- stay away from Pb-Free solders, especially for anything that was not built Pb-Free, which was only done in recent years for RoHS. They should not be mixed (Pb & Pb-F).

- The right tip for the job (small to large) and a well tinned tip make all the difference.

- I normally buy the thinner solder diameters (~0.032" dia). That way you can use it for small, precision work, yet it is still suitable for larger jobs. For the large, older components as in these radios, the 0.05 you mentioned is fine.

- the difference between 60/40 and 63/37 is negligible. 63/37 is pretty standard today.

Dave

:::Greetings,
:::Can anyone tell me what is the best solder to use on a 50's circuit board radio. I am afraid of burning the circuit board. I have used on AA5's (Radio shack .050 dia/1.5 oz/---63/37).
:::Thank you,
:::Vinny
:
:
:The solder you have is fine. It melts at the lowest possible temperature, with 60/40 a close second. There are others, but they have other uses. I personally use 60/40 because it is what I have. 63/37 is a little more money, but what I have is probably 15 to 20 years old and suits my needs. I have half pound rolls, so I won't need to buy more for a while.
:
:Tony