solder preferences

[patchell]

    It is not really so much a question of kind of solder as the kind of flux.
But....as far as solder goes, the best alloy is 63% tin/37%lead.  60% tin / 40%
lead is ok as well.

    Now onto flux.  There have been quite a few discusions about flux here
before.  But here are the basic types:

    Rosin...the most common type.  Kester 44 is a good choice here.  The
advantages are that this type of flux give you very good wetting.  You get nice
shiney connections even on surfaces that should have been cleaned first.  The
disadvantage is that if you want to clean it, you will need to use very nasty
chemicals.

    Organic...This type is gaining in popularity.  Kester 331 is a good choice
here.  The advantages are that this type of flux will clean up with just plain
water.  It is very easy to quickly get a clean squeeky board.  The
disadvantages are that this stuff is very corrosive.  Cleaning is NOT an
option.  You never leave your work overnight and say, "Well, I will just clean
that tomorrow".  It is also not a good choice for soldering wires.  I have had
the flux wick up inside the wire where it cannot be cleaned.

    No Clean....I have not actually used this stuff.  Is is basically a low
residue flux.  You can either leave it on the board or clean it off.  I believe
that some types of this flux are cleanable with water, but I am not sure.

    Just my opinions on solder flux.

    Oh, yes, I also have some do's and don'ts about organic flux on my
website:http://www.silcom.com/~patchell/diytips/diytips.html

Echophazer at aol.com wrote:

>   I was wondering what kind of solder would be best for synths and high-end
> audio applications.

-Jim
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