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- Solder Lead Free - 100-gram Spool
This is your basic spool of lead free solder with a water soluble resin core. 0.031" gauge and 100 grams. This is a good spool for more advanced users that should last 6-12 months depending on how often you solder.
If you are just beginning to solder, we recommend you order the leaded solder. Lead-free solder is a bit harder to use (does not flow as well).
Mix: 99.3% Sn / 0.7% Cu
Solder Lead Free - 100-gram Spool Product Help and Resources
Core Skill: Soldering
This skill defines how difficult the soldering is on a particular product. It might be a couple simple solder joints, or require special reflow tools.
Skill Level: Noob - Some basic soldering is required, but it is limited to a just a few pins, basic through-hole soldering, and couple (if any) polarized components. A basic soldering iron is all you should need.
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Comments
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Customer Reviews
4.9 out of 5
Based on 8 ratings:
1 of 1 found this helpful:
Really improved my solder game!
I didn't realize what a huge difference thinner-gauge solder would make! I used this to replace some thicker solder, and my tiny header soldering went from lumpy and prehistoric to elegant and clean. Big improvement!
1 of 1 found this helpful:
Just the thing for my small projects
Why? Okay, Okay... how it flowed took a few seconds to master... but then ! And my dog particularly loved the Pachouli Mint scent. Now all she wants to listen to old Dead faves... Thanks! Sparkfun
2 of 3 found this helpful:
Works Fine
I was a little worried about using lead free solder after hearing how hard it can be to work with, but this stuff worked fine so long as your iron is hot enough (700° F), and you have a little blob of solder on the end of the iron whenever you try to solder something (the blob provides more surface area to transfer the heat).
1 of 2 found this helpful:
Good solder
Works fine and I can claim ROHS
1 of 2 found this helpful:
The right tool for the job
After having muddled through with solder from an orange-themed big box home improvement store, using this stuff is like a dream - the proper gauge for my microelectronics work! Flows easily - my spool looks a little different than pictured by clearly the same good stuff.
This is an easy lead-free solder to use.
This is easier to use than Sparkfun's "special blend" and even a similar solder sold by a competitor, so maybe the flux is better. The product has a green label, not the blue label shown. I've used this for soldering tricks: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RFv19s15RuM https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xJxBTLTadhI
I have a question.
If you're repairing a board, is it best to use the same type of solder that was originally used? I have some older devices that probably used lead solder, but for things around the early 2000's, I'm not sure. I would assume that many high-yield mass production consumer items would be lead free by now.
Also, how would I check if existing solder is lead based or not? If it were lead based, I wouldn't want to just throw the leftover solder in the trash. I would assume certain types of "home lead paint tests" would work.
Is this susceptible to tin pest?
This is great stuff. The metric gauge is 0.8mm, and according to the spool label the solder contains 2.5% flux. It's thin enough for surface mount but not too thin to do big through-hole joints like USB socket holders. I use it as my all-around solder and haven't had any problems.
In my experience the solder works best at at least 650 F (350 C), and I usually put my iron around 700F (370 C) to make sure the joint gets hot enough. The solder flows well and made my transition to lead-free quite pleasant.
I recommend this solder highly.
Is there a recommended temperature to set my iron when using this solder?
Yeah, the temperature at which you set your iron represents your personality. Careful and thoughtful people tend to set their irons to around 300-350C, while people who like to live life on the edge set their irons to 375C+.
+1, I used to like 425C, but I've since dropped down to 350-375C.
It really depends on your iron and what you're doing, and personal preference. I liked ~350 C.
For the record, is the exact melting temp of this solder known?
Did anyone use this for hotplate soldering? I'm curious if it's possible, since I don't solder too often (and solder paste have 6 months lifetime). I would make small blops on each pad, and either place the component on top or solder a single leg. Anyone with experince about that?
do you need flux for this?
Are the fumes of this as toxic as the ones from leaded solder?
An important thing to remember is that soldering temperatures are not hot enough to vaporize any of the metals in either leaded or unleaded solder. The smoke you see is always from the flux, which is in the core of the solder, or any you add yourself. To answer your question, the flux is the same in both products, so yes, the fumes are "as toxic" as each other. In regards to the toxicity, it's not deadly, but also not something you should be breathing excessively. A small fan is a good way to keep the fumes away from your face while you're soldering. It's also important to note that the metals from both types of solder will get on your skin; always wash your hands thoroughly after soldering. You don't want to ingest any while eating.
That is very interesting! Thanks!
I love this solder. It leaves joints looking shiny and clean. There is little issues with it heating up at 650º F. Just make sure the part is hot enough. I learned how to solder using this and it was a delight. I'll be coming back for more.
Is this 60/40 mix?
It states in the description: Mix: 99.3% Sn / 0.7% Cu. So no, not even close to 60/40.. which generally refers to tin/lead content anyway and this is lead-free solder, as per the title :) Perhaps you commented on the wrong product, though?
shouldn't the other solder be in related products?
I just got into electronics about a year ago and have been using leaded solder. I was worrying that switching to lead-free would be difficult but I was pleasantly surprised. This solder flows really well, it actually acts a lot like leaded solder (at least it does to me).