++++++++++++++++++ From: DolfinDon at aol.com Date: Sat, 12 Jan 2002 17:51:03 EST Subject: Re: [Elecraft] No questions are dumb questions To: elecraft at mailman.qth.net In a message dated 1/12/2002 4:17:46 PM Central Standard Time, thom2 at worldnet.att.net writes: Ok, I'll ask it...can someone tell me, or perhaps point me to a site which explains the purpose and proper use of flux. ============================================ Hi OK I will take a stab at it. Soldering is an alloying process. When you make a solder joint the solder dissolves a small amount of what ever you are soldering and all of the metals alloy together. This is the reason everything needs to be at the soldering temperature. If there is an oxide coating on the joint to be soldered this cannot happen and a thin film forms between the solder and the metal to be soldered. This film may or may not make connection. Sooner or later it will not make connection and the famous cold solder joint is formed. The flux is a slightly corrosive chemical used to break down the oxides. There are many chemicals used in this job, but rosin or activated rosin is used in electronics because it is only corrosive at soldering temperatures and becomes inert at room temperature. Don Brown KD5NDB ++++++++++++++++++ Date: Sat, 12 Jan 2002 18:46:00 -0500 From: "David A. Belsley" To: DolfinDon at aol.com, elecraft at mailman.qth.net Subject: Re: [Elecraft] No questions are dumb questions Oxides and junk on the metal connections can make pure solder bead up, much as water on plastic. The flux helps reduce the oxides and makes the connection behave for solder more nearly as a blotter does for water. With too little flux, you will notice the solder seems to blob up and climb or hang onto the iron and not flow into the joint (this can also happen when there is inadequate heat on the connection, so you've got to be careful about what is causing what). When trying to rework an already soldered joint with too little flux, the solder will be recalcitrant and unresponsive. With proper flux, the solder, at the proper heat, just sucks into the joint making a smooth, shinny connection -- and it reworks easily and smoothly. best wishes, dave belsley, w1euy ++++++++++++++++++ Date: Fri, 28 Sep 2001 07:27:55 -0400 From: "John J. McDonough" Subject: Re: [Elecraft] Solder Paul I have to echo John's comments here. Silver solder looks nice, it makes for very shiny joints. A lot of people use it for that reason. I used it on my K1 - BIG MISTAKE. It borders on impossible to get the stuff out of the plated-through holes. I was very careful on the K1 not to make any mistakes, but installing the noise blanker and ATU both involve some desoldering. From time to time you are probably going to want to make some changes to your K2, certainly there are lots of options posted here. It is very hard to get silver solder out without damaging the board. Stick to a good quality 60/40 or better yet, 63/37, and get a nice, small diameter. I, too, use the .031 size and it seems to be about right. Personally, I haven't seen a big difference between Kester and other solders, but a pound of solder lasts a long time, so why not spend an extra buck and get the good stuff. 72/73 de WB8RCR http://members.home.com/wb8rcr/index.htm didileydadidah QRP-L #1446 Code Warriors #35 +++++++++++++++++++++ Date: Fri, 28 Sep 2001 07:43:39 -0400 From: "John J. McDonough" Subject: Re: [Elecraft] Solder I forgot, you asked where. DigiKey carries Kester solder and they get stuff to you fast. KE1102-ND for 1 lb, KE1111-ND for a half pound. A half pound will probably do a dozen K2's. They are not the cheapest place on the planet, but their prices aren't crazy, either. Unless you are pretty far way from Thief River Falls be sure to specify UPS ground. Digikey defaults to some pretty expensive shipping. Here in MI, it gets here 2nd day UPS Ground, and 2nd day with whatever their expensive shipping is, too. They will ship overnight if you specify, and they ship at the end of the day so you can call them as late as 6:30 PM Central and still get it the next day if money is no object. IMO, the Radio Shack 60/40 will work just fine. I used their solder for quite a while with no obvious difference between it and the Kester, so if you are in a hurry to get started, I wouldn't be at all shy about the RS stuff. The 63/37 has a lower melting point, so it's a little harder to damage components. 72/73 de WB8RCR http://members.home.com/wb8rcr/index.htm didileydadidah QRP-L #1446 Code Warriors #35 ++++++++++++++++++++++ Date: Fri, 28 Sep 2001 08:28:02 -0400 From: Gilbert J Cross Subject: [Elecraft] Soldering stations To all Just noticed that Radio Shack has the EDSYN 951SX on sale for half price. Was $149.00 now $74.50. See their flyer or check RadioShack.com Gil K8EAG ++++++++++++++++++++++ Date: Fri, 28 Sep 2001 07:34:33 -0500 From: "Roy Dancy" Subject: Re: [Elecraft] Solder Very much YES on the 63/37 solder in any brand. It has not failed me since 1963 when I first found it. The solder containing silver is mostly aadvertising hipe. Do learn how to solder properly. 