![]() So as I said, Silver bearing solder is MUCH more expensive for no added benefit to our projects or ease of use. That is 118% (2.18 TIMES more expensive). So $5.69 per ounce for Silver Bearing vs $2.60 per ounce for standard SnPb. We're talking $6 for one and $8 for the other. the stuff I picked up wasn't that much more expensive than the non silver. There are no appriciable lead fumes released when soldering, though there are other nasties in the fumes so you shouldn't be huffing them on purpose anyway. I will leave it to you to figure out what product puts more lead into landfills (which by the way don't leach lead into the ground or water anyway). 80% of the lead consumed ends up in batteries. In the US (more electronics than anywhere on the planet) only 0.5% of the lead consumed is contained in solder joints. There has been an entire industry built around "lead free" that makes little sense. Lead is not abosorbed through the skin and solder does not break down and leach lead into the air, water or 5th dimension. It is much harder to work with and is no more "green" than anything else. Audiophiles say it has better properties for high end audio gear, if you subscribe to kooky the golden ear theories.Īgain, stay away from lead free solder. "Silver Solder" is usually Tin/Lead/Silver with a ratio of 62/36/2 and is about the same as 63/37 but at a MUCH higher cost that does nothing for workability or the end product. there is actually a lot to get right to create good solder joints So a lengthy (not nearly long enough) answer to a simple question. Overheated pads like to lift or peel off of boards and overheated leads kill parts. Much higher and without practice, you will overheat both the pads and the leads. When hand soldering, setting the iron to between 600 O and 650 O F is a good starting point. If you value your time and sanity, stay away from lead free solder until you have mastered the art. Stay away from fancy "no clean", "water cleanup" and other products. Use a quality solder (Kester '44') with an RMA core (mildly activated rosin core). 60/40 is also fine but has a slightly higher melting point and does not have the special properties that the 63/37 has. The melting temperature of solder depends on the alloy, but falls in the in the 375 O-465 O F area for the alloys we commonly use in hand soldering electronics and specifically around 365 O for solder comprised of 63% tin (Sn) and 37% lead (Pb) commonly refered to as Sn63Pb37 Solder or 63/37 solder (what you should be using as it is very easy to work with due to its special properties as a eutectic alloy.). The tip should also be large enough to efficiently transfer the heat. Flux is important for both ensuring a clean connection but also for helping to transfer the heat. Lower temps mean longer contact and more time for heat to travel up the lead and damage the part. Your mileage may vary, so play with it and get a feel for what situations require which tips/heat/etc.In general (and within reason), a hotter iron allows you to heat the land (pad) and the lead faster. For example, I hang out around 380 with finer tips, and 340 for thicker tips. Your specific settings apply to your specific setup. I don't know a ton about tip construction and thermal mass, but I do know there's a difference in quality from a $28.00 genuine Weller tip and an $8.00 generic tip. The knock-offs will last maybe 6 weeks if you take care of them they burn up in the center (not the tip) quickly and require a bit more heat (I imagine the core is smaller). Genuine Weller LT1X will last 3-4 months if taken care of (eventually the tip will round off and need replacing) and requires less heat by ~10-20 degrees. Similarly, using a lower-quality fine-tip is not the same as a higher-quality (identically-shaped) fine-tip. It's impossible to apply your answer to all situations using a fine-tip will require much higher heat than a blunt/thicker tip because you're got to push the heat to the tip (dissipates much more). You shouldn't be replacing tips every other week. If your tip is constantly needing re-tinning and burning away so quickly, turn it down. If solder isn't melting well (ground plane, right next to a huge coil, etc), pre-heat or turn it up. It's a valid point-practice and experiment and see how things go. Not all stations are calibrated 100% properly, not all tips handle heat the same (size/shape/quality). Minimizing the importance of all variables can be detrimental to learning. Can't really provide an exact answer because there are too many variables usually. Nothing replaces experimenting and really getting a feel for how these things behave under different circumstances. That's true, but at the same time, you've got to experiment and get some actual experience in soldering different components, different boards, using different tips, etc.
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