Hi !
i am starting again to solder
I have some extremely good experience with the alloy 62Sn36Pb2Ag
I found this very very easy to use.
Now i understand that Pb is allowed no more for safety reasons.
I am really bad at solder.
Is there any alloy easy to use like the one mentioned ?
Or it would be better to stick with it and maybe put a mask on ?
Thanks a lot and kind regards, gino
i am starting again to solder
I have some extremely good experience with the alloy 62Sn36Pb2Ag
I found this very very easy to use.
Now i understand that Pb is allowed no more for safety reasons.
I am really bad at solder.
Is there any alloy easy to use like the one mentioned ?
Or it would be better to stick with it and maybe put a mask on ?
Thanks a lot and kind regards, gino
Don't worry about it, as long as you don't do something stupid like eat the solder everything should be OK.
I still use 63Sn/37Pb solder and will be doing so as long as it is available.
I can solder just fine with crappy lead free solders available but I much prefer the good old Pb based solders.
I still use 63Sn/37Pb solder and will be doing so as long as it is available.
I can solder just fine with crappy lead free solders available but I much prefer the good old Pb based solders.
Hi and thanks for the valuable advice
That alloy is fantastic ... i have a very heavy hand and still i do not remember a single cold joint 😱
I think it is due to the low melting point ...
I will try to buy some more
Thanks again. Regards, gino
It's not allowed only for commercial production due to environmental concerns with the lead. You can use it at home safely.
Thanks a lot. I understand lead is bad. But i am not able to use other alloys.
Regards, gino
You are right, it is almost impossible to get a cold solder joint with something like 63Sn/37Pb and similar lead solders.
From wikipedia :
The 63/37 is a eutectic alloy, which:
1. has the lowest melting point (183 °C or 361.4 °F) of all the tin/lead alloys; and
2. the melting point is truly a point — not a range.
Thanks a lot again and i have bought actually a cheap 63/37
Maybe i should have gone with a better brand
But for the fine work i have also bought this one ...
Solder Wire 62 36 2 179°C 250g MPN DLMP26 250g Reel Multicore Solder | eBay
I am not exaggerating when i say that i have very very poor soldering skills
But with this one even a hot knife is enough ...
But i will try also the 63/37 ... it is quite cheaper in the end
Thanks again, gino
Hi and thanks for the advice.
Are you thinking of a special alloy ? is it very expensive ?
Already the 2% Ag is expensive.
I know that it works fine because it is what i have used.
I guess that 4% of Ag is going to cost a lot.
But could i could use the good one for delicate operations and the 60/40 or 63/37 for points were currents are bigger ?
That could be a good compromise
Kind regards, gino
Expensive, maybe, but it gives you a nice warm feeling inside every time you solder with a tiny bit of silver.
Stick with what you know!
Hi and thanks again
To make some practice i will start with recapping some old units
I have already bought an electrical desoldering pump
Problem is that often commercial units have a pcb quality not even comparable to diy projects i am seeing here ... how can it be that ? Who is the professionals ?
To get the same quality we have to go with high end units, and ubelievably high prices.
Anyway this is the situation
Thanks again, gino
To make some practice i will start with recapping some old units
I have already bought an electrical desoldering pump
Problem is that often commercial units have a pcb quality not even comparable to diy projects i am seeing here ... how can it be that ? Who is the professionals ?
To get the same quality we have to go with high end units, and ubelievably high prices.
Anyway this is the situation
Thanks again, gino
Ah, now I know why silver-containing solder is popular in certain quarters. I knew it didn't actually make better joints - it might make worse joints in some cases of the iron is not hot enough.Andersonix said:
Over-egging the pudding is a common DIY practice. Sometimes it is by way of compensation for lack of actual circuit understanding. Someone who understand cars will tune his engine; someone who does not will add 'go-faster' stripes and a loud sound system.ginetto61 said:
Hi i was referring in particular to double sided pcb through hole or i do not know how they are called. I like those very much indeed because the component is soldered on both faces.
I also like a little wider copper traces.
And i see some PCB for diy projects so much better realized than also quite expensive commercial units.
For me it is unbelievable. The build quality of the pcb is important ... i think.
Thanks again, gino
Double-sided PCB has no audio advantages over single-sided PCB - it just makes the layout look a bit neater as you need no wire links. Easier to make in a factory; harder to make at home. No difference whatsoever to sound. This assumes analogue - digital circuits have quite different requirements and multi-layer might help.
The build quality of the PCB is only important in the sense that you want a material which is not too hygroscopic, and good solder joints. Tracks carrying power need to be thick/wide enough. Pretty PCBs don't make better sound!
The build quality of the PCB is only important in the sense that you want a material which is not too hygroscopic, and good solder joints. Tracks carrying power need to be thick/wide enough. Pretty PCBs don't make better sound!
Hi and thanks again for the very interesting information
Sorry if i remains on the pcb quality ... this is the first kit i have found around ... no personal interest in sponsoring it but ...
a pcb of this quality is very very uncommon in commercial unit
I have one preamp here ... i would like to recapped it because it is about 20 years old
but it is so flimsy built that i am afraid to destroy it
A kit like the one above i could recapped hundreds of times without any particular issue, because it is clearly better built
For a company to build a good pcb should be no problem
For instance i see power supply traces very very thin ... but if the first thing that i would consider is bigger sections for ps lines ... why is that ?
The diy offers seem to me better designed ... i find this very very weird.
Ok .. there is the economic issue ... but at least for the pcb ... they are built in big numbers
Anyway i thank you very much again for the very helpful advice
Kind regards, gino
Sorry if i remains on the pcb quality ... this is the first kit i have found around ... no personal interest in sponsoring it but ...
a pcb of this quality is very very uncommon in commercial unit
I have one preamp here ... i would like to recapped it because it is about 20 years old
but it is so flimsy built that i am afraid to destroy it
A kit like the one above i could recapped hundreds of times without any particular issue, because it is clearly better built
For a company to build a good pcb should be no problem
For instance i see power supply traces very very thin ... but if the first thing that i would consider is bigger sections for ps lines ... why is that ?
The diy offers seem to me better designed ... i find this very very weird.
Ok .. there is the economic issue ... but at least for the pcb ... they are built in big numbers
Anyway i thank you very much again for the very helpful advice
Kind regards, gino
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