73 y'all RoY N4AN - ----- Original Message ----- From: John Grebenkemper, KI6WX To: Elecraft Mailing List Sent: Friday, September 28, 2001 2:38 AM Subject: Re: [Elecraft] Solder > Paul; > I would not recommend using the silver solder. You don't need the strength, > and it is much more difficult to unsolder if you need to remove any > components. I would recommend Kester 44 which is a 63/37 rosin core. I use > the .031" size, their Catalog #24-6337-0027. > -John > KI6WX +++++++++++++++++++ Date: Fri, 28 Sep 2001 07:47:33 -0600 From: "Rod Cerkoney, N0RC" Subject: Re: [Elecraft] Solder Paul, - ----- Original Message ----- From: "Paul Hendershott" To: Sent: Thursday, September 27, 2001 6:11 PM Subject: [Elecraft] Solder > Hi All - > Just wanted a few expert opinions: What is the best solder to use with > the K2 and where can I find it in enough quantity to finish the kit? There is a soldering tutorial on the Elecraft website, the "Builders Resources" section. It was written my Tom, N0SS. Here is a quote from that tutorial: "The right solder. Rosin-core, 0.020" to 0.035" diameter solder with 63/37 or 60/40 (Sn-Pb) content and optionally 2% silver (Ag) will work well. Small-diameter solder is preferred because it allows easy regulation of the amount of solder you are applying to each connection." Excellent recommendation based on my experience, 2 K2s, 3 K1s and numerous other QRP kits. Sources of supply: Radio Shack, http://www.radioshack.com Mouser, http://www.mouser.com Digikey, http://www.digikey.com Most other electronics supply house will likely carry solder as recommended by Tom. 73, Rod N0RC Ft Collins, CO +++++++++++++++++ Date: Fri, 28 Sep 2001 14:31:02 -0500 From: "Stuart Rohre" Subject: Re: [Elecraft] Solder My favorite Elecraft kit solder, and for all other soldering for past 45 years, is Multicore Solders. They used to be Ersin Multicore out of England, and now are Multicore Solders, Inc. 1751 Jay Ell Dr., Richardson TX 75081. Carried by major distributors, (catalog houses), and in many Radio TV wholesale parts houses. Multicore as the name suggests, has 5 cores of flux, which is very low residue, but good wetting. It solders up clean and quick. My favorite is the Sn 63/37 alloy, in the 0.036 in, 0.91mm diam. wire. This is an internationally available brand, in UK, Australia, Germany, Japan, Canada, Malaysia, Singapore, and Taiwan, as well as USA. I can use a lower heat iron and still get outstanding results. This solder is widely used in industry to get NASA quality soldering joints. 72, Stuart K5KVH +++++++++++++++++++++ Date: Tue, 16 Oct 2001 08:24:41 -0500 From: Tom Hammond =?iso-8859-1?Q?N=D8SS?= Subject: Re: [Elecraft] "Best" Soldering Temperature?? Steve: >600? 700? 800 degrees? Somewhere in between? High temperature and "get >it over with quick"?? Lower temperature? Is there a "recommended" >soldering temperature for use with 60/40 or 63/37 rosin core solder on >Elecraft projects? This is NOT the "OFFICIAL" word from Elecraft. Just personal observation. So ya' gets whatcha pays fer! Something in the 700-725 degree range seems to be about the best 'average'. Allows you to get in and back out quickly (3-4 seconds max.) while still ensuring that joint was heated well enough that the solder is drawn into the plated-thru hole. 750+ degrees is best for lead tinning, BUT it can be accomplished at 700 degrees as well, if you start at the CUT end of the wire and work your way toward to toroid. 600 degrees, sometimes requires too much 'dwell' time on some joints (esp. those which are grounded). And 800 degrees can cause lands to want to lift if you spend too much dwell time on the joint. Additionally, excessive heat can cause the tip to oxidize (heavily) all too quickly. Temperature-controlled irons have a distinct advantage here: 1) The do a significantly better job of 'managing' the tip temperature. 2) They have the 'reserve power' to supply added heat very quickly when called upon to do so WHILE you are still on the joint to be soldered. 3) You don't have th change tips to change heat ranges. 73 - Tom Hammond N0SS ++++++++++++++++++ Date: Tue, 16 Oct 2001 07:31:49 -0700 From: lhlousek Subject: Re: [Elecraft] "Best" Soldering Temperature?? I like ~700 degrees for the same reasons as everybody else. One thing that hasn't been mentioned about running higher temperatures is that the flux gets burnt up a lot faster. It'll leave black residue on the board and joints and will also go away completely when soldering wires together leaving blobby dull solder joints instead of smooth shiny joints. 600 seems to work well for soldering small wires together and on other small free-standing joints where there is not a lot metal or surface that needs to be heated. Lou W7DZN +++++++++++++++++ Date: Tue, 16 Oct 2001 11:12:15 -0700 From: "Ron D' Eau Claire" Subject: RE: [Elecraft] "Best" Soldering Temperature?? Tom, N0SS, wrote: > Temperature-controlled irons have a distinct advantage here: > > 1) The do a significantly better job of 'managing' the tip > temperature. > 2) They have the 'reserve power' to supply added heat very > quickly when called upon to do so WHILE you are still on > the joint to be soldered. > 3) You don't have th change tips to change heat ranges. These are also EXCELLENT points for anyone NOT using a temperature controlled iron to keep in mind. Do use a metal iron holder (I have one of those spring jobs). It has a much more important job that just keeping the iron from burning the table - it's a heat sink that drains off the heat that is constantly being created by an uncontrolled iron to keep the tip temperature from rising too high. Not only does too hot of a tip oxidize and pit more quickly, too hot of a tip can actually impair the solder joint by over-heating the solder and flux. Every soldering iron tip temperature 'sags' when it is touched to another object and the heat is transferred. A soldering station may have a fast-acting heating element that can come on quickly and add the extra calories needed to keep this sag from becoming too great. An uncontrolled iron cannot do this. With an uncontrolled iron this sag is prevented by using a tip with the proper mass. I often have two or three soldering irons with different sized tips on the bench when working. It requires a much bigger tip, for example, to solder the pins on the K2 microphone connector than one would want to use on any other components attached to the boards. The only alternative is to change tips, which I also have done when working under more primitive conditions. Swapping tips can be a pain, literally when you try to handle a tip before it cools sufficiently, but it must be done. Even a temperature controlled soldering station cannot properly solder a joint if the contact area between the tip and the work is not large enough to transfer