Can you still buy non-lead-free solder...?
And if so, where?
The only source I know of tends to be electrical/tecchy types of sale conventions.
Sometimes happen in sports halls or convention centres. You can usually find some old boy with a stack of junk from his shed that has a variety of solder types.
I have a decent bundle here, how much do you need?
Must be said that soldering is a whole lot easier with it.
I buy mine from Farnell. A quick search for "60/40 solder" on their website at http://uk.farnell.com shows they list over 80 types.
There's a common misconception that tin/lead solder is "illegal". It's still readily available and perfectly legal for use on non-RoHS equipment (which includes gear that was made before RoHS regs came into force).
I think it's still available in the US...
Kester 245 or 44 I think should be avaialble at the usual suspects Mouser/Allied/Digi-Key
http://kester.com/SideMenu/Products/HandSolderingMaterials/CoredSolderWire/tabid/259/Default.aspx
In Europe, it may be a slightly different ball-game, but here in the yew-knighted states, you can still pretty much buy live ammunition, bait & tackle, and double-strength full-caffeine lead solder down at the local liquor store.
-I just ordered a printed circuit board to build an optical compressor for a friend, and I'll be using 100% leaded solder THROUGHOUT... almost out of bloody-minded 'principle'; even if the various emperor's tailors out there declare that the new lead-free stuff sound more 'yeilding, yet crisply defined' or whatever...
dag-nabbitt!
I buy mine from Farnell. A quick search for "60/40 solder" on their website at [url] shows they list over 80 types.There's a common misconception that tin/lead solder is "illegal". It's still readily available and perfectly legal for use on non-RoHS equipment (which includes gear that was made before RoHS regs came into force).
-johnr
Excellent!
Won't using that make you some sort of anti-Christ or something? Why was non-lead free solder mandated, anyway? I know its a Europe thing, but is it also mandatory in the US?
You can find "vintage" solder(and wire) on eBay,though I don't know if the flux recipies changed or are age affected.For restoration of old amps some expensive Japanese techs like to go all the way!
There was also the (in)famous "Spice" guitar pedal by HSW that had no knobs and 2 pieces of vintage wire between input and output.
His other pedals were generally very good...
Won't using that make you some sort of anti-Christ or something? Why was non-lead free solder mandated, anyway? I know its a Europe thing, but is it also mandatory in the US?
-wireline
Legislators in the EU wanted to be seen to be doing something about lead getting into drinking water through disposal of electronic waste in landfill sites. They banned landfill disposal of electronic waste. They also (redundantly) banned the use of lead in most electronic equipment. Now they want to ban it from previously exempt equipment such as aerospace and military stuff, despite serious safety concerns about the unreliability of lead-free solder.
The cathedral down the road from here just had 30 tons of lead put on its roof, and its use is still mandatory in a lot of construction work in the UK. So far those responsible for environmental legislation haven't noticed. It's more important to ban a few grammes of lead in aircraft control systems. They'll be more likely to crash, but who cares?
Still available from electronics parts suppliers here in Canada.
I bought some last year from my local electronics store.
I bought some last week from Frys - 63/37.
Very much available.
I buy mine from Sam Rubinstein Associates, they are good people and have a big selection:
In multiple sizes, some with free shipping if you have an Amazon Prime account and live in the US...
*For full disclosure, my brother in law and several friends work for Amazon...
In Europe, it may be a slightly different ball-game, but here in the yew-knighted states, you can still pretty much buy live ammunition, bait & tackle, and double-strength full-caffeine lead solder down at the local liquor store.
-ssltech
Nope, leaded solder is available here as well.
