Hey everyone,
It has been a long time since I bought solder and I am running low, very low. Since my last purchase it seems like things changed a lot, probably dealing with lead content. I am fine with using led and frankly would prefer to stick with what has worked in the past so well. I found this...
Kester 24-6337-0027 Solder Roll, Core Size 66, 63/37 Alloy, 0.031" Diameter
which if I am interpreting the Alloy - it would be equivalent to what we called 60/40 (Lead/Tin) solder.

Am I correct in assuming this would be a good replacement for "old fashioned" electrical solder?

Thanks!
Chris

 

If you really want 6040 they still make it.

I prefer this alloy for larger soldering jobs as it tends not to remelt if you need multiple passes for complete coverage.

 

Hey everyone,
It has been a long time since I bought solder and I am running low, very low. Since my last purchase it seems like things changed a lot, probably dealing with lead content. I am fine with using led and frankly would prefer to stick with what has worked in the past so well. I found this...
Kester 24-6337-0027 Solder Roll, Core Size 66, 63/37 Alloy, 0.031" Diameter
which if I am interpreting the Alloy - it would be equivalent to what we called 60/40 (Lead/Tin) solder.

Am I correct in assuming this would be a good replacement for "old fashioned" electrical solder?

63/37 is 63% Tin and 37% Lead. 60/40 is 60% Tin and - um - you guessed it.
63/37 has a lower melting point than 60/40. But only by a few degrees.
Silver solder has a much higher melting point. Its benefit is the removal of lead (RoHS = Removal of Hazardous Substances). It's also harder to work with.

In addition to the different solders available there are different fluxes as well. You can get "No Clean", "Rosin", "Water Soluble", those are all I can think of but I'm sure there are more, all with specific intentions. However, the most common Tin/Lead has a rosin core. Flux prevents oxidation while the solder is molten. Work the joint too long without additional flux will result in a grainy looking finish, which is often mistaken for Cold Solder joints.

 

Kester 63/37 0.031" is my vote.

 

it would be equivalent to what we called 60/40 (Lead/Tin) solder

63/37 is better than 60/40 because it's eutectic and you're less likely to get cold joints. I see no discernable difference between Kester and Alphametals.

I was using 0.032" Alphametals 63/37 almost exclusively until I was doing some soldering on some DIY adapters (back-to-back female headers, etc) and found that I could apply solder more precisely with 0.015". I still use 0.032" most of the time, but have added 0.015 to my tool box.

Has the price for a pound roll made your eyes water? I remember buying it for under $10/lb. Now it's 4-5x that. It doesn't matter to me because I bought a many lifetimes supply years ago from a company that sold surplus stock that they bought by the pound from other companies.

If you have electronic stuff to barter, I have some 0.032" Alphametals listed in the bartering thread.

 

Thanks for all the input everyone. DL324, sorry as I don't have anything to barter with.
Chris

 

DL324, sorry as I don't have anything to barter with.

I will sell, but you have to pay shipping. Use your favorite, reputable online site to price it (and anything else you might want) and I'll likely be okay with it.