the heat efficiently. Trying to do everything with one tip is a bad practice and certain to lead to problems with any sort of iron, but most especially with a conventional 'uncontrolled' iron. The bottom line is that the joints must have enough heat to be soldered in about 3 seconds, as Tom said. If it takes longer, the tip is either not hot enough, or it is not able to stay hot enough, to finish the joint. Ron AC7AC K2 # 1289 +++++++++++++++++ Date: Tue, 16 Oct 2001 19:17:19 -0400 From: "Don Wilhelm" Subject: Re: [Elecraft] "Best" Soldering Temperature?? Ron and all, The contact area between the tip and the material(s) to be soldered is a very important point. That is one reason I prefer a small chisel tip over the popular conical tips (although each has their place). With a chisel tip, one can place the flat of the tip on the board land with the chisel edge in contact with the component lead (applying just a tad of solder to the contact side of the tip helps the heat transfer faster too). After placing the iron tip in position, I feed a bit of solder onto the joint (not the iron) and remove the iron as soon as the solder wets the joint. As has been said, if you cannot achieve a good solder joint in less than 3 seconds, the iron is not transfering enough heat. Sometimes you can look at a board land before soldering to determine if it will require more heat than normal - fat lands and ground plane connections will require more heat transfered to achieve a good solder joint because the mass of the land initially sucks more heat from the iron. If you are new at soldering, experiment a bit, but if you are an old hand at this stuff, you intuitively know this stuff anyway - it comes with experience. 73, Don W3FPR - ----- Original Message ----- From: "Ron D' Eau Claire" > ... > Even a temperature controlled soldering station cannot properly solder a > joint if the contact area between the tip and the work is not large enough > to transfer the heat efficiently. Trying to do everything with one tip is a > bad practice and certain to lead to problems with any sort of iron, but most > especially with a conventional 'uncontrolled' iron. > ... +++++++++++++++ Date: Tue, 16 Oct 2001 22:29:22 -0700 From: Phil Wheeler Subject: Re: [Elecraft] "Best" Soldering Temperature?? Don Wilhelm wrote: > > Ron and all, > > The contact area between the tip and the material(s) to be soldered is a > very important point. > That is one reason I prefer a small chisel tip over the popular conical tips > (although each has their place). My Weller WP??? 700 deg conical tips have a flat edge which can be used to ensure a good amount of contact area. Phil ++++++++++++++++ Date: Wed, 17 Oct 2001 06:47:08 -0500 From: Tom Hammond =?iso-8859-1?Q?N=D8SS?= Subject: [Elecraft] "Best" Soldering Temperature?? W3FPR wrote: >The contact area between the tip and the material(s) to be soldered is a >very important point. That is one reason I prefer a small chisel tip over >the popular conical tips (although each has their place). With a chisel >tip, one can place the flat of the tip on the board land with the chisel >edge in contact with the component lead (applying just a tad of solder to >the contact side of the tip helps the heat transfer faster too). After >placing the iron tip in position, I feed a bit of solder onto the joint >(not the iron) and remove the iron as soon as the solder wets the >joint. I follow about the same method here: 1) I bought tips of several varying widths. My intent is to try to always a tip which is about 75%-80% the width of the PCB pads I'll be working with on the project. Though trial and (mostly) error I've found that this generally affords me ample 'heat transfer' surface while helping to ensure that the tip remains wholly WITHIN the area of the pad... significantly lessens the chance of soldering two or more pads at once. Chisel-pointed tips are the name of the heat transfer game here... the more contact area you can have with the pad, the faster heat will transfer. 2) I clean my tip each time it's taken from the soldering iron holder. Then I 'wet' the tip just barely with fresh solder. Heat transfers SO much more readily when you hit the pad with both a clean AND wetted tip. Again, the result of making good thermal contact immediately. 3) Apply a small bit of solder AT the junction of the tip and the board/lead combination. Let it wet the joint and dwell AT the joint long enough that I can (usually) see the solder being drawn down into the plated-thru hole (PTH) via capillary action. 4) Remove heat and inspect the joint to see if adequate solder has been applied. If not, quickly reheat and apply just a very small bit more solder. After so many years of soldering to single-sided PC boards, where it was expected that you leave a small 'fillet' of solder around the board/wire joint, I'm finally learning how to better 'meter out' my solder so that joints made to plated-thru holes only FILL the hole, with little or no excess solder on the top or bottom of the board. At Dayton this year I purchased a roll of 0.020" diameter solder. Prior to this, I'd been using either 0.040" or 0.035" diameter solder for all PC board work. While it worked great, I did find it all too easy to apply a bit more solder to the joint than was required. The 0.020" diameter solder really allows me to be more 'frugal' when soldering to PTH boards. The only thing I really don't care for about 0.020" diameter solder is that it's so darn light and 'bendable'... keeps getting bent in the wrong direction AS I'm trying to apply it to the joint. I'm also finding that there is SIGNIFICANTLY LESS rosin residue to joints made with the 0.020" diameter solder as well... the PC board looks almost 'clean' when I'm done... even with no attempt at removing the small amount of rosin remaining ON the board. >As has been said, if you cannot achieve a good solder joint in less than 3 >seconds, the iron is not transfering enough heat. Sometimes you can look at >a board land before soldering to determine if it will require more heat than >normal - fat lands and ground plane connections will require more heat >transfered to achieve a good solder joint because the mass of the land >initially sucks more heat from the iron. If you are new at soldering, >experiment a bit, but if you are an old hand at this stuff, you intuitively >know this stuff anyway - it comes with experience. Agreed. 