[sdiy] Solder won't stick to old PCB

[Todd Sines]

This is exactly the case with ROHS / lead-free solder. I thought it  
was the Weller iron upgrade, but the new lead-free solder took ages to  
get hot enough to make a good solder joint. The older lead based  
solder definitely melts much faster / easier. Not sure how "safe" this  
is but I use a metal file to "clean" the soldering tip; then I tin it  
so I can ensure it makes a good connection. Make sure you're heating  
the element to be connected instead of the solder itself. And maybe  
use a desoldering tool to get rid of the old stuff.


+odd
--


On Sep 27, 2009, at 5:45 PM, Sam Ecoff <secoff at execpc.com> wrote:

> Ooo...
>
> I might know what this is... I got a roll of solder a couple years  
> ago in which part of the roll didn't have flux in it. When I got to  
> those parts of the roll, the solder did exactly what you describe;  
> little balls of solder that wouldn't stick to anything (other than  
> to the iron.) It gave me an excuse to ditch the Rat Shack soldering  
> iron I'd been using and upgrade to a nice Weller Station, but it  
> really drove me nuts trying to solve the problem! If you don't  
> conclusively figure out what it is that's causing your problem,  
> don't forget to try a different reel of solder.
>
> HTH
>
> Sam E.
>
>
> On Sep 26, 2009, at 3:03 PM, cs e wrote:
>
>> Hi,
>>
>> I'm trying replace some components on a 20+ year old pcb, but my
>> solder won't stick to anything (other components or existing joints).
>> It just dries into little spheres and rolls off.
>> Any advice?
>>
>> Thanks,
>> Chris
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