Makes you wonder how me and many of my friends kept a piece of 60/40 in our
mouths to prevent it getting confused with a chunk of wire for 40-50 years.
Cannot think of a thing to sue Kester for. Must be something!
(broke=not working, retired=not working, retired=broke)

10 seconds at 300 degrees C is the max which folks like Analog Devices and
Linear Tech recommend.


"Jeff Spidle" j_spidle(at)comcast(dot)net wrote in message
...
hmmm, I have recently had the same discussion with my XYL, we have a 1 yr
old.

My self and another NASA trained ham, N9AEP, just completed teaching a
soldering class for our ham club, Schaumburg Amateur Radio Club.

The EU is going to require all soldering to be Pb free in 2004, I believe
that all US manufacturers will be required to do so in '06. I'm sure I'll
be
corrected on the dates.

Your note brings 3 comments to mind:

1. Please use a 35-50 watt iron for your soldering work. You want to heat
the junction as quickly as possible and minimize the length of time that
the
joint is heated. In soldering 40w for 1 second is going to heat a
component
FAR less than 10w for 4 seconds. example your hand can deal with 600
degrees
for 1 second but not 150 for 4, you would be scalded.

2. Flux in solder is organic. In most manufacturing situations the rosin
flux is kept temperature controlled until use to preserve it. You want to
buy the smallest quantity you can quickly use. Don't buy a large spool of
solder and then store it for years. It is recommended that for maximum
effect that the rosin be 6mths old. If you have to use old solder then
buy
a flux pen, this will greatly help the flow and adhesion of your joints.

3. Kester solder has a good repository of info, taken w/salt, at their
site,
www.kester.com. This includes alloy, melting point, application notes.

BTW, Pb vaporizes at 1749C or 3180.2F

KC9EII
"The Eternal Squire" wrote in message
...
Hello everyone,

My wife and I had been 'discussing' some of the effects of my hobby,
such
as
the possible exposure of my 2-month old baby girl to lead vapor from
soldering.
I typically have been using coventional 2% silver electronics solder
wire
with
my 12 watt pencil. I do a few connections every day, but my wife wants
to
take absolutely no chances, and on reflection, I don't really want to
either.

I'd like to know if here is anyone in the homebrew community who uses
lead-free solder for fine electronics work, what brands or compositions
they
recommend, and where such can be obtained retail for a reasonable cost.

Oh, yes, and can someone lend me a yard of it until I can afford my own
large spool?

Thanks in advance,

The Eternal Squire




---
Outgoing mail is certified Virus Free.
Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com).
Version: 6.0.551 / Virus Database: 343 - Release Date: 12/11/03

10 seconds at 300 degrees C is the max which folks like Analog Devices and
Linear Tech recommend.


"Jeff Spidle" j_spidle(at)comcast(dot)net wrote in message
...
hmmm, I have recently had the same discussion with my XYL, we have a 1 yr
old.

My self and another NASA trained ham, N9AEP, just completed teaching a
soldering class for our ham club, Schaumburg Amateur Radio Club.

The EU is going to require all soldering to be Pb free in 2004, I believe
that all US manufacturers will be required to do so in '06. I'm sure I'll
be
corrected on the dates.

Your note brings 3 comments to mind:

1. Please use a 35-50 watt iron for your soldering work. You want to heat
the junction as quickly as possible and minimize the length of time that
the
joint is heated. In soldering 40w for 1 second is going to heat a
component
FAR less than 10w for 4 seconds. example your hand can deal with 600
degrees
for 1 second but not 150 for 4, you would be scalded.

2. Flux in solder is organic. In most manufacturing situations the rosin
flux is kept temperature controlled until use to preserve it. You want to
buy the smallest quantity you can quickly use. Don't buy a large spool of
solder and then store it for years. It is recommended that for maximum
effect that the rosin be 6mths old. If you have to use old solder then
buy
a flux pen, this will greatly help the flow and adhesion of your joints.

3. Kester solder has a good repository of info, taken w/salt, at their
site,
www.kester.com. This includes alloy, melting point, application notes.

