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solder : Acid core — Parallax Forums

solder : Acid core

quispqixquispqix Posts: 64
edited 2007-10-03 17:05 in General Discussion
Dose using an acid core solder eat your tip on the soldering iron? I think I used the wrong solder.
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Comments

  • sam_sam_samsam_sam_sam Posts: 2,286
    edited 2007-10-02 02:16
    quispqix

    ·Here is a link that should help you

    http://www.howardelectronics.com/·This is there home page

    They have a solder that called·No Clean very good stuff

    I·use it and works very well and it also has a flux

    ·http://www.howardelectronics.com/amtech/NCsolder.html·

    Or go to Radio Shack and buy the solder the 60/40 It do have flux in it yes

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    Post Edited (sam_sam_sam) : 10/2/2007 2:22:53 AM GMT
  • PJAllenPJAllen Banned Posts: 5,065
    edited 2007-10-02 02:35
    They still make acid-core?· That's not "electronics-grade" stuff.
  • quispqixquispqix Posts: 64
    edited 2007-10-02 04:10
    I got the solder from old stock. It came in a box from a friend, and it does not say acid core.
    it could be that my tip needs replacing. But I doubt that so I think It is 'not right solder' I take the soldering iron tip off occasionaly because the the pencil and cord were expensive to replace a WELLER EC4001 and WELLER EC1301 tip. I think it is acid because what is left of the tip seems to be getting smaller in less than 1 hour @ 500~F

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  • LoopyBytelooseLoopyByteloose Posts: 12,537
    edited 2007-10-02 06:33
    Acid-core solder is intended for sheet metal construction, while rosin-core is intended for electrical work. Acid and rosin are considered to be 'flux'. A flux takes away all the surface oxide from the metal that you are soldering to provide a good bond.

    While the acid-core solder may 'eat the tip' of your solder iron, it also will continue to eat at electrical connections long after you have soldered them. That is not a good thing as the oxide creates electrical resistance in unwanted places.

    Why do they make acid core solder? If you are soldering things like gavanized rain gutters or other hardware, the weathering and layers of corrosion can be quite thick, so a stronger cleaner [noparse][[/noparse]it the form of acid] is needed to get a good mechanical connection. If the metal isn't clean, the solder just won't stick.

    Usually you can smell the difference between acid and rosin core. Acid is very 'sour' and rosin is more like 'pine tree scent'.

    There is also 'coreless' solder without odor. You can use this with a liquid or paste flux that brush on. In fact that was the traditional way to solder until someone figured out a way to put the flux material inside the solder. The liquid flux is easier to wash away after you complete your project.

    Also, your solder iron tip can wear out from overheating over long periods of time. You can either replace or reshape the tip with a file. If you reshape, you have to also re-tin the tip [noparse][[/noparse]cover it with a layer of solder] so that solder will stick to it.

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  • crgwbrcrgwbr Posts: 614
    edited 2007-10-02 14:02
    speaking of solder types, what about silver bearing solder? I bought some at radio shack, I think it has 2% silver in it. Is it "Electronics Grade?"

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  • uxoriousuxorious Posts: 126
    edited 2007-10-03 07:48
    Acid core solder won't eat your tip away fast enough for you to notice that quickly. Sounds more like your tip has degraded and does not transfer heat well. Thermal damage is more common. The Weller tips are expensive, but replacing them when necessary will make your life easier in the long run.
    No clean solders/fluxes are typically used for hobbyist electronics as the activated flux leaves a barely noticeable residue that can be left. Keep in mind though, even no-clean flux is corrosive if it has not reached the activation temperature. This was recently discussed in SMT magazine (a PCB manufacturing trade mag)
    Solder with silver content is a heavily debated topic in the hobbyist world, especially amateur radio. The physics and chemistry involved in a plain old solder joint is rather amazing and so it lends to many opinions. The solder with 2% silver, generically referred to as "silver solder", is preferred by many in the RF world but has no real effects on common analog and digital circuits.

