Kester "44" (63/37)

[martthie_08]

just a little rant about the new solder I purchased last week:

what a bunch of crap!
Seriously, I have been soldering for almost 20 years and I can't even seem to get a simple steady XLR wired up. 
Is there something I am not aware of or is the trusty Stannol Radiolot I had been using all this time really so much better for "non-professional" use?

The solder is really hard to heat up and gets dry in the blink of an eye. Exactly what I don't need, sigh...

 

[audiomixer]

I wanted to write: of course lead-free solder is a pain, but it seems it's regular leaded.... so no clue what your real problem is. may be you need a higher temp, that does the trick sometimes....

- Michael

 

[JohnRoberts]

Does it have a flux core?

JR

 

[martthie_08]

this is what I've got in front of me:

http://www.kester.com/products/product/44-flux-cored-wire/

I was assuming it has a flux core and yes, I would have to use a higher temp, but then again I'll probably just go back to what has worked fine for me all the years...

 

[Andy Peters]

The solder is really hard to heat up and gets dry in the blink of an eye. Exactly what I don't need, sigh...

Maybe you need a new tip for your soldering tool, or maybe a new soldering tool. Are you sure the tip isn't corroded and are you sure it's getting hot and staying hot?

 

[martthie_08]

Maybe you need a new tip for your soldering tool, or maybe a new soldering tool. Are you sure the tip isn't corroded and are you sure it's getting hot and staying hot?

well, my soldering irons are not in their best shape (got two, one temp controlled Weller, one cheapo ERSA Tip 260),
but just a couple days ago I was doing perfect joints with the old stuff, but I'll post back tomorrow after a visit to the local electronics supplier.

 

[PRR]

60/40 has a range between liquid and wet.

63/37 is Eutectic. Goes solid *instantly*.

If you've spent decades working with the slow-set stuff, I am told that eutectic is very different.

However eutectic is also the lowest melting-point alloy, so I don't understand "hard to heat up".

What is your source? In today's markets, mis-mark and outright fraud happens.

Kester is one of the brands that (if genuine) I would trust without question. Yes, "44" is electronic flux inside. Of course you can tell by the smoke. (Pure solder won't smoke on the iron, the smoke at our bench is pine rosin flux.)

Strange story. I was soldering fine, then one day it got awful. Long tale short, they had (finally) replaced the drive belts for the building air circulation. I had stagnant air, now I had a fair breeze right across my bench. Just enough that a 45W iron wouldn't heat quite enough.

 

[gar381]

I have used lots of different solders over the years
but my mainstay solder is and has been for decades
Kester  part # 24-6337-0027. 

This is kester 44  63/37  .031 dia.

This is the BEST solder I have ever use bar none.

If  this solder does not work for you than you
have  an Iron problem.

GARY

 

[CJ]

get the 60/40 off evilbay, NOS, and you will be a happy camper, supplies are drying up, like tubes,

estimate your lifetime, multiply by rolls per year, rob a bank, and make your purchase,


now soldering tips, don't get me started,

i like the old magnetic tips because they seem to last forever, but sometimes you get a bad one that glows red hot if you turn your back,  :-\

 

[martthie_08]

purchased off of DigiKey and I presume user error not fraud.

back to Stannol and I am a happy camper.
Guess I need better technique and a hotter iron for the 44

anyone wanna take this big roll Kester off of my hands? I paid €49,36 and will let it go for €25

https://www.digikey.de/product-detail/de/24-6337-0018/KE1109-ND/365505

 

[Monte McGuire]

Kester 44 isn't awful, so if things aren't working out for you, consider whether your soldering iron tips are dirty or otherwise not completely tinned. Depending upon how you use them, soldering iron tips can get un-tinned, and need to be maintained, usually as you work. If the tip is dirty, the work will not heat properly, regardless of how fancy of a temperature controlled iron you have, and you will not be able to make good solder joints.

So, as triage, you need to scrape off the crust from your soldering iron tips and apply solder to the tip repeatedly until it flows smoothly and completely. Then, consider your working habits - if you wipe the tip off on the sponge after a joint and then put the iron on the stand, you've just removed a bunch of solder from the tip, and what little is left will oxidize quickly, leaving the tip un-tinned. Instead, clean the tip right before you use it, so that while it's in the stand, it's not stripped bare, ready to oxidize and become un-tinned. You're not using lead-free, but all of this becomes much more critical if you do use lead-free solder.

Personally, I dislike '44' only because it burns my throat. Kester 245 flux wets slightly better, it's completely halogen-free, and a lot less caustic to my throat - my choice for 63/37 alloy. For lead-free SAC305, the 275 flux works well, but again, lead-free really is a big pain in the rear.

Best of luck, and keep your tips happy!!

 

[Andy Peters]

purchased off of DigiKey and I presume user error not fraud.

back to Stannol and I am a happy camper.
Guess I need better technique and a hotter iron for the 44

It's not that you need a hotter iron. You haven't told us what tool you use. Does the tip go cold when it hits the work? That's a big problem, and it's not solved by having a tool with higher power, but one which actually controls the temperature at the tip. The answer to the question is, of course, Metcal.

-a

 

[Andy Peters]

For lead-free SAC305, the 275 flux works well, but again, lead-free really is a big pain in the rear.

No, not really.

-a

 

[Brian Roth]

For lead-free SAC305, the 275 flux works well, but again, lead-free really is a big pain in the rear.

No, not really.

-a

What would you suggest as a eutectic lead-free option to 63/37?