Nice Surprise

[lightman]

Ran across a 5# roll of solder and 2 1# rolls while looking for something else it the shop, yesterday. The 1# rolls are rosin core but the 5# roll appears to be solid. All three are very old! I don't even remember where this stuff came from, guess I need to do some cleaning once Spring gets here! Lightman

[220swiftfn]

Nice, the rosin core is just flux, not the nightmare that acid core is..... Alloy away my good man......


Dan

[lwknight]

I melted a 5 pound roll of rosin core 63/37 the other day and the rosin was still a big hassle.
My plan next time is to melt it and pour into a soda can with the top out. Let it cool, cut the can off, then knock the hardened rosin off with a small hammer. Then I will recast into small ingots without the pesky rosin.

[sirsloop]

I recently melted some down and threw sawdust on the rosin floating on top. I sparked it up and let it all burn off. That made a non-gooey substance I could skim off. Seemed to work great as the lead looked great afterwards. Cast into nice clean ingots from a bottom pour ladle.

I found enough solder to last me a VERYYYY long time

http://photos.tallmanphoto.com/photos/i-P94Kt8k/0/X2/i-P94Kt8k-X2.jpg

:)

[lightman]

This site has made me more aware of lead related stuff. This solder has probably been in my shop for years, and I just ran across it. I don't even remember where it came from. It may have been in some of my Dad's stuff. Anyway, it was a nice surprise! Lightman

[MTtimberline]

Does anyone have experience using lead free solder? I think it was a tin/copper mix maybe.

[sirsloop]

lead free is probably 95% tin 5% antimony.

[mikeym1a]

One fellow on the site suggested leaving the rosin core on the roll until ready to be used. After all, the rosin is a flux, so......... Some of the new lead free solders have tin, copper, and something else. By the law, it can't have antimony in it, and be considered 'lead-free'. So, they came up with a new formulation. You just have to look them up on line to learn their constituent parts. According to the local plumbing place, the only ones that are legal in water supply applications are the newer tin, copper, and something else, but not antimony. This shop carries them all, and keeps the older 50/50 for a local radiator shop. What would be do without the EPA?

[sirsloop]

i guess the 95/5 rolls I scored were REALLY old..HAHA.... the metal roll had rusted apart on some of them! HA!