Interesting article / commentary on lead-free solder

[mikeb]

http://sound.westhost.com/madashell.htm#solder

I could see myself stocking up on solder with lead before this happens....

Mike

[petemoore]

Not too hard to get decent solder these days.
 I've tried some wierd solders, but didn't like them much. Old solders, low lead stuff...just to iffy for a DIYer, I like the stuff I'm getting from RS just fine, but I should get a big batch online sometime soon.

[Jered]

"There is a great deal of concern over the RoHS directive worldwide, since any product made after July 2006 cannot be sold in the European Community if it uses lead based solder.

The alternatives are many - so many in fact that all they have achieved is confusion. Some patented lead-free solder formulations are totally incompatible with lead based (and some other lead-free) solder alloys, and a small mistake by a service technician could render a part or an entire PCB assembly unusable because of unreliable solder joints caused by incompatible alloys"

.........my god, will it never end?
  Jered

[djmartins2]

Hi all,

This is just typical socialist government
at it's worst!

"Let's pass a law that claims to make products
more environmentally friendly!"
- But it really won't make electronics safer, and because
the replacement will use BISMUTH it will actually
become far more dangerous to people using it!

"We've already passed the law, we don't want to hear it!"

Modern times have become insufferable for men
who understand the word "freedom"!


DJ

[smoguzbenjamin]

This kind of crap will only increase the cost of electronic products. TV's computers, guitars effect pedals, if everyone has to use solder that is 4 times as expensive as normal Pb solder. I'm gonna stock up on a few kilos of 63/37 solder as soon as I find the darn stuff. In the meantime I've still got 500g of 60/40. It won't last me for ever though... :?

[Dai H.]

are there no exceptions for small time DIY-ers? It's the BIG companies products getting in landfills and (leaking?) lead into the environment, isn't it?

[brett]

It's the BIG companies products getting in landfills and (leaking?) lead into the environment, isn't it?

Probably not.  Big companies already can't dump lead.  And it's rare for landfills made for the toxic stuff like lead to leak.  I'm no expert, but it's probably the computer/electronics shop or the average joe who puts old computer parts in with household waste (that is put into a low-security landfill) that results in lots of lead in the environment.  

(oh yeah, I read once that duck-shooters have really badly polluted north american lakes with lead shot.  Apparently they're phasing lead out of shot too.  (of course, the duck hunters blamed the motor boat drivers for using leaded gas!!))

The same hoo-har happened before the change-over to unleaded fuel.  All sorts of stories about engines blowing up etc.  And the Millenium bug, and....so on.  What actually happens in most cases is that the alternatives work fine and the stories turn out to be entertaining but have little basis in fact.

I hope so.