Solder thoughts

Everytime I see someone say this I wish I had the self control required to use leaded safely. I touch my face like a thousand times a day. I like and exclusively use SAC305 so hearing that was the lead free solder leaded you used (usually people will have only used a really shitty lead free solder) is making me extra tempted
 
Maybe the thread title should be "Sober Solder thoughts"


I need to (constantly) improve my solder handling/safety, as I use 63/37 leaded...

I wash my hands, try to avoid solder fumes, but ... have drinks or snacks sometimes... use the keyboard/computer while soldering — there's a good argument for printing out build docs!
 
I'm probably not as cautious as I should be. I don't use gloves, but I do wash my hands any break. I have decent ventilation but no fan.

As for unleaded solder. Many years ago I tried it and it was awful. More recently I got some decent lead free solder (Kester) and it worked pretty well. However I went back to leaded because I did have to keep my iron hotter than I was used to.
 
finebyfine said:
Everytime I see someone say this I wish I had the self control required to use leaded safely. I touch my face like a thousand times a day. I like and exclusively use SAC305 so hearing that was the lead free solder leaded you used (usually people will have only used a really shitty lead free solder) is making me extra tempted
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The Kester sac305 with RA core is very, very good solder. Kester’s flux is simply the best I’ve found. I was just genuinely taken aback by how much easier the leaded stuff is to work with and how easy it is to reproduce consistent results.

Ya’ll do ya’ll! As long as we’re all building and having a mostly good time, that’s a win!!
 
Fama said:
That's nice to hear, but it's literally illegal for me to buy leaded solder so I'll stick to my shitty solder, thank you.
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Are you sure about this ? The matter might be a bit more complex.

You can't sell and buy leaded solder in your country, but i don't think there is any issue with buying it from Germany, for example, and using it for home-use as hobbyist. Unless you are importing tons of leaded solder for some industrial factory, assuming it's for one guy, building a few stompboxes, no one would care.

Who is going to check inside your musikding shipment, to see if you ordered the right kind of solder ? The DHL man ? Some custom officer ? Your family ? Of course not. Even so, they would be looking for drugs and weapons, not solder...

I have the same issue with germanium in France, forbidden, but i can order as much germanium parts as i need from Germany. I don't even think that's illegal... As i said, i can't sell or buy germanium in France, or use it for industrial production, that's all.
 
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I always wash my hands after soldering, mainly because I hate having dirty hands and that flux residue is really annoying.

I should probably look into some fume extraction, I’m betting holding my breath when soldering probably isn’t good enough.

I have a 1lb roll of kester 63/37 I bought a couple years ago, hoping it lasts me forever
 
So.... lead..... Turns out the Romans used to use lead decanters for their wine. It was thought that the flavor was enhanced, and it reduced the acid content. And then, Rome fell, since lead makes you crazy, as in permanently intoxicated. No wonder Caesar played while Rome burned!

Not often included in the history books

Lead encephalopathy results as a late-stage complication of lead intoxication. Lead intoxication occurs via environmental exposure to lead, which may be absorbed through the skin or mucosal surfaces, ingestion, or inhalation of lead-containing fumes.[3] The effects of lead toxicity on the body are highly variable and are dependent on both the route and the magnitude of the exposure. Lead encephalopathy occurs in the setting of high whole blood lead levels in excess of 80-100 micrograms/dL. At such concentrations, lead crosses the blood-brain barrier and ultimately leads to the breakdown of cerebrovascular endothelium, causing increased capillary leak and edema. Patients suffering from lead encephalopathy may present with a wide variety of CNS symptoms including ataxia, altered mental status, lethargy, delirium, or seizures. As cerebral edema worsens, the condition progresses from increasing seizure activity to coma, increased intracranial pressure (ICP), and eventually death.

Encephalopathy generally occurs late in chronic exposures with escalating whole blood lead levels and may be preceded by a prodrome of other lead toxicity related syndromes such as neuropathy or GI distress. A single large dose lead exposure may also present with lead encephalopathy, although this is less common.
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RetiredUnit1 said:
So.... lead..... Turns out the Romans used to use lead decanters for their wine. It was thought that the flavor was enhanced, and it reduced the acid content. And then, Rome fell, since lead makes you crazy, as in permanently intoxicated. No wonder Caesar played while Rome burned!

Not often included in the history books

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That was Nero…on a Yamaha Pacifica and a Crate practice amp…
 
mnemonic said:
The good news is lead doesn’t vaporise until 732F so as long as we wash our hands it should just be the flux fumes we have to worry about.
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I keep my soldering station set to 743, many here have theirs higher (different thread)

Even if it did it doesn't dissolve in water or alcohol. It's the hydrochloric acid in your stomach that will do you in!
 
RetiredUnit1 said:
I keep my soldering station set to 743, many here have theirs higher (different thread)

Even if it did it doesn't dissolve in water or alcohol. It's the hydrochloric acid in your stomach that will do you in!
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Good point, I didn’t really think about people running higher temps, I leave my soldering iron at 350c / 662f for everything and it does well even on pots.

Just checked my iron and apparently it can go all the way up to 480c / 896f!
 
eh là bas ma said:
Are you sure about this ? The matter might be a bit more complex.