73 to all, Tom N0SS ++++++++++++++++ Date: Thu, 18 Oct 2001 15:00:37 -0700 From: "Steve Ray" Subject: [Elecraft] Soldering Found this site while surfing around, thought it might be good to pass on to the list. It reiterates the excellent article by Tom N0SS on the K2 Web Site. http://www.marvin3m.com/begin/ 72, Steve Ray K4JPN ex K1VKW EM82ep Warner Robins GA Elecraft K2 1422 Heath Fan HW-101, HW-8 ++++++++++++++++++++ Date: Thu, 18 Oct 2001 19:47:39 -0400 From: "Don Wilhelm" Subject: Re: [Elecraft] Soldering Folks, For those interested in yet another soldering technique, you might check out Chuck Adams website at http://www.qsl.net/k7qo/manhat.html - scroll down the page to locate "Patented K7QO Soldering Technique". My favorite part is the section explaining the use of a washcloth over the leg for wiping the tip of the iron rather than a sponge - I have been using a cloth for years and like Chuck, I just don't like the sponge, but to each his own. 73, Don W3FPR +++++++++++++++++++ Date: Fri, 19 Oct 2001 12:21:18 -0500 From: Tom Hammond =?iso-8859-1?Q?N=D8SS?= Subject: [Elecraft] Soldering Iron Tip Cleaner NOTE: I'm posting this information at the request of another member of the Elecraft reflector. For the first 40 years of my Amateur Radio career, when I built a project, I always followed the stern warnings of my Elmer(s) to "Always Keep Your Tip Clean!". Of course, this warning applied to the tip of my soldering iron... you cannot make good soldered connections with a soldering iron of the tip is all 'gunked up' ( a technical term, get used to it) with oxidized solder and burnt rosin. Any time I was building, I kept a 3" x 3" jar, filled with 4-5 layers of cellulose sponge, and then filled with water close at hand for wiping the tip of my iron on while soldering. This allowed me to always have a clean tip for my work. The one BIG drawback to this method was that each time I 'swiped' the tip across the damp sponge, I not only cleaned the tip, I also COOLED it down by at least 50-100 °F with each pass. This was NOT a 'feature' but a 'bug' in the operation. Then... I bought a temperature-controlled soldering station. This act in itself had no bearing upon my problem, BUT the soldering station manufacturer (HAKKO) also offered as an accessory to the station, a tip cleaner which was made of number of tightly-coiled stainless steel ribbons, all rolled into a ball. I don't recall exactly, but I think the cost of this cleaner was in the $10 range. More than I wished to pay. However, I really liked the idea for two main reasons: 1. Having very low mass, and NO WATER, the cleaner 'ball' did not function as a heatsink when the tip of an iron was passed across (or plunged down into) it. Very little heat was lost. 2. Any solder shards stripped off as a result of the cleaning process 'trickled' all the way to the bottom of the ball and onto the bottom of the contained into which the ball was placed. This is much neater than having to rinse all the tiny pieces of solder out of a wet sponge or washcloth. I mentioned what a nifty idea it was to my XYL, Jeri (KØRPH), and the very next day she presented me with my very own tip cleaner! Total cost of manufacture: $1.27 US...! Jeri went to our neighborhood grocery store, to the kitchen-wares section, bought a kitchen sink pot scrubber, commonly known as a 'scrubbie', and stuck it into a small glass jar we had laying around the house. Voila! Since that time, I've used my new tip cleaner with tremendous success and virtually no heat loss while cleaning the tip. NOTE: In the paragraph below, I mention an image which is supposedly shown 'below'. Don't go blind trying to find it. Images cannot be embedded within messages sent via this reflector. If you are interested, the image is available at: http://home.earthlink.net/~n0ss/soldering_iron_tip_cleaner.pdf Stainless steel scrubbies of this type are available in virtually all grocery stores and, I'm told, at Wal-Mart stores as well. They sell for $1.00-$1.50 US and will last a LONG time in this type of service. They are generally all the same, but may vary in size and the width of the steel ribbon used. Below (actually, next page), you will see two examples of scrubbie. The two scrubbies on the left are smaller in size, and are made of a more narrow width of ribbon. EITHER size will work, you just need to find a suitable holder. I finally managed to drop and break the glass jar Jeri had originally given me, but I found a small aluminum can which has worked great since that time. When I'm finished with each project, I just tap the can on the table 6-8 times, to allow the solder bits to migrate to the bottom of the can and then I remove the scrubbies (2 in the example jar) and throw the solder residue into the waste can. I hope you find this idea to your benefit. 