Bar solder and rolled solder

[blade]

I was reading somewhere, and I can't find the article again, that says to use 50/50 bar solder not rolled 50/50 solder.

What's the difference? Isn't 50/50 lead/tin solder the same? 50/50 is 50/50 right?

Just like a pound is a pound?

Thanks,
B

[Dusty Bannister]

If you do a price check you will probably find your own answer. Bar solder
takes less labor to make. No spool to wind it on, just extrude the bar and cut
and pack and ship.

Unless you are not considering that some wire or spool solder is either acid
core or flux core, and that can add other issues in addition to cost.
Dusty

[dsbock]

What effect would acid core or rosin core solder have on the mix? Wouldn't they cook out?

David

[bangerjim]

Both are dangerous to throw into a molten pot. Acid core will sputter...badly!! And you really do not want acid in your pot.

Rosin will cook off.

Use at your own risk. I avoid acid and rosin all together. It is just not worth the risk and mess. Buy some tin from Rotometals.com and be safe!

bangerjim

[MaryB]

Rosin will flux the melt like any other flux

[mikeym1a]

Rosin will flux the melt like any other flux

Mary's right. rosin is non-corrosive, that's why it's used in electronics. If you use acid core, usually used for plumbing, it will cause rust in your pot, and you'll need to clean it very quickly. And the price issue is an issue. If you can get a roll of solder for $5/lb, then good. but if you pay much more than that, not so good. It's at best 60% tin, so double that for a lb. Sometimes you'll find a buy on ebay. It seems like each time I do, after I've made the purchase, and go back after another, the price has jumped, alot. Lately, I've found bar solder at the salvage yard, right in with the lead. Better price than fleabay or Rotometals. Good luck.:-o

[mikeym1a]

Re-reading your original post, you can get 50/50 in bars or in rolls. The rolls I've found are solid, no flux. the ones with flux are usually 60/40 electrical, some with rosin flux, some without. Some of the old roll plumbing solder have acid cores. The electrical solder is no problem, as Mary stated. If you get a bunch of the roll solder, I would smelt it, cast it, and mark it, just to save time later. You can clean your pot afterwards that way. Hope this helps.[smilie=s:

[shadowcaster]

Re-reading your original post, you can get 50/50 in bars or in rolls. The rolls I've found are solid, no flux.

I agree.. really know difference once in the melt.

As for rosin core and acid core solders, I often find them at garage sales. I continue to collect them and when I get enough I smelt them all together and average the lead/tin ratio. I do this in a specially designated solder pot only and, pour the ingots into bread stick molds. I flux many times until all of the acid is gone. When finished, I have nice clean solder ingots ready for use in boolits. :)

Shad

[blade]

I was wondering. It didn't make sense that 50/50 is 50/50. I figured it had something to do with preparation and packaging.

This is just straight 50.50 solder, no core at all.

B

[mikeym1a]

50/50 is a mix of 50%tin & 50%lead. It is used for many things. For a long time it was used for plumbing, copper car radiators, and other things. It comes in bar form and roll form. The 50/50 that I get at the local plumbing place keeps it in stock for the local radiator shop. Since the government is trying to eliminate 'evil' lead from our lives, they have mandated that it be removed from solder. Manufacturers first went to 95/5 tin/antimony. But, the government in it's wisdom decreeded that antimony is lead, and forbade its use in plumbing, as well. The drive to eliminate the use of lead has lead to several complication in the electronics. Anyway, solder comes in several forms, percentages, and it can all be used in alloying boolit materials. I just looked at your original post, and yes, solder is solder. Any of the various one can be used, you simply need to adjust the percentages. Bar form is more convenient than the rolled type, imo. Sorry for any confusion I may have caused. The Lyman manual says to use 1lb of 50/50 solder with 9 lbs of clip-on wheel weights, and get an alloy equivalent to Lyman #2. That is all about the percentages of lead/tin/antimony in the boolit mix. I hope this helps a bit. :oops:

[dRok]

What would happen if you tossed some baking soda into melted acid core solder?

[mikeym1a]

What would happen if you tossed some baking soda into melted acid core solder?

No idea. I'm neither a metallurgist or a chemist. Chemistry and I were never close friends............

[madsenshooter]

What would happen if you tossed some baking soda into melted acid core solder?

Probably not a whole lot, depending on just when the baking soda was added. Most acids I'm aware of would be gone pretty quick at melt temps. I often use citric acid as a flux, it doesn't last long. Adding baking soda would cause a neutralization reaction, which in general produces water and a gas. Mixing alkaline and acid drain cleaners is an example of a neutralization reaction that I did once. Got a nice sulpher smell all trough my trailer and all the brass I had in my house darkened. The reaction is exothermic, produces heat. It got my drain open, but in the wrong place!

[Milsurp Junkie]

The "acid" in acid core solder is usually zinc and ammonium chloride. The ammonium chloride at its decomposition releases ammonia and hydrochloric acid. The hydrochloric acid coverts the oxides to chlorides, and the ammonia chelates (traps) the metal chloride. As far as the zinc chloride, it is a bit more complicated, as it is not a traditional acid (it is known as a Lewis acid), so its behavior is a bit different, but it still reacts with the oxides and forms metal chlorides.
MJ

[fryboy]

rosin core solder ,as stated, is one heck of a flux , in fact rosin by it's self is perhaps the best flux i know of ( think wood/sawdust concentrated !!!! ) but to buy it and use it that way isnt a very economical proposition [shrugz]