I forget exactly what the exact mixture is but there is an alloy that is something oddball like 57/43 or something like that that goes from liquid to solid without going through a "paste" phasse, thus lowering the possibility of "cold" solder joints. I havn't bought solder since I first went to work, as it semed to follow me home. That is the best IMHO.
Lewis
From Wikipedia:
At the retail level, the two most common alloys are 60/40 Sn/Pb which melts at 370 °F or 188 °C and 63/37 Sn/Pb used principally in electrical work. The 63/37 ratio is notable in that it is a eutectic mixture, which means:
It has the lowest melting point (183 °C or 361.4 °F) of all the tin/lead alloys; and
The melting point is truly a point — not a range
At a eutectic composition, the liquid solder solidifies as a eutectic, which consists of fine grains of nearly pure lead and nearly pure tin phases, but in no way is it an intermetallic, since there are no tin/lead intermetallics, as can be seen from a tin/lead equilibrium diagram.[1]
The 63/37 solder has the lowest possible melting point.
I believe even the new solders ( non-lead) have a higher melting point.
Lou
: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
- 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
There is theoretical advantage to the eutectic alloy, 63-37, since it freezes at a single temperature rather than going through a pasty stage. But, for me, at least, the old 60-40 alloy works better. Maybe the brief pasty stage is more forgiving, at least for my ham-handed soldering skills.
Doug
::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