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




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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

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

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






---
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

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.......

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)

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)

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.......

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

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

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






---
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