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Radio Shack solder

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MrDEB

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RS is selling off lots of stuff at up to 80%off.
visited local store that is remaining open to purchase some solder but what composition on the label??
says .022 but looking for 60/40 lead free?? Looked at the MSDS online but??
looked online but no reference to composition percentages.
Sales man stated that next week they are getting lots of merchandise from other stores that are closing. So back next week. Was looking for pcboards as well but some one purchased entire stock last week. Some good deals to be had.
 
but looking for 60/40 lead free
60/40 lead free ?
Would you care to have a think about what the numbers 60 and 40 represent?

JimB
 
60/40 is normally lead solder.....
 
snap with Jim
 
Isnt the 60 feet and the 40 meters? :p
 
60/40 solder is 60% tin and 40% lead. It is used for plumbing because it is rubbery when it is cooling and allows pipes to be aligned but causes cold solder joints on wires if they are moved. 63/37 solder is used for electronics because it instantly goes from liquid to solid when it is cooling. I do not eat solder so I have never used lead-free solder.
 
I use 60/40 that claims to be for electronics, Its expensive enough. The 63/37 is absolutely brilliant, but cost a fortune in comparison. Maybe if I was doing something that mattered I would use it. I only use lead free for boards I intend to eat ;).
 
Me and lead free have never made a successful joint that I have been happy with, must be a knack to it. It just never looks right to me, always looks like a dry joint to me. But I know others who use it no problem, so maybe its just me :D.
 
I recently bought my third roll of solder in my entire life. It is the good 63/37 kind and cost the same as ONE meal in a restaurant or HALF a tank of gasoline for my car. The second roll is 60/40 and I don't like it so I don't use it. My new roll of solder will make thousands or millions of circuits.
 
60/40 solder is 60% tin and 40% lead. It is used for plumbing because it is rubbery when it is cooling and allows pipes to be aligned but causes cold solder joints on wires if they are moved. 63/37 solder is used for electronics because it instantly goes from liquid to solid when it is cooling. I do not eat solder so I have never used lead-free solder.

Actually 50/50 WAS used for plumbing. 60/40 was very common in electronics before SMT.
 
Bits on Lead free solder, not good for low current, high frequency circuits in most applications, (many formulas can self resonate at round 1.375 - 1.4MHz) and varies.
....Well this stuff does, had to drop the Buck down to 700K all because of this Lead free solder. Or could be incomplete joints or gaps.

Lead free has a higher than wanted melting point, usually around 432°F in typical range of greater than many IC's range. ..... using Kester 275 lead free 3.3%/275 (Diam 0.31").

Lead free solder can suspend particles of conductive material of the solder when not heated to the point of releasing a fume stream rise resulting in impedance resistance problems between pins! use caution with lead free on the temp and MOS territory of current ranges.

Component ideal.
Apply solder, let cool, reapply heat from heat source avg 30w iron as example, 3-4 seconds keeping at IC pin contact with board point (observing IC temp limit if datasheet states).

Overall RS may have deals, tho it has for some years been deals with a cost hidden in problems that tend to arise with the things they sell eventually depending on what it is and what it does on how it fails on what it was meant for and yet not sold for.
 
...says .022 but looking for 60/40 lead free?? ....

Could there be more things wrong in those few words???

As has already been said, 60/40 is the tin/lead ratio, so no, you can't have 60/40 lead-free solder.

The 0.022 isn't the composition. It's the diameter in inches. Of the solder, not the spool!

And why on earth do you want lead-free solder for home use? No, the fumes you get when you solder do not contain lead. The fumes are the flux burning off. The fumes from some types of fluxes can be extremely irritating. I prefer rosin flux for that reason.
 
And why on earth do you want lead-free solder for home use? No, the fumes you get when you solder do not contain lead. The fumes are the flux burning off. The fumes from some types of fluxes can be extremely irritating. I prefer rosin flux for that reason.

I was part of a study by the Health and Safety Executive, on the potential dangers of soldering.

As such I queried the scientists doing the study, the potential 'danger' wasn't from lead in the solder, but from the possibility of the flux causing asthma attacks. The scientists did point out though that that hadn't been able to find a single TV service engineer who suffered from asthma.

The aim of the study was to find out if TV service engineers required fume extraction equipment - and as this never became a requirement, then the answer was presumably not?.

However, the type of flux used WAS changed, I don't know if it was as a result of the study?, but modern flux is CRAP!!!!.
 
I am sure that I am not the only person to use 63/37 solder long before SMT was invented. Read all about it in Google.
 
I am sure that I am not the only person to use 63/37 solder long before SMT was invented. Read all about it in Google.
Apparently its used in medical equipment that is hand soldered. I couldnt download the entire pdf, so thats all I know about it.

I wont tell you how many rolls I have got through :D.
 
60/40 solder is 60% tin and 40% lead. It is used for plumbing because it is rubbery when it is cooling and allows pipes to be aligned but causes cold solder joints on wires if they are moved. 63/37 solder is used for electronics because it instantly goes from liquid to solid when it is cooling. I do not eat solder so I have never used lead-free solder.

Hi ag,

Thanks for the morning humor. I like comedy so i like to see this now and then :)
That is probably the best statement about lead free solder i've ever seen too.
Message to friends: "Costume party at 5, BYOLFS"
BYOLFS=bring your own lead free solder :)

Yeah 60/40 was the old standard. Today that has changed to allow better flow i think with lower temperature. I even use some sometimes that has a little bit of silver mixed in with it for better flow into the joint.
 
63/37 is eutectic solder

It would be helpful to include a drawing showing what the eutectic point means. At the eutectic point, the alloy goes instantly from liquid to solid. If the alloy ratio is either side of that, there is a plastic region between liquid and solid.

Note: This diagram is not for solder, but it illustrates the concept.

be37frac.gif
 
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