bad solder?

[bsmcc2010]

i bought this stuff the other day http://doctortweek.co.uk/shop/article_541/Solder---100g-Reel-60%3A40-RHOS.html?shop_param=cid%3D1%26aid%3D541%26 because my solder supply was running low. Now i'm starting to use it and to melt it i have to turn my iron up to 450 degrees C. it's normally only on about 375 and i can see that my tip is oxidising much quicker. Also it doesn't even melt onto the board properly anyway!

is it bad solder or am i doing something wrong?

[theehman]

Is it lead-free?  The description doesn't say it is but the ROHS (misspelled as RHOS) in the title lead me to believe it is.  Lead-free requires a higher temp.

[DavenPaget]

This is baffling 
It says 60/40 then writes "RHOS" god knows what they meant , try soldering something , if the joints look dull like as if you didn't solder properly , you got a dud , which is , you got a lead-free solder .

[alparent]

The add says 60/40 tin/lead alloy....but the melting point you are describing looks like lead-free stuff....weird

60/40: melts between 183–190 °C (361–374 °F)
lead-free: melts above 200 °C (400 °F)

Is your board clean, are you using flux?

Bizzard!

Did you email them about it? Could be mislabeled?
But even if it's leed-free....you should stile be able to solder with it.

[DavenPaget]

I checked doctor tweek's site just now ,
looks like the other solder they were offering had NON-"RHOS" fantastical spelling
and this ? "RHOS" hmm ... i believe they were misled that it's lead-free .

[bsmcc2010]

I have no idea,

i went to my local diy shop and bought some standard lead free solder because that's all the have. Not as easy to use as the stuff with lead that i have been using, but a hell of a lot better than the stuff from Doctor Tweek.

I'm really disappointed to be honest-everything else from there has been great and well priced.

[DavenPaget]

Why did you buy lead-free from your local shop ? Get rosin-core/no-clean 60/40 easier to work with .

[alparent]

I have no idea,

i went to my local diy shop and bought some standard lead free solder because that's all the have. Not as easy to use as the stuff with lead that i have been using, but a hell of a lot better than the stuff from Doctor Tweek.

I'm really disappointed to be honest-everything else from there has been great and well priced.

Email them.......

[slacker]

Why did you buy lead-free from your local shop ? Get rosin-core/no-clean 60/40 easier to work with .

Probably because he lives in ROHSland and that's all you can buy.

[DavenPaget]

... Right i forgot when you are in UK , you're in EU regulations . Damn those hippies .

[CynicalMan]

Even hardware stores here often only carry lead-free. I think they just assume that people prefer it because it's lead-free. Anyway, this stuff is working fine for me: http://www.ebay.ca/itm/350483420708

[DavenPaget]

Even hardware stores here often only carry lead-free. I think they just assume that people prefer it because it's lead-free. Anyway, this stuff is working fine for me: http://www.ebay.ca/itm/350483420708

Speaking of solders ,
i had 2 types of solder on my desk , ( different brands )
It was ODD !
( the first orange label brand "Sasahi" or so i don't know ) gave me shiny joints , but the solder was wrapped in plastic before opening so it was fair enough .
Then i had a made in china solder "SUOER" 1lb , wasn't wrapped in plastic but the outer layer looks significantly dulled ...
I attempted a cross reference by applying the china solder first , hmm , a little dull , then i applied the malaysian solder and it was very shiny ! ( Both melted at the same temperature )

[LaceSensor]

Email the doc he stands behind his products

[LaceSensor]

And if you don't mind ordering I found this stuff to be great

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Blue-Spot-31110-100g-Solder/dp/B001IHGCRE/ref=sr_1_15?ie=UTF8&qid=1323332398&sr=8-15

[R.G.]

The melting temperature of a solder is really fundamental to the metallurgy. To a reasonable degree of certainty, if it's 60-40 tin-lead as described, it starts melting at 183C/361F and is fully liquid at 190C/374F. While you can't say that if it does melt at 183-190C it is 60-40, you *can* say that if it doesn't melt there it's NOT 60-40.

Given the RoHS legislation, it is possible that this is bootleg solder. It's possible the seller thinks he got the right stuff from his "supplier".

Funny. I never thought of a black market in solder, but I can see that as a possibility. You know, if you found an old car battery, rinsed out the acid, melted down the plates, and then melted it with the right amount of tin, which is (probably, for the moment) still legal to buy, you could make 60-40 over a wood fire.

Hmmm. Next step: require a license to buy tin. Then make unlicensed possession of a battery illegal. Establish a waiting period for a background check for buying a car which has a battery in it that could be diverted to the illegal solder trade. Then make gathering of coniferous tree sap a crime. Then...

[PRR]

> melted it with the right amount of tin, ... you could make 60-40 over a wood fire.

Tin $/LB   9.2873 
Lead $/LB  0.9616 

Tin is 10X the price of lead.

And no, you won't get tin by melting "tin cans" (most are now chrome-plate).

I would assume that bogus "solder" is mostly lead.

But to work-like solder, the Tin is the hard/expensive part.

Note that 40% Tin 60% Lead solder is a perfectly fine commercial solder, a cheaper alternative to the traditional 50/50 plumber's solder. Plumbers don't use much lead today, but some metal roofing does, and cost matters.

Many-many common scrap-yard impurities cause sluggishness, grittiness, and poor wetting in solder.

For the amount of solder most of us really need, I'd stick with known-good vendors such as the major stompbox and guitar-amp DIY stores. Aron, Steve, Doug won't sell you bad solder. (And don't stock the strange stuffs used in mass-production soldering.)

[Maudibe]

Steve here from Doctor Tweek...

Hi DIY People...this post has just come to my attention so time to reply 

I have mailed bsmcc2010 that he could have given me a shout and I would have sorted it out  /  suggested the correct product / swapped it    I like to think that my customer service is freindly and second to none. I am also happy to include a small sample along with an order, so it can be tested.

Spelling of RoHS now sorted. Typo's happen. My bad. 

Regarding the solder, I sell two types:

A Toolzone one that is RoHS compliant. It is the 'standard' stuff that you will find out there at any high street retailer. Just cheaper; I discount it quite aggressively. It does need a fair bit of heat, but no more than any other similar solder out there; more than the other solder that I sell, which is not RoHS compliant.

If you are building to sell then you need to use a RoHS compliant solder - in fact you need to make sure all of your components are RoHS
If you are building for joy then you can build with what you want... and use the lower melt point solder that usually contains lead / silver.... 'tis more expensive.

That's why I sell both types.

RoHS = Toolzone Fluxed Solder 60/40 alloy. dia 1mm

Non RoHS = Future (Wharton Metals UK) 63/37 AP (contains lead) - Fast Flow, no clean cored. 18swg.

Hope this clears things up. And I hope my solder sales recover 

Best,

Steve

[theehman]

From your site:  This is a 100g reel of flux covered electric solder 60:40 Tin/Lead, 1mm diameter. 

You have this listed as ROHS, which I was under the impression should be lead-free.

[bsmcc2010]

Steve emailed me as he said, and i am definitely not trying to stop people buying solder from him.

I will still buy all my components from Doctor Tweek, i just didn't want to be ruining my iron tip by turning it up too hot.

[Maudibe]

Hi theehman...

yes, the 100g reel is the toolzone one... it is 60/40 Alloy - listed as 60:40 Tin / Lead. I will remove the RoHS statement.

It is this one:

http://www.toolspot.co.uk/product/solder-on-reel-0-25kg

Here at toolzone it is £6 per reel.

I sell it at £3.69



no-problemo guys... I just try to bring you good deals