    Long story short: Use good old fashioned 63Sn/37Pb, No Clean Flux Cored solder. Clean off any excess flux residue with IPA Alcohol or spray flux remover. Use a good tip, the right size for the job, and keep it clean/tinned (always tin your tip when putting it in the stand and when putting it away) That sounds elementary, but I have proven tip life simply by those steps.

    ps I have been in PCB manufacturing for 16 years

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  • LoopyBytelooseLoopyByteloose Posts: 12,537
    edited 2007-10-03 09:37
    In metal construction, solder is a dissimilar metal that is used to fabricate because it has a lower melting point and eliminates the hassle of welding at a higher temperature. So, there are many kinds of solder. So metals are toxic, some are safe, some make stronger joints, and some are cheaper to provide.

    Generally, silver 'electronics' grade solder is un-necessary and a gimmic.

    Sure, silver and gold conduct electricity better that copper or aluminum. But if you really consider how larger your wire cross-section is in relation to how little is gained by the change in alloy, it is trivial.

    If you were to be soldering wires from silicon chips to the IC pin outs, maybe you would need such silver solder and gold wires.

    There is also a 'higher temperature' silver solder that is used in jewelry making and places where the usually lead/tin solder doesn't make a strong mechanical joint. It is sometimes used for modern plumbing to avoid lead in drinking water.

    But the electronics myth continues that silver must always be better because silver wire is also used in high frequency wiring - gigahertz. In such applications [noparse][[/noparse]like radar], that little bit extra does count. So you might be using silver wire and electronics grade silver solder.

    Nowaday, we also have the ROHS solder to contend with. But again, it is a tiny shift in conductance and requires a bit higher temperature. Not much to worry about.

    Save that acid cord solder for when you have to repair a frozen copper water pipe. Of course, you now may be wondering if you want to put any more lead into the construction of your water pipes. Newer homes are using silver solder to avoid the issue. Personally I have given up worrying about the tiny amounts of lead in my copper water pipes. And I don't really worry about the tiny amount of mercury in my silver amalgam dental fillings. I seemed to have survived both.

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    "Everything in the world is purchased by labour; and our passions are the only causes of labor." -- David·Hume (1711-76)········
    ···················· Tropically,····· G. Herzog [noparse][[/noparse]·黃鶴 ]·in Taiwan
  • PJAllenPJAllen Banned Posts: 5,065
    edited 2007-10-03 11:41
    As another noted, maybe it's all about the proper "care and feeding" of your pet tip.· Somebody asked about all that a bit back and·I·delivered my tinning sermon and you can find it here -- http://forums.parallax.com/showthread.php?p=641114
  • stephenwagnerstephenwagner Posts: 147
    edited 2007-10-03 12:16
    List of Solders

    http://www.indium.com/products/sorted_by_temp.pdf

    Flux

    http://www.indium.com/products/solderkits/fluxselectorkit.php

    SJW
  • NewzedNewzed Posts: 2,503
    edited 2007-10-03 12:31
    Just a word of caution - if you are building a DS1302, a DS1307, or any device that uses a crystal, residual flux MUST BE REMOVED.· Even the slightest trace of flux, even No-Clean, will cause the crystal to malfunction.· Flux may not be conductive but it is most certainly capacitive.· I know - I learned the hard way.

    Sid

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  • pwillardpwillard Posts: 321
    edited 2007-10-03 16:48
    Handy Link

    http://www.inlandcraft.com/Uguides/tipcare.htm

    FYI: If my Weller tip is ignored for a while, I usually start my work session with quick session on the sal-ammoniac tinning block discussed in the above link.

    pw

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  • Paul BakerPaul Baker Posts: 6,351
    edited 2007-10-03 16:48
    Lead free solder oxidizes solder tip much faster than lead solder, it can get so bad that retinning is necessary.

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  • sam_sam_samsam_sam_sam Posts: 2,286
    edited 2007-10-03 17:05
    Paul Baker

    I am gald that you point this out

    Lead free solder oxidizes solder tip much faster than lead solder, it can get so bad that retinning is necessary.

    The higher the temp the faster it seam to happen

    I thought that is was just me that was see this

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    ··Thanks for any·idea.gif·that you may have and all of your time finding them

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    Sam

    Post Edited (sam_sam_sam) : 10/3/2007 5:12:33 PM GMT
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