What do all you that work on radios prefer to use for solder. 60/40 ...63/37 or even the 62/36/2 What brands are most popular?
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Solder. Most popular.
- Thread starter Low_Boy
- Start date
Shadetree Mechanic
Delaware Base Station 808
I use 60/40 but I remember someone somewhere saying that they preferred a certain blend because of the higher tensile strength and that it will help to keep the joints from cracking in mobile applications. If I remember what it is I will post it up.
I prefer 62/36/2. It has a bit higher melting point but has a much stronger bond and the 2% silver content makes for better connections and gives it better wetting properties and it will actually adhere to certain metals like chassis connections better.
If you were assembling a trumpet strength is important. Strength is the wrong characteristic to use in this situation.The strength of the alloy is not what makes for a good connection. How well it flows and how well it ages is more important. The most important component is the lead.No matter how green someone wants to be there is a lot to be said for lead. The thing to keep in mind is that we are not limited to just lead and tin content we can alloy a lot of different things into the lead to change how it behaves. Lead-free solder is absolute junk that has been forced on the industry by people that know less than nothing about electronics. When you strike a piece of lead it is very ductile and does not break or crack easily it just deforms a bit. Strike a piece of pure tin and come talk to me. For me Sn62/Pb36/Ag2 is my preference. The lead-free solder is just too hard and does not hold up to vibrations well. It also does not seem to age well either. Lead can develop issues due to oxidation in some environments but it seldom just breaks away and falls off the board like the lead-free stuff is prone to do. I wonder if a hint of antimony would help the lead to age even better. Flowing well and bonding well microscopically to a variety of materials is the real issue. Being tougher instead of stronger is also an issue.
Strength IS important in some situations especially when dealing with large wires and a mobile environment subject to vibrations. That's what I was meaning when I said I prefer Sn62/Pb36/Ag2 as it is a bit tougher to rip a lead out of. You are correct about the lead-free stuff being junk. It does not have as good wetting properties as regular 60/40 or 62/36/2 and it has bee proven over time to grow "tin whiskers" that can short out circuits. There is a reason NASA will not allow lead-free solder to be used on any spacecraft.
I worked for many years in solder process in the electronics industry. I understand and agree with the environmental impact of poisonous lead in high volume manufacturing.
I was right in the thick of it when the world went lead-free. It was horrible to try to get that stuff to adhere, and everything has to be so damn much hotter!
That's why at home I only use 60/40 leaded solder. And a Metcal!
I was right in the thick of it when the world went lead-free. It was horrible to try to get that stuff to adhere, and everything has to be so damn much hotter!
That's why at home I only use 60/40 leaded solder. And a Metcal!