[Elecraft] 1st Time Kit building

[Mark J. Dulcey]

Don Brown wrote:
> Hi
> 
> Do not use silver bearing solder It is no longer recommended by Elecraft. The reason silver is alloyed with solder is to prevent the solder from dissolving the silver coating from surface mount components. If the solder is already saturated with silver then it will not attack the silvering on the surface mounts component. There are no surface mount components in any Elecraft kits so you are just making it hard on yourself if you use it. Use a good quality 63/37 .030 rosin flux solder like Multicore or Kester 44

Actually, there is another reason as well. Most lead-free solder alloys 
contain some silver; it appears to be the best way to get an alloy with 
an acceptable melting point, as well as the other characteristics that 
solder needs to have. Even so, lead-free solder has a somewhat higher 
melting point than 60/40 or 63/37 tin/lead.

Some of us may have to get used to it; the EEC has decreed the end of 
lead-based solder starting in 2004, because of the environmental hazards 
of lead. (However, the directive is currently on hold, and may be 
postponed or repealed.) So far, I haven't heard of any other 
jurisdictions that are planning to follow their lead (or lack thereof 
:-), though there is a push in Japan to reduce lead use in electronics.

An interesting page on the subject of lead-free solder: 
http://www.kester.com/leadfree_update.htm