old solder versus lead free

[bugbear]

I've just ordered a signal generator kit from China, to help with testing/fixing an amplifier. Like this one. Hrph XR2206 Function Signal Generator DIY Kit Sine: Amazon.co.uk: Electronics

I've had my soldering iron for 35 years (Antex), and have 60/40 lead solder. Up 'til now I've only worked on old stuff.

Questions;

* Do I need modern/lead-free solder for this kit?
* If I do, do I need to keep a separate iron (or separate tip) ?
* Is mixing solders bad?

BugBear

 

[thimios]

Use your old 60/40.
Lead free is unnecessary for the diy world,not looking good and high temperature melting.

 

[stokessd]

Even better, get some 63/37. It's eutectic and virtually eliminates cold solder joints.

 

[jneutron]

Try the old stuff. It may be that the flux is no good, you can tell if it doesn't wick to leads.
Done right, lead free is ok. But I would go for new tin/lead if I had the choice.

You can mix them no problem, but you'll not get shiny joints.

I assume the parts are designed for the higher temps, but why chance it if you don't have to.

Jn

 

[Galu]

Lead free solder may not be compatible with your 35 year old iron.

I couldn't work with the stuff and reverted to my stock of tin-lead solders.

 

[horst303]

Weren't they going to ban all leaded solder, until they realised that it was going to kill electronics as a hobby and maybe the path to a career?

 

[ticknpop]

Use lead solder if you want it to work for a while

 

[Tarzan]

The only advantage of using the "new " type of solder is an "green" one, less lead.
But they forget that the dissadvantages are:

Bad solder joints overtime.
Metal whiskers that grow up to 3 cm and cause shorts.
A higher melting point that is achieved by consuming more electric power.
A higer purchase price.
An increase of headaches and use of painkillers due to these solder problems and connections.

Why is the 60/40 still used by the aerospace and military?
It's more reliable that the "new" stuf.

 

[Galu]

The higher proportion of tin and the higher melting temperature of lead-free solder can wear soldering iron bits 4 to 5 times faster than tin-lead solder.

In addition, lead-free solders typically have a more aggressive flux formulation.

If contemplating changing to lead-free solder it is worth doing some prior research e.g. by means of an internet search for 'lead free soldering with weller tools'.

 

[SemperFi]

And its a real PITA to do any rework or modification with pb-free solder.

 

[OlegSh]

I mostly solder surface mount parts these days and use exclusively lead-free solder. No problems to speak about. You'll probably need a bit of adjusting to higher temps and not so shiny looking joints but nothing as dramatic as many here report.