73 - Tom Hammond NØSS ++++++++++++++++ Date: Sat, 27 Oct 2001 00:32:57 -0700 From: "Ron D' Eau Claire" Subject: RE: [Elecraft] Solder Flux removal Jeff asked: > I'm just beginning construction of K2 S/N 2320. The manual > states that the > use of solvents of any kind will void the warranty. Does this include the > use of solvents for flux removal? I'm using the 62/36/2 solder, but it is > NOT of the 'no clean' variety. How do the rest of you clean your boards? I have never cleaned a board of flux. That is in accordance with the instructions of countless manufacturers in my work, both as a ham and professionally. Boards can be cleaned, to be sure. But there is no reason to remove the small amount of residual flux that is left behind from normal soldering. However, there is tremendous liability in using any kind of solvent. One time I had a head mounted magnifier that I cleaned with a 'radio' solvent we had in the shop. For the next six months it slowly disintegrated. It took literally months - long after any trace of the solvent on the surface could be seen, but the plastic parts just fell to pieces. That convinced me. I'll never put a solvent on something I want to use in a week or a month from now. Ron AC7AC K2 # 1289 ++++++++++++++++++++++ Date: Sun, 18 Nov 2001 14:53:08 -0500 From: "David A. Belsley" Subject: Re: [Elecraft] KB7OEX: solder question Tim: You can determine reasonably well if the tip is hot enough by the speed with which it melts solder. If it is melting solder pretty much the same as before, it is not a heat problem. I occasionally get a rather recalcitrant piece of solder sticking to the tip, and I find I can remove it very easily simply by wiping the tip over a good ol' bounty paper towel (or quickly rolling it in the folds of the towel. If you do this with reasonable speed, the towel won't even scorch, and the tip comes quite clean. Indeed, I often use this as a means for cleaning the tip while soldering because it doesn't cause the tip to cool down as a wet sponge will. ----------------****************--------------- DWN It may also help to re-tin the tip using a tip tinner. Kester makes a little tub of the stuff called Ultrapure, but I am sure any number of similar items will do the job. R/S must have something. best wishes, dave belsley, w1euy - --On Sunday, November 18, 2001 10:42 AM -0700 Tim and Nancy Logan wrote: > Hi folks - I have a Weller WTCPT soldering station. With it I have > assembled an SWL40+, an OHR500, an OHR watt meter, an OHR DD-1 digital > readout, A K-1, and about 1/2 my K2. I NEVER had a soldering problem > until now. Here's the problem: > > For the last week, whenever I try to clean the tip by wiping it on the > sponge, I can never get all the "gunk" off....there's always a little > ball of solder stuck to it. My tips are about an 1/8 wide. I got a new > tip - same problem. Before this week I could tin torroid wires in > seconds. Now they boil and smoke, but leave a black residue that is a > pain in the butt to get off. I also switched sponges...got a new clean > kitchen sponge. No change. All I can think is that the tips are running > cooler for some reason. It's making me crazy.....does anyone have a > suggestion for what might be wrong? Thanks. 73/Tim KB7OEX ++++++++++++++++++++++ Date: 18 Nov 2001 11:59:44 -0800 From: "Jim Belt" Subject: Re: [Elecraft] KB7OEX: solder question Radio Shack has a dynamite tip cleaner that hardly ever gets used up. A quick wipe with my Weller WTCPT tip and I'm ready. 73, Jim K7JIH #1302 ++++++++++++++++++++++++ Date: Sun, 18 Nov 2001 14:46:52 -0800 From: "stan mcintosh" To: Subject: [112083] Solder Hazards Message-ID: <000a01c17082$eafb9460$3119a318 at triad.rr.com> MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit The subject of lead in solder fumes seems to be a qrp-l evergreen, much like the qrp-ness of a directional antenna (factoring 'gain' into power calculations'), harmonic noise of Ramsey transmitters, or whether no-coders should be allowed to continue to breathe the same air as the rest of us. So, please forgive me if I have already related this story in a previous round of solder-related exchanges. However... A few years ago, at my former place of employment, we were looking at a non-traditional application for solder flux resin. In this application, there were going to be lots of hot surfaces, with a potential of 'flux' fumes. I contacted a consultant that specializes in solder-related issues. He said that the main hazard of flux fumes would be to people that have elevated tree allergies. Otherwise, according to a list of references he gave me, rosin fumes are innocuous. While I had the consultant on the phone, I also asked about traditional solder flux uses and related hazards. He quickly dismissed the idea of lead in fumes as urban legend, but cautioned that lead poisoning is still a risk. Lead is a very soft metal, and it can rub off with handling. Eating, drinking, and smoking during soldering should be prohibited, since they can all provide a means of transferring lead into the body through the mouth. Any person soldering should also be very careful to wash thoroughly before going on to another activity. After talking with him, I began to wash religiously as a wrap-up to tinkering at the bench. Even now, I won't leave the bench without heading straight for the lavatory. As an aside, the consultant was one of Werner von Braun's technicians with the space program. I wish I could remember his name, his rocket stories were very entertaining. 72 stan ++++++++++++++++++ To: , "Ted Williams" Subject: [112093] Re: Solder Hazards Message-ID: <000b01c1708d$1f298940$3119a318 at triad.rr.com> MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit All I could relate was what the consultant told me, and what the documents that he provided supported. As someone with a severe asthmatic allergy to cotton dust, I can appreciate the problems with being sensitive to a series of compounds. As someone that has worked with some very potent sensitizers, and has had to read the accompanying literature, I will have to stick with my belief that solder flux is not a major sensitizer... for the far majority of the population. We were not made with a cookie cutter, so some people can be very sensitive to compounds that are quite harmless to the majority of the population. My advisor in graduate school was deathly allergic to shrimp, some people have severe allergies to egg whites, peanuts, etc. Physicians can trigger these reactions, as in the case of using dinitrochlorobenzene to create a sensitization, to enable selective tissue necrosis (not on my skin, thank you very much). The bottom line is to use some sense, ventilation, and see a physician if symptoms *start* to appear. As for lead and plumbers, the poisoning would be from ingestion, rather than transdermal absorption. If someone solders and then fails to adequately wash before eating/smoking/nailbiting, then lead can transfer through the process. 