BTW, Pb vaporizes at 1749C or 3180.2F

KC9EII
"The Eternal Squire" wrote in message
...
Hello everyone,

My wife and I had been 'discussing' some of the effects of my hobby,
such
as
the possible exposure of my 2-month old baby girl to lead vapor from
soldering.
I typically have been using coventional 2% silver electronics solder
wire
with
my 12 watt pencil. I do a few connections every day, but my wife wants
to
take absolutely no chances, and on reflection, I don't really want to
either.

I'd like to know if here is anyone in the homebrew community who uses
lead-free solder for fine electronics work, what brands or compositions
they
recommend, and where such can be obtained retail for a reasonable cost.

Oh, yes, and can someone lend me a yard of it until I can afford my own
large spool?

Thanks in advance,

The Eternal Squire




---
Outgoing mail is certified Virus Free.
Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com).
Version: 6.0.551 / Virus Database: 343 - Release Date: 12/11/03

VA7LNX wrote in message news:SWxEb.748181$6C4.294114@pd7tw1no...
The Eternal Squire wrote:

Hello everyone,

My wife and I had been 'discussing' some of the effects of my hobby, such
as the possible exposure of my 2-month old baby girl to lead vapor from
soldering.
I typically have been using coventional 2% silver electronics solder wire
with
my 12 watt pencil. I do a few connections every day, but my wife wants
to take absolutely no chances, and on reflection, I don't really want to
either.

I'd like to know if here is anyone in the homebrew community who uses
lead-free solder for fine electronics work, what brands or compositions
they recommend, and where such can be obtained retail for a reasonable
cost.

Oh, yes, and can someone lend me a yard of it until I can afford my own
large spool?

Thanks in advance,

The Eternal Squire




---
Outgoing mail is certified Virus Free.
Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com).
Version: 6.0.551 / Virus Database: 343 - Release Date: 12/11/03

May I suggest a fume-hood or some other sort of exhaust fan at your
workstation?



Who comes up with these things - now we have to go to a new solder
formulation not as good as the old one - a bit like FREON - dont worry
about the millions of Asian countries using FREON in the
refridgerators, get the can out of the workshop and the world will be
a better place. (the fact that the patents have expired on FREON but
not the replacements is pure co-incidence, I'm sure...)

I have been using lead based solder for 30 years - no precautions. For
20 years I was a cable jointer with Telecom wiping lead sleeves onto
cable, using bar solder and a propane torch at the bottom of a ill
ventilated manhole -the only precaution I took was not to use the same
pocket knife I scraped lead with to cut my lunch - somtimes I did, but
I ALWAYS wiped the blade on the grass before I did. 20 years of blood
testing revealed NO higher levels of lead than general environmental
exposure.

Andrew VK3BFA

PS - does your XYL believe in the healing power of crystals as well?

VA7LNX wrote in message news:SWxEb.748181$6C4.294114@pd7tw1no...
The Eternal Squire wrote:

Hello everyone,

My wife and I had been 'discussing' some of the effects of my hobby, such
as the possible exposure of my 2-month old baby girl to lead vapor from
soldering.
I typically have been using coventional 2% silver electronics solder wire
with
my 12 watt pencil. I do a few connections every day, but my wife wants
to take absolutely no chances, and on reflection, I don't really want to
either.

I'd like to know if here is anyone in the homebrew community who uses
lead-free solder for fine electronics work, what brands or compositions
they recommend, and where such can be obtained retail for a reasonable
cost.

Oh, yes, and can someone lend me a yard of it until I can afford my own
large spool?

Thanks in advance,

The Eternal Squire




---
Outgoing mail is certified Virus Free.
Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com).
Version: 6.0.551 / Virus Database: 343 - Release Date: 12/11/03

May I suggest a fume-hood or some other sort of exhaust fan at your
workstation?



Who comes up with these things - now we have to go to a new solder
formulation not as good as the old one - a bit like FREON - dont worry
about the millions of Asian countries using FREON in the
refridgerators, get the can out of the workshop and the world will be
a better place. (the fact that the patents have expired on FREON but
not the replacements is pure co-incidence, I'm sure...)

