - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / beginners

author: Deactivated-1
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: January 08, 2021, 07:20:28 am
content: can silver plated, copper wire be soldered using regular 60/40 or 63/37 tin-lead solder, or do I need some special silver solder?

author: T3sl4co1l
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 08, 2021, 07:35:58 am
content: Yes, and readily so.Tim

author: Wallace Gasiewicz
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 08, 2021, 12:54:24 pm
content: Absolutely. I use silver plated jewelry wire all the time for important connections.Solders like a dream.For really small stuff I unwind a bit of coax silver plated shield.Wally

author: ConKbot
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 08, 2021, 03:07:31 pm
content: Yep, you're good to with normal 60/40 or 63/37, or the usual suspects for lead-free. Silver dissolves readily into tin/lead, so if it the joint is hot for long enough it will probably dissolve the silver coating entirely into the joint (which isnt a problem for the joints if its in reasonable amounts, unlike gold).If it were a hybrid module or ceramic substrate antenna with silver metalization, id suggest tin/lead/silver, or SAC305/405 solder as said tendency to dissolve silver can entirely consume the trace, so silver already in those alloys slows how fast the base metal silver trace disappears. But for plain wire, youre perfectly fine. Usually my stance is "Dont add unneeded metals into the already messy metallurgy of the solder joint" but silver is a rare exception to that. Tin/lead is fine with 2% silver (the tin/lead/silver solder I mentioned for metalized ceramic/hybrids) and silver plating on wire, even if it fully dissolves isnt going to add that much of a percentage to the joint.

author: David Hess
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 08, 2021, 06:04:32 pm
content: Common tin/lead solder will solder to silver just fine. The tin part of the solder is what dissolves the silver so in applications where the silver must remain, solders with low tin content or silver already present are used.Gold is an entirely different matter and must be removed before soldering with tin solders because of embrittlement, and silver is no help here. Gold plating on solderable surfaces is designed to completely dissolve and be diluted enough to prevent embrittlement.

author: T3sl4co1l
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 08, 2021, 08:47:14 pm
content: Well, lead dissolves it too, but you're probably not using near 100%, so it doesn't really matter.(Sn10 does indeed find use -- typically for die attach.)Tim

author: bdunham7
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 08, 2021, 08:54:27 pm
content: Quote from: David Hess on January 08, 2021, 06:04:32 pmWhat did they do on those old gold-boards that I find in stuff like old HP equipment, with heavy gold plating over all the traces (and under the solder masks)? Indium solder?

author: Gyro
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 08, 2021, 09:11:35 pm
content: Quote from: bdunham7 on January 08, 2021, 08:54:27 pmOrdinary Tin-Lead as far as I'm aware. It's always puzzled me a bit too - and why they did it in the first place.EDIT: There's certainly nothing in the service manuals to suggest any alternative solder.

author: KMoffett
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: January 08, 2021, 10:19:19 pm
content: I "tin" a 1/4" at the top of 316 stainless steel rods with silver solder solder so I can attach wires with Lead/Tin solder.

author: David Hess
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 09, 2021, 01:27:26 pm
content: Quote from: T3sl4co1l on January 08, 2021, 08:47:14 pmThe tin dissolves the silver much more than the lead, which makes this an even bigger problem with lead free solders.I have a spool of Kester Sn90Pb10, but I have no idea what it was intended for. Wikipedia says it was used in the food industry.Quote from: bdunham7 on January 08, 2021, 08:54:27 pmI have repaired some boards like that from Tektronix also. They looked normal but the solder junctions were bad. Removing the solder revealed a brown-purple stain which I assume was Purple of Cassius from a mixture of gold and tin dioxide.I think tin free solder could be used but the common solution once this was found to be a problem was to apply enough solder to dissolve the gold at the joint, remove the solder, and then resolder the junction. That was how I repaired the boards because the solders which can be used for gold are expensive and have poor availability.