72, stan +++++++++++++++++++++++++ To: jshea1 at triad.rr.com Cc: elecraft at mailman.qth.net Date: Fri, 11 Jan 2002 12:27:15 -0700 Subject: Re: [Elecraft] solder, where do i find..... From: Gary L Surrency We no longer recommend "no clean" solder. My personal preference is Multicore 63/37 alloy, Digikey pn. SN6321-ND. This solder is the best I've ever used, and has 5 cores of RA type, activated flux. The no clean stuff is just too hard to solder with for many people, as it has very little flux. It's probably OK for rework and experts. If you feel you just have to have the no clean solder, it is Digikey pn. SN63C21-ND. But I don't want to see it on my bench! ;-) Gary Surrency AB7MY Elecraft Technical Support ++++++++++++++++++++ From: "Ron D' Eau Claire" To: Subject: RE: [Elecraft] solder, where do i find..... Date: Sat, 12 Jan 2002 13:35:48 -0800 Gary Surrency wrote: > But it lacks > much flux activity, and is harder to tin toroid leads with. You should > see some of the kits I have to work on! :-) That makes me wonder how many builders keep a small container of flux handy. A little good rosin soldering flux can make a world of difference at times when doing things like tinning toroid leads, etc. It's really easy to get into the habit of pouring in a little more solder when what we are really after is the flux, and ending up with blobs of unwanted solder and the occasional 'bridge' because there was just too much material for the size of the joint. I have a tiny can of "Nokorode Soldering Paste" that has traveled with me for too many years to remember. The old price tag (99 cents) is still on it. It was probably a "lifetime" investment. A tiny bit goes a long way Just be careful to get ROSIN flux! If you wander into a hardware store asking for soldering paste, they will likely think you are doing some plumbing and hand you acid based stuff! Using acid stuff by mistake would probably destroy the circuit board. If you have any doubts, pick up a bit from an ELECTRONIC supply company. Ron AC7AC K2 # 1289 ++++++++++++++++++++ From: DolfinDon at aol.com Date: Sat, 16 Feb 2002 16:55:56 EST Subject: Re: [Elecraft] Solder choice To: BobDobson at aol.com, elecraft at mailman.qth.net In a message dated 2/16/2002 2:22:43 PM Central Standard Time, BobDobson at aol.com writes: have heard mixed opinions regarding using the Kester "no-clean" (not the water-soluble) solder to build Elecraft kits. ========================== Hi This was covered rather extensively a month or two ago, but new people are always joining so I will do it again. The official Electaft position is to use Multicore 60/40 or 63/37 rosin core solder because it is easier to make good joints than the noclean made by Kester. The Multicore has a more active flux and does a better job of cleaning the oxides on the joint and is better for stripping and tinning the torroids. However I have used noclean solder for many years and have no problems with it. I have built 6 K2/K1's with it and I have an installed base of over 15,000 boards in the field built by my company with it. It looks better because the residue is clear and does not show. If you are going to clean the boards (also not recommended by Elecraft) the noclean removes with alcohol better than the Multicore. If you have a fair amount of experience in soldering you will not have any problems with the noclean. If you new to all of this stick with the Multicore, Kester or Radio Shack rosin core solders preferably 63/37. Also don't use silver solder. It is for surface mount parts and Elecraft does not have any surface mount, so its not required. It also makes rework harder. Have Fun Don Brown KD5NDB +++++++++++++++++ From: "Don Brown" To: "Elecraft" Subject: Re: [Elecraft] RE: soldering iron recommendations Date: Wed, 15 May 2002 08:08:43 -0500 Hi This question seems to come up from time to time. I have used many types = of irons over the years. The Weller WTCP iron has been my weapon of choic= e for over 20 years and I have 3 of them. However Weller has reduced the = price of the WES50 to $99 twenty bucks less than the WTCP. I bought a WES= 50 about 2 years ago and I like it much better than the WTCP. Both irons = are 50 watts and have the same selection of tips (although they are diffe= rent). The WES50 has a knob on the base to adjust the temperature while t= he WTCP you change the tips for different temps. The WES50 will also turn= itself off after 99 minutes of no use to save burning up tips. Either un= it will work fine if the proper tip is used, for the K2 or KPA100. That brings me to tips and I have used most of them. For most work the PT= A7 or ETA is the best choice. Less than 700 degrees is not enough heat an= d you will burn up parts and lift pads because you need to stay on the jo= int too long. 800 degrees will burn up parts and lift PC pads because its= is too hot (it is good for stripping torroid wire though). I usually run= my WES50 at 750 degrees but I have been doing this a long time and like = a little more heat and less time on the joint to speed up the work. I wou= ld recommend setting the WES50 at 700 degrees for most work and 800-850 f= or stripping wire. Just remember to turn it down when you go back to sold= ering. I don't recommend the long reach tips like the ETS or the narrow tips lik= e the ETR. These tips look good but they don't have enough mass to transf= er the heat from the heater to the joint. To put it in electrical terms t= hink of the heater as a battery the tip as a resistor and the joint as th= e load. A thin narrow tip is like a high value resistor and a short fat t= ip is like a low value resistor. Short fat gets more heat