Hi All,
I just got the MPJ catalog and they are selling no-lead no-clean solder. DO NOT USE IT!!

My wife was griping at me about a year ago about having lead solder around with small children in the house, so I got some no-lead solder from MPJ.
I re-capped the two radios I was working on using it. Both radios failed to work. One developed a problem of exploding tube sockets. Most impressive and rather hard on the tubes, too.
I eventually got a cleaner and one of the radios started to work after I used it. The other seemed to have advancing silver mica disease, and never did work. Pity, too, the only problem it had when I got it was an open filament resistor. It is possible this stuff exacerbates Silver Mica disease.
The solder I used carried the four square chemical warning symbol. It has red, blue, yellow, and white squares all together in a larger square and typically cocked on its corner. On mine the red and blue have a 1 and the yellow a 0.

If you have this stuff throw it out.

Best Regards,

Bill Grimm

probably contains acid. if someone complains about solder, simply keep the solder away from the kiddies, and solder with lots of ventillation. that simple.

could have accelerated silver mica disease, though this can happen at any time anyway. sounds probable, though.

A few weeks ago, reading the writing on the wall........I ordered three 1 Lb. spools of 60-40. I think the day is coming when it will be unavailable. I figure this solder shipment will outlast yours truly.

I thought the same last year and bought an extra 1lb spool... .. That's 1/2 gone already...lol
at this rate...now I guess I'd better get several more spools ... soon too... lol

I remember my last days at work-we started using the no-clean solder, it was horrendous. I read the msds sheets on it and the flux used is water soluble. Get 60/40 as long as you can-stockpile the stuff!!

Shades of Chicken Little. I can't speak for the particular solder being sold, but in general, no-clean solder is for pc boards. The residue is nonconductive and can be left on the boards, avoiding the need for tanks of volatile solvents. It is not water-soluble. I've used it for several years for everything I build at work, and it handles no differently from any resin-core solder, except the less pine-ey smell. It cleans right up with isopropyl alcohol if you don't want the residue for cosmetic reasons.

Lead-free solder likewise can be formulated to equal tin-lead in every respect. I've used it. I've soldered all sorts of parts down to flat-pack ICs, desoldered them by a variety of methods, resoldered, all with my usual temp-controlled iron at 700 degrees. The ONLY difference is the grainy appearance of the cooled solder joint. Now I don't claim that all lead-free solder is like this, but it is certainly possible to make it.

:Shades of Chicken Little. I can't speak for the particular solder being sold, but in general, no-clean solder is for pc boards. The residue is nonconductive and can be left on the boards, avoiding the need for tanks of volatile solvents. It is not water-soluble. I've used it for several years for everything I build at work, and it handles no differently from any resin-core solder, except the less pine-ey smell. It cleans right up with isopropyl alcohol if you don't want the residue for cosmetic reasons.
:
:Lead-free solder likewise can be formulated to equal tin-lead in every respect. I've used it. I've soldered all sorts of parts down to flat-pack ICs, desoldered them by a variety of methods, resoldered, all with my usual temp-controlled iron at 700 degrees. The ONLY difference is the grainy appearance of the cooled solder joint. Now I don't claim that all lead-free solder is like this, but it is certainly possible to make it.

Hi Alan,
I suspect that the solder is defective no-clean. I actually used it on a PCB. The PCB fared just as badly as the radio. After cleaning it, it too, worked.
The solder I had was date coded 2000, I got it about two years ago. MPJ buys old stock. This may have been old stock because it was bad stuff.
It looked like a bargain back then when lead-free was scarce. That should have been a tip off.

Best Regards,

Bill Grimm

Bill, I understand what lead-free solder is. But what is "no-clean" solder supposed to be? Here, all this time, we were supposed to be "cleaning" wire connections before soldering them?

My understanding is that the European Union banned lead-based solder some time ago. Good for them. But I doubt they sleep any sounder than I.

:Hi All,
: I just got the MPJ catalog and they are selling no-lead no-clean solder. DO NOT USE IT!!
:
: My wife was griping at me about a year ago about having lead solder around with small children in the house, so I got some no-lead solder from MPJ.
: I re-capped the two radios I was working on using it. Both radios failed to work. One developed a problem of exploding tube sockets. Most impressive and rather hard on the tubes, too.
: I eventually got a cleaner and one of the radios started to work after I used it. The other seemed to have advancing silver mica disease, and never did work. Pity, too, the only problem it had when I got it was an open filament resistor. It is possible this stuff exacerbates Silver Mica disease.
: The solder I used carried the four square chemical warning symbol. It has red, blue, yellow, and white squares all together in a larger square and typically cocked on its corner. On mine the red and blue have a 1 and the yellow a 0.
:
: If you have this stuff throw it out.
:
:Best Regards,
:
:Bill Grimm

:Bill, I understand what lead-free solder is. But what is "no-clean" solder supposed to be? Here, all this time, we were supposed to be "cleaning" wire connections before soldering them?
:
:My understanding is that the European Union banned lead-based solder some time ago. Good for them. But I doubt they sleep any sounder than I.
:
Hi Doug,
No-Clean solder was designed to make manufacturing processes more efficient. It predates RoHS by at least 5 years and was first formulated in lead-tin solder.
A collegue runs and electronics manufacturing firm. He ran into a world of trouble when he first started using it.
My suspicion is that the no-clean in my warning, which is lead free, is defective.

Best Regards,

Bill Grimm

What about the "cold heat" solder machine (coldheat.com)
It uses batteries and seems to have a decent metallic solder. Has anyone tried this. Of course it won't unsolder an old joint with real lead solder but may be OK for a new project.
It has two sort of ceramic anodes that are U-shaped and semi-metallic and short out at close range to melt the solder, plus has a spotlight, though the whole unit is powered by batteries. My wife bought me one for Christmas, but I'm hesitant at trying it. Has anyone here ever used this newfangled gizmo?

I have no objection to lead-free solder being offered for those who choose to use it. Be my guest.

I am opposed to the government banning lead-based solder unless there is a clear reason to believe that my using it for antique radios poses a threat to the environment. I haven't seen that evidence yet.

Whether lead-based solder or lead-free solder performs better than the other, it should be no business of the government. That is for the market to decide in the absence of any compelling public interest.

Personally, I tend to think this is all political correctness, run amok. The EU should not prescribe what we do in the U.S.

How much are we now paying for lead-free tinning on component leads, e.g. resistors?

While realizing I would be needing more solder now.. I started shopping a bit and found 60/40 & 63/37 one pound rolls here and there at different retailers and such for 12 or 14 dollars a roll... plus shipping..
so I decided to poke around Ebay first.
Ended up with a "5 roll lot" of 5 one-pound rolls of 63/37 Kester Solder for a total of only $12.88 plus $8 shipping!
How could I beat that?...