63/37, lead free or Sn+Ag solder?

[Jorge_S]

I've bien reading about which solder to use for audio circuits.

Some say to use regular lead+Sn because it melts with less temperature and its easier to use, others say to use lead free (Sn+Cu?) because it's not toxic, and other suggest Sn+Ag because silver gives better conductivity.

So far I've been using Sn+Ag, but its hard to melt (even though I use a 0.3mm solder) and I'm worried about overheating diodes or caps.

Should I change to Sn alone or Sn+Pb?

which one do you guys recommend?

[amptramp]

I use 63/37 eutectic tin-lead.  Eutectic is the name for the alloying proportion that has the lowest melting point and goes instantly from liquid to solid, unlike other proportions that go theough a plastic state.  If I could get a lower melting point with non-toxic additives like bismuth, i would use it.

[DavenPaget]

Not only is the EU RoHS initiative making manufacturer's lifes hard , it's actually more damaging to the nature .
Damn the RoHS .
Go 63/37 . 

[CynicalMan]

You need a hot iron and a quick technique to use lead-free solder. There are people here who have great results with it, but I've always found that it's a PITA and that it eats up iron tips. So I use 60/40 or 63/37. YMMV.

[waltk]

There have also been reports of lead-free solder failing over time, and I've read that it is even banned for use in some mission-critical applications.

+1 on the eutectic 63/37 alloy.

[Johan]

the poisonous lead emitting from the DIY community into nature is minimal at worst. unless you build to sell, as long as there are 60/40 to be sold/bought, stay with it. it makes your life easier
J

EDIT: as a side note. the car building industry is exempt from the ROHs directive when it comes to the use of lead solder, and they probably use up more lead in a few seconds than we all combined use in our lifetimes

[Jorge_S]

the poisonous lead emitting from the DIY community into nature is minimal at worst.

I was more concerned about emitting Pb into myself than into nature, but I guess it's not a  important amount.
Should I wear some mask while working with eutectic solder?

Thanks everyone for your help! I guess that after using Ag solder for about 10 circuits working with traditional solder will feel really easy.

I shouldn't have listened to the audiophile community and their "better conductivity" chit-chat. It was indeed a pain in the arse...

[Johan]

I was more concerned about emitting Pb into myself than into nature, but I guess it's not a  important amount.
Should I wear some mask while working with eutectic solder?

I usually exhale when applying the lead, blowing the fumes away from myself

[DavenPaget]

You two seriously thought those were Pb fumes ? Pb doesn't boil at those temperatures you know .

[Johan]

You two seriously thought those were Pb fumes ? Pb doesn't boil at those temperatures you know .

It's the rosin fumes I dont want to inhale.
J

[DavenPaget]

You two seriously thought those were Pb fumes ? Pb doesn't boil at those temperatures you know .

It's the rosin fumes I dont want to inhale.
J

That's not toxic and i like it 
But anyway i still made a extraction system for the stormy days 

[CynicalMan]

From the datasheets I've read, rosin seems to be a mild irritant. You'd probably need a lot to cause permanent damage, but it's still worth avoiding.

[DavenPaget]

From the datasheets I've read, rosin seems to be a mild irritant. You'd probably need a lot to cause permanent damage, but it's still worth avoiding.

Pretty much agree . Seems to cause headaches and giddyness for me . The smell of it in the morning is nice ... but the after effects ? Don't want to be giddy the whole day . 

[Puguglybonehead]

Lead-free solder. Nice idea, but it seems to be yet another poorly implemented "green technology." It's almost as if it is intentionally made poorly, so that we'll forget about about all this "green nonsense" and go back to the bad old ways. Reminds me of the asbestos-free brake pads that they've installed on all the subways here. Now they screech like banshees-from-hell when they come rolling into the subway stations.

Yeah, I've had a terrible time trying to use the lead-free solders I've tried. Ruined a few boards with them. Stick with the standard 63/37 if you can.
Just use a small desk fan, pointed away from your work, to suck away the fumes.

[DavenPaget]

Lead free solder fumes are worse .
Guys , stop thinking 63/37 has lead boiling .
If it was , we would be literally quite dead .

[Johan]

From the datasheets I've read, rosin seems to be a mild irritant. You'd probably need a lot to cause permanent damage, but it's still worth avoiding.

Pretty much agree . Seems to cause headaches and giddyness for me . The smell of it in the morning is nice ... but the after effects ? Don't want to be giddy the whole day . 

they're a LOT better today than what they used to be. if you read the back label of a roll of multi core in the mid 90's, you'd read about birth defects and genetical mutations..nasty stuff....and old habits, you know...

[waltk]

My 2 cents:

As mentioned above, the boiling point of lead is 1740 degrees C (3163 degrees F), so lead inhalation is not a hazard at soldering temperatures.  Lead has nasty effects in the body, however. Because lead is so soft, it transfers easily to your hands while working with it.  I always wash my hands after a soldering session - and try to remember not to stick my fingers in my mouth when they are covered with lead.

About the rosin... you can get solder with rosin core, and with other stuff in the core (so-called "no clean", and other organic and inorganic stuff).  I like real rosin core myself.  It works and I like the smell of it.  Turns out, it's not a coincidence that it smells good.  Rosin is just another name for Pine Resin - the natural sticky stuff from pine trees.  It's the same stuff used to "rosin up the bow" of stringed instruments.  It's also called colophony, and you can buy it for use as incense.  Mixed with a proper binder for even burning you can have that wonderful soldering smell any time.  So I think the health risks are minimal - as long you aren't actually smoking the stuff.

This fall, I collected a bunch a pine cones for dipping in wax to use as fire starters.  They were covered in resin (rosin), so I soaked them in alcohol to dissolve it.  Then I ran it through some coffee filters to clean it.  After evaporating most of the alcohol, I was left with about 8 oz. of pure DIY rosin.  I have some desoldering braid that is not impregnated with rosin (it doesn't work too well that way), so I dipped it in my DIY rosin.  Now it works great, and smells great too.

BTW - if you are thinking about doing the DIY rosin thing - it's a pain in the butt.  Much easier to just buy colophony on Ebay where you can get it in pebble or powder form for about $12.00/lb.

[Jorge_S]

You two seriously thought those were Pb fumes ? Pb doesn't boil at those temperatures you know .

You don't need boiling temperatures for evaporation. We all know water, oils, and all liquids evaporate at different ratio without being boiled. The higher the temperature of the liquid the faster the evaporation.

Lead has a history of being toxic in it's solid state just by being in contact with water (ask the Romans), toothpaste, food, etc.

Probably the amount in solder is very small, and I'll build a small extract using PC fans for dissipation of  solder fumes, but that doesn't mean it's toxicity is null because it's not boiling.

[DavenPaget]

The thing is , our temperatures are WAY below the boiling temperatures .
Who solders using water anyway .

[defaced]

Evaporation can happen WAY below the boiling point.