There is a directive in the EU to ban lead content (RoHS) and all companies
doing business with the EU are being pressured to get the lead out. Most
internationally distributed electronics now use lead-free circuit boards.
See http://en.wikipedia.org/
It is now hard to find lead/tin solder in Canadian hardware stores. I'd heard that the lead-free stuff requires more heat and doesn't flow as well, but had no trouble with the last stuff I tried. However, when I tried commercially sourcing lead-free solder at work, I could find very little information and no exact composition seemed to be proprietary and in a state of flux.
At 09:20 AM 08/05/2007 -0700, Dale B. Phelps wrote:
>Does anyone use 100% lead-free solder? IS there such a thing?
>
> I know that solder with relatively higher % of tin has a lower melting
point than solders with more lead in them, but in my business
(space/aerospace) there's a movement to get away from tin because of
certain funny properties it has over time.
>
> We used to use lead sticks (70-80% lead) as a filler on cars, some guys
still do, especially on "real" classics (read: 7 or 8-figure "golden age"
handbuilts.)
>
> I guess I am wondering when "lead" becomes "solder" in the
frame-builder's lexicon, or if I should be wondering more about when the
nubbly campy shifters were smoothed out -smile-
>
> Dale "got a dent that needs repair but not filling" Phelps
> Montagna lunga Colorado
>
>
>Dale B. Phelps
>303.651.7307
John Betmanis
Woodstock, Ontario
Canada