[sdiy] unleaded solder

[Roman Sowa]

Why don't you stay with leaded problem if it's still available 
everywhere? 1% Cu alloy is not a happy choice for hand soldering, if you 
really want lead-free, try SAC305, that one has lower melting point and 
is easy to work with. I use that for everything, including prototypes 
and christmas lights, leaveng leaded solder only to rework on old synths.
You can add a bit of flux gel to get nice round shiny results.
And I haven't noticed any need for replacing any equipment after moving 
into lead-free 10 years ago. Melting point isn't that far away and any 
soldering iron can cope with that.

BTW, recent additions to RoHS have wiped out almost everything that can 
use leaded solder, including medical, T&M, and so on, all long-term use 
equippment that was exluded from RoHS before. So I suspect it will soon 
be illegal to produce and import leaded solder to EU.
The only place where RoHS does not apply is DIY, but who would care for 
such a small market and still make leaded solder only for that.

Roman

W dniu 2016-04-02 o 18:19, Phillip Harbison pisze:
> Last night I was soldering for the first time in many years. I
> am trying to use lead-free solder. I believe it is 99% tin and
> 1% copper. In the lead solder days I never had a problem with
> getting good joints. Last night I had lots of problems. Perhaps
> it is more a matter of declining vision and unsteady hands, but
> I'm inclined to believe the solder is part of the problem. When
> using lead solder it was quick work so my eyes and hands did
> not have as much time to become fatigued. It seemed to take
> forever to get the solder flowing. I had my iron set at 430•C.
> I'm not sure if that is sufficient temperature, but it is near
> the iron's maximum temperature. I struggled to assemble a kit
> with a ZIF socket, a dozen discrete components, and a handful
> of connectors on a 1.25" x 4" board. I did not time myself but
> I'm guessing at least 90 minutes. Any suggestions on what I
> might be doing wrong? Should I give up on lead-free solder? I
> would appreciate any advice anyone can offer.
>