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Defective solder?

post #1 of 11
7/26/11 at 4:08am
Thread Starter 

I bought some eutectic solder ( 63/37) to use for my first smd project.

I tried it out on some cables and through hole components and I'm not pleased with the results.

The joints are not shiny at all, especially compared to my 60/40 solder. I suppose this is not good to use?

Would it be possible to use 60/40 for smd as a beginner or should I pick up som high quality 63/37?

The problem is that its impossible to find any reseller that has 63/37 solder where I live so it would take weeks before I could get started.

 

60/40 to the left. 63/37 to the right

DSC00382.JPG

 


Edited by H3nk - 7/26/11 at 4:40am
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post #2 of 11
7/26/11 at 4:29am
What brand solder?

What kind of iron and how much heat?
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post #3 of 11
7/26/11 at 4:39am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by digger945 View Post

What brand solder?

What kind of iron and how much heat?


Bojie, bought it on ebay, quite cheap.

 

Using a chisel tip at 360°C (680°F).

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post #4 of 11
7/26/11 at 5:07am
Not knowing what kind of solder, or how large those wires are, i would say your iron is just too small and not enough heat for the big stuff. Maybe it will be ok for tiny smd parts.

Perhaps you can practice with some smaller wire or leads and dwell on the joint longer. I prefer high heat and shorter dwell times.
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post #5 of 11
7/26/11 at 6:54am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by digger945 View Post

Not knowing what kind of solder, or how large those wires are, i would say your iron is just too small and not enough heat for the big stuff. Maybe it will be ok for tiny smd parts.

Perhaps you can practice with some smaller wire or leads and dwell on the joint longer. I prefer high heat and shorter dwell times.


But the strange thing is that my 60/40 solder works fine under the exact same conditions so I dont think temperature and size is a problem. Just to be sure I cranked up the temperature to 450°C and heated excessivly long and the result is still the same.

 

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post #6 of 11
7/26/11 at 7:43am
Once again, not knowing what solder you are using, its tough to say anything except use what you like and works best for you smily_headphones1.gif

I dont expect every joint to look like polished silver. After you have done it for awhile, you will know when its good or cold.
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post #7 of 11
7/26/11 at 8:05am

 

There's absolutely nothing wrong with the 63/37 alloy. Since it was bought cheap off eBay, it could just be garbage. Is it a flux cored solder? If so, what kind of flux?

 

se

 

 

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post #8 of 11
7/26/11 at 9:18am

You need a large enough soldering iron to solder those big cables....i found the hard way trying to solder 16 gauge calbes with a 30W iron

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post #9 of 11
7/26/11 at 1:06pm

That solder may be funky.

Stick to what works best for you.

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post #10 of 11
7/29/11 at 1:57am
Thread Starter 

Thanks for the answers. I'm going to buy some quality solder instead. Any recommendations on what to get and where?

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post #11 of 11
7/29/11 at 1:58am

Kester is highly rated 

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