Solder Bars

[MN91311]

The solder bars that came with the Dee pot are Alpha Vaculoy brand.

78 solder bars total

2.2# each

Twenty bars are 60/40

Fifty-eight bars are 5/95.

Life is good in the good old USA.

[MN91311]

Sorry, new at this. I put this in the wrong place. Please move to Casting Equipment

[45nut]

Done.

Nice bars there.

[mazo kid]

Lets see.....that 5-95 stuff could be used almost as pure tin and tin runs about $10/#. Fifty eight 2.2# bars....127.6# X $10.....seems you did VERY well!! Emery

[Springfield]

I was told the 60/40 bars are 60% tin. So wouldn't the 5/95 bars be 5% tin? Or is it the othe way around and my source was incorrect?

[felix]

The rule: the biggest number on the left, the smallest number on the right. It is up to YOU to know what the numbers represent. Yes, you are correct about 60/40, though more correctly it is supposed to be 63/37 for the no-slush mixture. It is the tin having the biggest number; lead the lowest. I don't know about your 95/5 you have in your picture. I just know that it is stamped wrong, according to convention. ... felix

[alamogunr]

The rule: the biggest number on the left, the smallest number on the right. It is up to YOU to know what the numbers represent. Yes, you are correct about 60/40, though more correctly it is supposed to be 63/37 for the no-slush mixture. It is the tin having the biggest number; lead the lowest. I don't know about your 95/5 you have in your picture. I just know that it is stamped wrong, according to convention. ... felix

I always thought that the number on the left was the percentage tin. I have about 900 lbs of solder I got at work before I retired. They were going to pay some hazardous materials company to dispose of it before I volunteered to do it for nothing. All of these rolls are labeled as 40/60 or 50/50. When these were purchased the specification was that the ratio was 40% tin and 60% lead or half and half for the 50/50. The 63/37 is, as you say, the eutectic solder that works very well in electronic applications and probably many others.

[blysmelter]

95/5, could it be 95% tin and 5% copper or silver?

[Andy_P]

95/5, could it be 95% tin and 5% copper or silver?

I agree it would be one of those two. If it's copper, it shouldn't be an issue, as once you dilute it in your mix it will become trace. E.g. a 5% copper alloy added 2% to your wheelweight makes the copper in the mix 0.1%. Silver, same thing. Since you have a lot of the other stuff (60/40), you could further dilute it by mixing up a big batch of the same proportions, e.g. 70/27/3 (tin/lead/copper).

Perhaps there's a way to determine if it's copper. Add some bore solvent with copper remover to a small piece, let it sit for a while and see if you get a blue color on a cloth when you wipe it?

[hivoltfl]

I use 95-5 roll solder from two manufactures, one lists the make up as 95%tin 4.7%copper and the rest as Selenium, The other lists it as 95% tin and 5% antimony.

Rick

[mtgrs737]

My guess is that it is 95% Tin and 5% Antimony or what is called "Lead Free Solder". Just my two cents.

[Dale53]

Whatever the true alloy is, I am "just a tad" jealous and would have NO problem making use of it:mrgreen:.

GOOD SCORE!!:drinks:

Looks to me like you did well with both the pot AND the alloy. Shoot center!:Fire::Fire:

Dale53

[Jon K]

Here it is:

http://www.adelec.biz/data/fiches_techniques/010102.pdf

When in doubt- go to the mfg.

Jon

[MN91311]

I found this bar in the pile.

The 5/95 bars weighed more , dropped with a duller thud, scratched easier, and bent easier than the 60/40.

Too bad it's 5% tin, rather than 95%. Tin being worth approx ten times more than lead.

I guess the 5/95 solder here is roughly 20/1 alloy, usable as is, or cut 50 50 with lead so as not to waste the tin.

I shouldn't be too greedy about the tin. It was still a steal at $25 total.

I am reminded about the cartoon bear who scooped up all but one of the fish in a pool. In his greedy attempt to get that one last fish, he slipped and lost all of them.

[Morgan Astorbilt]

Anybody know what 95-5 (Tin-Antimony) lead free solder is going for nowadays? I've got a supply of Firinit SWL-38 lab grade solder, that years ago, I was selling to the schuetzen crowd. They're in 1/8kg. bars. This is 4.4oz. which yeilds over 1/4lb. tin, and the rest antimony. I'm thinking of offering it to the casters on this board, and I'd like to get a fair price, without ripping anybody off.
Firinit is a German company making high grade welding and brazing rods. I don't think they're making this lead free solder any more.
I've also got a lot of Linotype, and Hand Type metal.
Morgan.

[Dale53]

There is a gentleman on this board who is selling Tin for $5.00 per lb plus shipping, if that helps.

Dale53

[Morgan Astorbilt]

There is a gentleman on this board that is selling Tin for $5.00 per lb plus shipping, if that helps.

Dale53

WOW Dale! I can't compete with that. Today, Tin closed at $15,700/ton. That comes out to $7.85/lb. Wonder what the purity of his is. Several years ago, 95-5 solder was retailing for $18/lb. (1lb. spools). I'm probably better off selling it as solder to a plumbing or copper roofing company.
Paul

[hivoltfl]

I buy LEAD FREE Solder from a plumbing wholesale house for 10 bucks a pound, Lowes and Home Depot are about the same in price.

Rick

[Lloyd Smale]

its probably plumbers lead that they used to sweat sewer pipes and other bigger pipes together. It was very soft and near pure. I got a few hundered lbs of it from a plumbing shop that didnt use it anymore once for free. thought i had a real find like you did figureing it was tin but its still usuable lead. A black powder shooter would love that stuff its about a perfect alloy for them.
I found this bar in the pile.

The 5/95 bars weighed more , dropped with a duller thud, scratched easier, and bent easier than the 60/40.

Too bad it's 5% tin, rather than 95%. Tin being worth approx ten times more than lead.

I guess the 5/95 solder here is roughly 20/1 alloy, usable as is, or cut 50 50 with lead so as not to waste the tin.

I shouldn't be too greedy about the tin. It was still a steal at $25 total.

I am reminded about the cartoon bear who scooped up all but one of the fish in a pool. In his greedy attempt to get that one last fish, he slipped and lost all of them.

[trk]

I get the scrap solder from work at the going scrap rate.

It's about 95% tin, 4.5 Silver and 0.5% copper.