I have been using lead based solder for 30 years - no precautions. For
20 years I was a cable jointer with Telecom wiping lead sleeves onto
cable, using bar solder and a propane torch at the bottom of a ill
ventilated manhole -the only precaution I took was not to use the same
pocket knife I scraped lead with to cut my lunch - somtimes I did, but
I ALWAYS wiped the blade on the grass before I did. 20 years of blood
testing revealed NO higher levels of lead than general environmental
exposure.

Andrew VK3BFA

PS - does your XYL believe in the healing power of crystals as well?

In article ,
"The Eternal Squire" wrote:

Maybe I should rephrase the question: are there any hams out there
actually *using* lead-free solder, and what is thier favorite kind.


I haven't. But you must be very careful. Read the following quote from
a paper on non-lead solders. Although directed at one combination, it
illustrates the problems inherent with mixing differing solder types.

When com-bined with a lead-containing solder metallization, on the PCB or the
component terminations, a small amount of tin-lead-bismuth eutectic alloy
will form. This resultant alloy has a melting temperature of only 960C
(2040F)! Because many temperature-cycling regimens do cycle up to 1250C
(25T-F), this presents an obvious problem. As a result, tin-bismuth-silver
has been abandoned until the electronics industry is certain that all lead
has been "purged" from electronics manufacturing. This is expected to take at
least five or ten years.


Al

--
There's never enough time to do it right the first time.......

In article ,
"The Eternal Squire" wrote:

Maybe I should rephrase the question: are there any hams out there
actually *using* lead-free solder, and what is thier favorite kind.


I haven't. But you must be very careful. Read the following quote from
a paper on non-lead solders. Although directed at one combination, it
illustrates the problems inherent with mixing differing solder types.

When com-bined with a lead-containing solder metallization, on the PCB or the
component terminations, a small amount of tin-lead-bismuth eutectic alloy
will form. This resultant alloy has a melting temperature of only 960C
(2040F)! Because many temperature-cycling regimens do cycle up to 1250C
(25T-F), this presents an obvious problem. As a result, tin-bismuth-silver
has been abandoned until the electronics industry is certain that all lead
has been "purged" from electronics manufacturing. This is expected to take at
least five or ten years.


Al

--
There's never enough time to do it right the first time.......

"The Eternal Squire" wrote in message
...
Hello everyone,

My wife and I had been 'discussing' some of the effects of my hobby, such
as
the possible exposure of my 2-month old baby girl to lead vapor from
soldering.

Seriously, you'd better consider the effects of the fumes from the solder
fluxes. Since our shop is in an office environment, I bought some devices
from TechniTool to solve the problem of solder fumes. At first glance
they resemble a small bench lamps, but house a small fan and charcoal
filter.
The moveable arm allows them to placed near the work area where the
soldering is done.

Pete

"The Eternal Squire" wrote in message
...
Hello everyone,

My wife and I had been 'discussing' some of the effects of my hobby, such
as
the possible exposure of my 2-month old baby girl to lead vapor from
soldering.

Seriously, you'd better consider the effects of the fumes from the solder
fluxes. Since our shop is in an office environment, I bought some devices
from TechniTool to solve the problem of solder fumes. At first glance
they resemble a small bench lamps, but house a small fan and charcoal
filter.
The moveable arm allows them to placed near the work area where the
soldering is done.

Pete

Al wrote:

In article ,
"The Eternal Squire" wrote:

Maybe I should rephrase the question: are there any hams out there
actually *using* lead-free solder, and what is thier favorite kind.


I haven't. But you must be very careful. Read the following quote from
a paper on non-lead solders. Although directed at one combination, it
illustrates the problems inherent with mixing differing solder types.

When com-bined with a lead-containing solder metallization, on the PCB or
the component terminations, a small amount of tin-lead-bismuth eutectic
alloy will form. This resultant alloy has a melting temperature of only
960C (2040F)! Because many temperature-cycling regimens do cycle up to
1250C (25T-F), this presents an obvious problem. As a result,
tin-bismuth-silver has been abandoned until the electronics industry is
certain that all lead has been "purged" from electronics manufacturing.
This is expected to take at least five or ten years.


Al


I'm thinking Thermal Fuse ;-)

--
Donovan Hill
VA7LNX (Basic, Advanced)