Need more info about this soldering wire...

[diyahbeetuz]

Hello, everyone. I visited my local recycling shop and stumbled into a few spools of this soldering wire. It says which metals are in it, but does not list the percentage. I tried to google it but can't really find much information about it, I'm thinking this must be just similar to a 95/5 solder. Any input is much appreciated, thank you!
267580

[Ozark mike]

403 degree melting point would indicate a lot of tin

[Winger Ed.]

With the aqua clean label, trade make thing, it looks like it was marketed to plumbers. It more or less is 95/5.

If the price is right, I'd grab as much of it as I could.
In the old days a 1 pound roll of 95/5 was around six bucks. Now, its over $30.

[la5676]

403 degree melting point would indicate a lot of tin

I know alloying of metals does strange things, but tin @450, silver @ 1763, copper @ 1984, and bismuth @ 520, I'm having a hard time making that average 403. There is no lead in it, the label says lead free

[kevin c]

Mixes mean that the most stable crystalline solid structures of each pure metal don't form and less heat is needed to melt them, so melting temps under that of the lowest constituent metal are possible. The temp for melting is a range that varies with the mix, but isn't strictly proportional to the amounts of each metal.

[smithnframe]

I'd stay away from it just because of the Bismuth content alone.

[Ozark mike]

I'd stay away from it just because of the Bismuth content alone.

You thinking it would make it brittle

[NyFirefighter357]

"The alloy, composed of 96.8% tin, with small amounts of copper, bismuth and silver, is lead- and antimony-free"

[mfraser264]

You cannot take the melt temp of each element and average them for a melt temperature, metallurgy does not work that way. Your solder contains no lead, zinc, cadmium, bismuth or arsenic according to the web site for AqueClean. As the percentage of the elements change the melt point also changes which at one time I could calculate having taken material and metallurgy classes and found that most interesting how all that worked.

For exact percentages of the elements have it checked at the scrap yard via X-ray. Did a quick search online and was not able to locate the alloy composition for you.

Bottom line it will work just fine once you know exactly what you have. You did well.

[trebleplink]

From Wikipedia:

A eutectic system is a homogeneous mixture of substances that melts or solidifies at a single temperature that is lower than the melting point of any of the constituents. The eutectic temperature is the lowest possible melting temperature over all of the mixing ratios for the involved component species.

Upon heating any other mixture ratio and reaching the eutectic temperature, one component's lattice will melt first, while the temperature of the mixture has to further increase for (all) the other component lattice(s) to melt. Conversely, as a non-eutectic mixture cools down, each mixture's component will solidify (form its lattice) at a distinct temperature, until all material is solid.

[Ozark mike]

Im not a geologist but it says on the roll it melts at 403 thats good enuf for me. With that said i still says it is mostly tin. Melt a table spoon down and pour it into a warm mold and see what it looks like

[NyFirefighter357]

They are all trace metals and a small percentage will help it do it's job as solder. When your talking about using it to alloy a pot of lead the amount of those trace metals diminish quickly with 96% tin, 1.5% bismuth, 1.5% copper & 1% silver (Just guesses for example). When you add the 1lb roll to 20lb of lead the numbers are minute. 4.57% tin, .07% bismuth, .07% copper & .05% silver & 95.2% lead. if your looking for about 2% tin and add it to 40lbs of lead those numbers are 2.28% tin, .035% bismuth, .035% copper & .025% silver.
I don't think your going to notice any difference. It's just about the same as using pewter, it may be mostly tin but those other numbers can be a variety of metals depending on where & when it was made. If it was even an issue You could further dilute the solder with more 95/5 solder which has either 95% & 5% antimony or what they call Lead free silver bearing solder which is what the OP has, that stuff is usually about 96%+ tin and a mix of 1%-2% silver and trace amounts of copper and other metals.