What kind of solder do you guys like to use?

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#3
I use this for all my diy audio . . .


>🙂<
 

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#7
Luckily , RoHS has not fully caught on here. Radio shack(Tandy) , Mouser, MCM and others will continue to sell Sn/Pb for the forseeable future.

All the RS solders are VERY good quality but a bit heavy on the rosin. Mixed with some of the copper/selenium/silver solders for plumbing,one can make a current enhancing PCB "mix" to augment rails traces for large amplifiers.

On the flip side , the new RoHS FR-4 PCB's are tougher , (traces will not lift , even after minutes) as to facilitate the higher temperatures. I put a piece under the blowtorch , the board burned away before even small traces lifted. One can rework a board 100 times and never worry about damage. 🙂

Standard 60/40 (same stuff they sold 25 tears ago)
http://www.radioshack.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2062715

The kester page..
http://www.mouser.com/catalog/catalogUSD/638/2148.pdf

Idiot proof FR-4..
http://www.mgchemicals.com/products/500.html

OS
 
#9
Another vote for Kester #44 0.031 (60/40) here. The non-eutectic mix does not bother me, you'll have problems if you jiggle the joint with any solder. The key is to have a clean iron tip and lowish temperature to avoid losing the flux too quickly. Maintain a clean tip and the good thermal contact means joints will still heat almost instantly.

I also have a half-height spool of Radio Shack solder that works fine too. It's marked "Standard Rosin Core Solder" and is also 60/40.
 
#13
IF you can get a leaded SN62 or SN63 solder. It is your PERSONAL solder, don't worry about the lead, but don't eat it, in any case. It will flow better over a wide range of conditions, and give you quality connections till the end of time, for all practical purposes. Lead free, can work, and SN95 is darn good, but compromised for general work . 60/40 today is just not worth it, it is too comprised on every front, unless that is all you can find.
 
#15
Hey All,


Thanks so much for your input. I really appreciate it. I have no need to bother with the lead free solders, so I am going to continue to go with the tried and true leaded type. I was thinking about getting a better product, since I think this last roll I bought from the Rat Shack has stale flux. I will definitely switch to a higher grade 63/37 solder. I'm going to go with the Kester 44. I have an iron with adjustable temperature (Hakko 936). Its new, and I am not used to the adjustable temp... What would be a good setting for PCB work? My guess was 700 degrees.

Any suggestions?

Cheers, Jon 'Uncle Olaf'
 
#16
john curl said:

60/40 today is just not worth it, it is too comprised on every front, unless that is all you can find.
Click to expand...

Why's that, John? Genuine question, as it's all I use at the moment. Are you saying that it's more prone to cold joints at the time of construction, or that it's more prone to develop over time?

The 62/63 % is relatively rare here, but is gettable if wanted.

Cheers

Stuey
 
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