Silver Solder

[Andrei]

I am fabricating a 2m interconnect (my favourite Oyaide AZ-910 only goes to 1.3 m).
I need a recommendation for a quality solder. The prime considerations are (1) Good quality (2) Easy to use.

[Mike A]

WBT among others make silver solder and MCRU sells it. Silver solder is a bit more difficult to use if you don't do a lot of soldering as it doesn't flow as well as normal solder so I would suggest practising on something unimportant first. You might be better off just using normal solder.I've used a lot of silver solder and I'm not sure I've actually noticed much of a difference between the two :scratch:

[NRG]

I think you mean Silver loaded Solder. Silver Solder is a hard solder used in brazing and melts at a much higher temperature. Silver loaded solder melts at a slightly lower temperature than the typical 63/37 or 60/40 solder, the small 2~4% of silver makes for a slightly stronger joint and takes the solder closer to a perfect eutectic solder.

You can buy it from the likes of RS components and Farnell / CPC etc

[Reffc]

I am fabricating a 2m interconnect (my favourite Oyaide AZ-910 only goes to 1.3 m).
I need a recommendation for a quality solder. The prime considerations are (1) Good quality (2) Easy to use.

Cardas Quad Eutectic (silver/copper/tin/lead). Not cheap but it's the best I've used. Available from Nick at HFC. If it's only a little you need, PM me your address and I'll put some in the post for you FOC.

[Andrei]

Cardas Quad Eutectic (silver/copper/tin/lead). Not cheap but it's the best I've used. Available from Nick at HFC. If it's only a little you need, PM me your address and I'll put some in the post for you FOC.
Thanks Paul, that looks right up my street. PM sent.

[Yomanze]

Cardas Quad Eutectic (silver/copper/tin/lead). Not cheap but it's the best I've used. Available from Nick at HFC. If it's only a little you need, PM me your address and I'll put some in the post for you FOC.

Yes I was just going to come in and post the same thing. :)

it's so easy to work with too, 'melts like butter'.

[Andrei]

I'm gunna get some Cardas. Does it come with its own flux?

[Reffc]

It's flux cored Andrei so no need for extra flux. You'll ideally need a fume mask or similar as the fumes are toxic, plus use in a well ventilated area.

[337alant]

I like the WBT-820 it has a low melting point 178-180C and flows very easy just like the old rosin core stuff
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/WBT-Silver-Solder-250g-Reel-0-8mm-Ideal-for-Hi-Fi-Connections-/121223990593?pt=UK_Sound_Vision_Audio_Cable_Termin ations&hash=item1c39834d41

Note don't buy the 0805 unleaded stuff
Alan

[Andrei]

I like the WBT-820 it has a low melting point 178-180C and flows very easy just like the old rosin core stuff
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/WBT-Silver-Solder-250g-Reel-0-8mm-Ideal-for-Hi-Fi-Connections-/121223990593?pt=UK_Sound_Vision_Audio_Cable_Termin ations&hash=item1c39834d41
Note don't buy the 0805 unleaded stuff
Alan
I think the melting point is what makes it easy to use - very important. As Mike pointed out, it is unlikely to make a difference but these things are cheap enough so I will go with the flow.

[Yomanze]

Also eutectic solder is very important to me as it means a very sudden change from solid to liquid. Unleaded solders in particular can get a bit "pasty" as they achieve the required temperature to melt.

[6L6]

The Cardas quad is really fantastic stuff. Highly recommended. I also really like Kester 44, but it has no silver.

Silver-bearing solder has nothing to do with quality or sound, it's necessary to have a bit of silver in the solder if you are using silver plated contacts or silver wire, otherwise the there will be galvanic corrosion at the joint. The 2% silver will keep that from happening.

All lead-free solders, as far as I have experienced, are complete crap. AND you will eventually have tin whisker issues. ( Google it, not a god thing)

[Naughty Nigel]

Lead free solders have a significantly higher melting temperature than leaded solders (227 °C Vs 180 °C), which isn't good news for delicate electronic components.

Solders with a mix of 62% Sn, 36% Pb and 2% Ag have a slightly lower melting temperature of 179 °C.

Nigel.

[walpurgis]

I use silver (bearing) solder occasionally, but normally use one of my rolls of old lead based, fluxed solder for most jobs. I have a nice stockpile of old roll solder, which I intend to hang onto. No reason not to use it, it works well, is easy to use and you are unlikely to find that anything else has been used in the kind of vintage gear many of us mess about with. Conductivity is not an issue, due to soldered joints generally having a far bigger cross section than any conductors being joined. Boot sales are a good source for old rolls of solder.

[Naughty Nigel]

I use silver (bearing) solder occasionally, but normally use one of my rolls of old lead based, fluxed solder for most jobs. I have a nice stockpile of old roll solder, which I intend to hang onto. No reason not to use it, it works well, is easy to use and you are unlikely to find that anything else has been used in the kind of vintage gear many of us mess about with. Conductivity is not an issue, due to soldered joints generally having a far bigger cross section than any conductors being joined. Boot sales are a good source for old rolls of solder.

You can still buy lead solder online from CPC and RS Components, wound on ominous looking red reels; and no doubt delivered discretely to your door in a plain brown paper parcel!

The issue with lead solders, apparently, is not its use, but safe disposal into landfill when a device reaches the end of its service life. Being the wasteful, consumer led society that we are, the authorities have to assume that everything we buy will end up in landfill within ten years of purchase, which in most cases is probably true.

As an example, Hasselblad famously had to stop production of its XPan panoramic camera because the circuit board used lead solder. Worse still, there was even a threat that organ builders would be put out of business because metal organ pipes are made from alloys of lead. Sadly it doesn't occur to the Brussels mandarins that most landfill sites are filled with cheap Chinese tat, and not with Hasselblad cameras, organ pipes or valve amplifiers. :(

Nigel.

[AlexM]

You can still buy lead solder online from CPC and RS Components, wound on ominous looking red reels; and no doubt delivered discretely to your door in a plain brown paper parcel!

The issue with lead solders, apparently, is not its use, but safe disposal into landfill when a device reaches the end of its service life. Being the wasteful, consumer led society that we are, the authorities have to assume that everything we buy will end up in landfill within ten years of purchase, which in most cases is probably true.

As an example, Hasselblad famously had to stop production of its XPan panoramic camera because the circuit board used lead solder. Worse still, there was even a threat that organ builders would be put out of business because metal organ pipes are made from alloys of lead. Sadly it doesn't occur to the Brussels mandarins that most landfill sites are filled with cheap Chinese tat, and not with Hasselblad cameras, organ pipes or valve amplifiers. :(

Nigel.


Tin Whiskers will also become an increasing problem for RoHS-compliant electronics, leading to even more stuff heading for landfill. Lead has been used since the 1930s to slow down or eliminate tin and nickel whisker formation in electronics, and the elimination of lead from RoHS-based solders and surface platings has caused whisker shorts between connector pins, IC legs etc. in consumer electronics and even safety critical systems - satellites, nuclear power stations, flight avionics etc.

I stick to lead solder for home electronics work - it is easier to work with, more reliable and avoids higher temperature soldering that might not be tolerated by components. I have also used WBT and Cardas silver loaded solders, and found them ok to work with.

[MartinT]

WBT is good but my favourite is Shark 5.5% silver loaded solder. It flows well and is easy to work with. It used to be sold by Maplin but I'm not sure where you can get it from now.

http://www.surplustronics.co.nz/product/SP0222/8563-medium.jpg