to the load qui= cker because of less resistance. Short fat also holds more heat so the ti= p does not cool as much before the heater can bring it back up to the set= temperature between joints. The only downside to the short fat tips is y= ou need to be very careful not to burn or melt parts when working in clos= e quarters. For the heavy work in the KPA100 change to a PTD7, PTH7 or ETD, ETH and c= rank up the WES50 to 750 degrees. I had no problems soldering the large t= ransformers or RF transistors with my WES50 and a large tip. Of course if= you have a big 200 watt gun or 100 watt iron you can use it on the heavy= joints in the KPA100. Just don't go buy one to do the KPA100 when a larg= e tip for $6 or $7 will do the job in your solder station. =20 Don Brown KD5NDB As usual no affiliation with Weller JMHO and 35 years experience using th= eir stuff. tip selection chart for WES50: http://www.action-electronics.com/pdf/et.pdf +++++++++++++++++++++++ Date: Sat, 18 May 2002 21:16:25 -0400 To: Rick Lellinger From: Charles Greene Subject: Re: [Elecraft] Soldering Iron Tip Contamination? Cc: At 03:34 PM 5/18/2002 -0700, Rick Lellinger wrote: >Greetings, > >I'm an experienced kitbuilder and in all my years of building experience I >have not seen a problem such as this one. I am using a brand new WS50 >Soldering Station with an ETH tip and 62/36/2 Kester solder. Everything was >soldering wonderfully until I used my solder sucker to remove a part. I also >used a bit of solder wick and am wondering if the gunk is rosin flux from >the wick. The ETH now has black stuff on it and it has become impossible to >clean/tin. I have tried the # 600 Emery cloth approach and am having no luck >at getting the tip cleaned, tinned, and usuable. Increasing the tip >temperature has not helped, either. I realize that the iron tips are plated >and so I don't want to use anything too abrasive. Any suggestions would be >greatly appreciated as I cannot continue building with the tips in this >condition. > >Thanks! > >Rick March down to your friendly Radio Shack and buy a tin of Tip tinner/cleaner compound, P/N 64-020. Take the cover off and glue the tin to the top of your soldering Station. Just before soldering, rub the tip in the compound. Does wonders. 73, Chas, W1CG ++++++++++++++++++++++ From: "Don Brown" To: "Elecraft" Subject: Re: [Elecraft] Soldering Iron Tip Contamination? Date: Sat, 18 May 2002 23:11:29 -0500 Hi This will sometimes work. heat the iron to 700 degrees scrape the tip wit= h a knife blade and immediately apply a lot of solder to the tip with sev= eral strands of solder twisted. Allow the tip to set in a blob of solder = for about a minute. This treatment may be required several times. If this= doesn't work buy a new tip. While your at it buy a ETA tip you will like= it better because it has more mass. Short fat tips will work better than= long skinny tips. Stop using silver solder it should be used on surface = mount parts only. 63/37 Multicore or Kester 44 is the best solder for thr= ough hole assembly. Always apply some solder to the tip before turning of= f the soldering iron. Wipe the tip only once on each side before making a= series of joints and do not wipe the tip before returning it to the hold= er. This will keep the tip in good condition. Don Brown KD5NDB ----- Original Message ----- From: Rick Lellinger Sent: Saturday, May 18, 2002 5:38 PM To: elecraft at mailman.qth.net Subject: [Elecraft] Soldering Iron Tip Contamination? ++++++++++++++++++ Reply-To: "Don Wilhelm" From: "Don Wilhelm" To: "Don Brown" , "Elecraft" Subject: Re: [Elecraft] Soldering Iron Tip Contamination? Date: Sun, 19 May 2002 10:03:09 -0400 Folks, Some time ago Tom Hammond N0SS recommended using one of the twisted metal kitchen scrubbers (Chore Girl is one brand name) instead of a sponge for cleaning soldering iron tips. I tried one and have been very pleased with it, but I noticed a side benefit - I too had a 'dirty' tip that I was about to replace, but I found that by running that tip through this tip wiper material several times (and re-tinning the tip in between) that tip was restored and just as usable as a new one. I had previously tried gently scraping with a blade and even lightly sanding off the tip with 320 grit paper without good success. Look in your local grocery store for a scrubber that looks like a ball of twisted springs. 73, Don W3FPR ----- Original Message ----- This will sometimes work. heat the iron to 700 degrees scrape the tip with a knife blade and immediately apply a lot of solder to the tip with several strands of solder twisted. Allow the tip to set in a blob of solder for about a minute. This treatment may be required several times. If this doesn't work buy a new tip. ....snip +++++++++++++++++++++++ From: BobDobson at aol.com Date: Thu, 27 Jun 2002 17:06:23 EDT To: elecraft at mailman.qth.net Subject: [Elecraft] Kudos to the pot scrubber I don't remember who put forth the suggestion of using a copper pot scrubber (one made of copper, not necessarily just for copper pots) to clean the unspeakably gross crud that collects on a soldering iron tip, but it works! You can get two of these in a pack for about $1.50 at your local supermarket. Just grind the tip of the hot iron into the copper mesh a few times, and it comes out all nice and squeaky clean. Thanks to the masked man (or woman). 73, Bob WA4FOM ++++++++++++++++++++ Date: Mon, 22 Jul 2002 20:31:22 -0500 To: Fghester at aol.com, elecraft at mailman.qth.net From: Tom Hammond =?iso-8859-1?Q?N=D8SS?