You can't sell and buy leaded solder in your country, but i don't think there is any issue with buying it from Germany, for example, and using it for home-use as hobbyist. Unless you are importing tons of leaded solder for some industrial factory, assuming it's for one guy, building a few stompboxes, no one would care.

Who is going to check inside your musikding shipment, to see if you ordered the right kind of solder ? The DHL man ? Some custom officer ? Your family ? Of course not. Even so, they would be looking for drugs and weapons, not solder...

I have the same issue with germanium in France, forbidden, but i can order as much germanium parts as i need from Germany. I don't even think that's illegal... As i said, i can't sell or buy germanium in France, or use it for industrial production, that's all.
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I'm not sure that you're supposed to be selling leaded solder in general in the EU, unless it's to a commercial user (with a commercial license). Any proper trader in Germany has this restriction on their sales. There are a bunch of hobbyist places where you can still get lead stuff, but I am not sure on the legality of these (I am pretty sure, but I'm no lawyer).
 
szukalski said:
I'm not sure that you're supposed to be selling leaded solder in general in the EU, unless it's to a commercial user (with a commercial license). Any proper trader in Germany has this restriction on their sales. There are a bunch of hobbyist places where you can still get lead stuff, but I am not sure on the legality of these (I am pretty sure, but I'm no lawyer).
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This is what I found: https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-con...X:02011L0065-20230301&qid=1692092526000#M31-1
It's a consolidated text. See M32. If I'm not reading it wrong, the exemptions expired in 2021, so no solder with lead should be sold or used in PCBs in the EU.

I bought my solder more than 30 years ago, and haven't tried buying new solder yet. I ask for lead-free PCBs when I order them, and will order lead-free solder too if I ask for assembly. I think no one will check what you're doing, but I want to comply with the laws.
 
damianvila said:
This is what I found: https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX:02011L0065-20230301&qid=1692092526000#M31-1
It's a consolidated text. See M32. If I'm not reading it wrong, the exemptions expired in 2021, so no solder with lead should be sold or used in PCBs in the EU.

I bought my solder more than 30 years ago, and haven't tried buying new solder yet. I ask for lead-free PCBs when I order them, and will order lead-free solder too if I ask for assembly. I think no one will check what you're doing, but I want to comply with the laws.
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I can't be arsed to dig up the laws or anything, but AFAIK you can still buy it for professional use in Finland, just not for hobbyist use.
 
mnemonic said:
The good news is lead doesn’t vaporise until 732F so as long as we wash our hands it should just be the flux fumes we have to worry about.
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Lead does not vapourize at 732F, the boiling point of metallic lead is 3180F (1750C) - none of the components of any solder are volatile at their working temperatures. Thus, thankfully we are not worried about lead vapour when soldering, you're right that it's just the touching and the flux fumes.

Also you guys should try 63/37 solders, they handle much better than the 60/40s 😛
 
Silver Blues said:
Lead does not vapourize at 732F, the boiling point of metallic lead is 3180F (1750C) - none of the components of any solder are volatile at their working temperatures. Thus, thankfully we are not worried about lead vapour when soldering, you're right that it's just the touching and the flux fumes.

Also you guys should try 63/37 solders, they handle much better than the 60/40s 😛
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🚚
 
Laundryroom David said:
No, we don’t really need to do this. Yes, I’m posting about solder. My mind is blown.

I just want to put this out there for anyone, like me, who has been reluctant to use leaded solder: it’s so much better. I’ve heard this from others for ages but experiencing the difference was a real eye opener.

I picked up a pocket pack of Kester 44 60/40 and used some tonight. I cannot believe how far superior it is to lead-free solder. Up until now I used Kester rosin core sac305, which is great stuff but I’m pretty sure I’ll never go back to it. I was able to work faster with better results and significantly less smoke/fume compared to sac305.

I take reasonable precautions as it is - fume extractor, gloves, no food/drink in my work area, etc and don’t see myself going back to lead-free anytime soon. Damn I wish I’d used this stuff back when I started!

Thanks for reading. To quote @fig , now go build something!
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I purchased some of the Kester Solder you speak of. Previously I used a generic Amazon "Chinesium" solder, and felt it worked just fine...

I kept hearing about Kester solder and bit the $40 bullet... Initially I likes the way it flowed, however, I didn't care for the way it tended to glob up... like it cooled and made a pool... IDK how many times I inadvertently bridged one component pad to another... not a deal-breaker, just required me to be more cautious...
That was, until the more severe problem reared its head...
I started itching... like... BAD. then it was trouble breathing... sore throat, coughing uncontrollably. I chalked it up to flowers blooming or the farmer beside me cutting hay...

I began to notice every night I'd be soldering (I was trying to crank out three builds for a good friend), the next morning I'd be short of breath, mucus, coughing...

Keep in mind, in my shop I have a small desk fan blowing away fumes at all times, a box fan in the floor aimed the same direction to add some ambient air movement, and the blower out of a gas furnace screwed to the overhead that puts out some serious CFM to clear anything lingering towards the other end of the garage...

I did some digging, and my only conclusion is that Kester uses some sort of pine tar for their rosin...
I'm deathly allergic to pine oils, White Pine in particular... I switched back to the cheapo solder and the problem went away...
I'm just throwing that out there to whom it may concern before they waste their money, or to those who might have the same allergic concerns...
 
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