= Subject: Re: [Elecraft] Solder Station Woody: >I have a RS solder station with an iron that can be switched between 20W & >40W. I have always used 20W position for light work on flimsy boards & works >fine. 40W position for sturdy boards (like Elecraft?). I'm also use to >using a pointes tip and it works just great for me. Questions: > >1. Is the 40W position O.K. for the K-1 kit? >2. Am I really going to get "poor results" if I don't use a "chisel or > spade" shaped tip? The 40W position will probably be OK if you use care to not dwell on the joint too long. A station with '20W' and '40W' positions implies that it does not control the temperature, but rather the amount of voltage applied to the heating element. This being the case, your tip temp can easily exceed 750-800 deg. F... even when in the '20W' position. This generally will not be a terribly bad thing as long as you use care in your application of heat. The intent should be to make a good THERMAL connection and then get in and back out as quickly as possible, but yet ensuring a well-soldered joint. Personally, I prefer a chisel tip, AND one which is about 75%-90% the width of the PCB pad on which I'm soldering. This helps to ensure less chance of me dragging solder between two adjacent pads. This seems become easier to do when you have a LOT of heat available... not certain why, just an observation. Given the opportunity to use either a 20W or a 40W heat range, I'd use the 40W because it should allow you to get in and out more quickly. 73, Tom Hammond N0SS +++++++++++++++++ From: "Don Brown" To: "Elecraft" Subject: Re: [Elecraft] Solder Station Date: Sun, 28 Jul 2002 12:52:34 -0500 Hi Tom is right. A common misconception is to use a colder tip on PC boards t= o prevent damage, this is wrong. The copper in the pad and component lead= conduct heat rapidly the fiberglass much more slowly. A hot clean tip ca= n bring the metal up to soldering temperature quickly so the joint is mad= e faster. This does not give enough time for the fiberglass to heat to th= e point of damage. I set my soldering station (WES-50) at 750-775 degrees= and each joint takes about 1 1/2 to 2 seconds. I like a chisel tip but t= hat is a personal choice you may like something else. I would avoid a rou= nd tip because it contacts the pad and lead with less area for good heat = transfer. When I use a WTCP iron I like a 700 degree tip the 800 degree t= ip seems a bit much. I would also avoid the long reach tips. The further = the tip is from the heater the more it will cool when you make a joint an= d the longer it takes to bring the tip back to the soldering temperature. Another bad habit is excessive wiping the tip on the sponge. One wipe on = each side is enough any more will just cool the tip. Do not wipe the tip = before placing it back in the holder. The tip should always have a coatin= g of solder to protect it. When I am installing an IC or connector I sold= er all of the pins one after the other without wiping the iron. I then go= back over each pad and re-flow them without applying any more solder. Th= is allows the solder to flow down through the hole to the other side of t= he board and burns a little of the flux so the board looks better. If you have a non controlled iron you can use a lamp dimmer to adjust the= temperature. You will have to experiment to find the best setting. If yo= u are going to do much building get yourself a temperature controlled sol= dering station they last a long time. I have a Weller WTCP that is over 2= 0 years old that still works great. Don Brown KD5NDB ++++++++++++++++ Reply-To: From: "Ron D'Eau Claire" To: "=?iso-8859-1?Q?'Tom_Hammond_N=D8SS'?=" , , Subject: RE: [Elecraft] Solder Station Date: Sun, 28 Jul 2002 12:10:26 -0700 Given the opportunity to use either a 20W or a 40W heat range, I'd use the 40W because it should allow you to get in and out more quickly. Tom Hammond N0SS ---------------------------- I'd TRY the 20 watt setting and see, Woody. The amount of heat an iron will generate for a given "wattage" will depend upon a lot of things including the thermal efficiency of the element and the heat transferring connections in the iron, size of the tip, your habits regarding wiping/cleaning the tip, etc. I built my K2 (and just about everything else including SMC stuff) using a 20 watt grounded-tip soldering iron that is NOT temperature controlled. Only a few connections (e.g. the mic connector on the K2) needed more heat, and I have a small gun for that work. As Tom says, it is very important not to use an excessive "dwell" time on a joint. That will cause you to burn a trace loose from the board no matter how small of an iron you use. The other extreme is that you have such a hot iron that you burn the board before the solder has time to absorb enough heat to melt and flow properly. I have a 40 watt "desoldering" iron. I must be very careful with that. A 40 watt tip allowed to accumulate too much heat can easily lift a trace. I use a conical tip almost exclusively. I can get into tight places easily with it (no problem with 'burnt' relay cases, etc.). I count on the heat transfer being via the small drop of solder that melts off of the end of my solder wire to connect the tip to the joint, not on a large metal-to-metal surface areas touching each other. I apply the soldering iron tip and the end of the solder to the joint simultaneously. Immediately a small amount of solder melts to connect the tip to the joint, and then I feed in enough additional solder for it to flow through the joint properly. Then I'm off. Dwell times on a pad on a K2 board using the 20-watt iron were typically 2 or 3 seconds for me. Ron AC7AC K2 # 1289 ++++++++++++++++++ From: "G. Beat (W9GB)" To: "Steve Dyer" Cc: Date: Wed, 14 Aug 2002 19:12:55 -0500 Subject: [Elecraft] FAQ on Soldering & Flux (Kester web site) Steve - I would recommend looking at the Kester web site (they are 10 miles north of my QTH, Des Plaines, IL) Kester is now part of Northrop Grumman. FAQ about Hand Soldering http://www.kester.com/faq_hand_soldering.html FAQ about Flux http://www.kester.com/faq_flux.html FAQ about Solder Alloys http://www.kester.com/faq_solder_alloys.html Kester Solder Alloy temperatures (great chart for the workbench) http://www.kester.com/alloy_temp_chart.html Reflow temperature profile of 63/37 http://www.kester.com/reflow_profile.html ++++++++++++++++++