what solder to use?

tron guy

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I did a search and couldn't find anything.

I was at home depot and I needed some solder
so I bought what they call "electrical solder
lead bearing
60/40

should work for cap kits huh?
 
That will work, it should say rosin core on it somewhere since it's for electric work. If not, you might want to get a tube of flux. Never, EVER use acid core or plumbing solder on electronics.

You can find small quantities of solder at Radio Shack too, or order a spool from Mouser or MCM.
 
Radio Shack would have more & better selection of solder than the hardware store.

Any of these Radio Shack numbers are good for your use:

64-017

64-005

64-009
 
Check eBay too. I got a HUGE roll of solder, the good (tiny) stuff. It's about 6lbs total, costs me 18 with shipping... WELL worth it. I won't be running out of solder ANY time soon.
 
yeah I did the cap kit last night, and this solder was good.

It's lead bearing rosin core 60/40 mix.

good stuff.

Ken had mentioned you don't usually go to a hardware store for electronics, lol, I agree.
This time it worked out though. typically I go to fry's or radio shack. Fortunately radio shack is one mile away and fry's about 7.
 
Kester 44 is an old standby and easy to find. It is not technically "no clean", but its flux is considered inert and you can get away with not cleaning it. Kester 245 is a popular "no clean" solder.

63/37 is the best alloy for PCB soldering. It has the lowest melting point, and is eutectic:
The 63/37 ratio is notable in that it is a eutectic mixture, which means:

1. It has the lowest melting point (183 °C or 361.4 °F) of all the tin/lead alloys; and
2. The melting point is truly a point — not a range.

That second point allows the molten solder to "snap" to a solid when it cools. We used 63/37 solder exclusively in the PCB factory that I worked at; specifically Alpha Metals [no clean] Cleanline SMT Core Plus in .015" and .025" diameters (.025" to .032" is a good general purpose size for PCB work). Here's a scan of the labels on a spool of the stuff that I brought home from work years ago:

4115184224_7afc1b89b4_o.jpg
 
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Kester 44 is an old standby and easy to find. It is not technically "no clean", but its flux is considered inert and you can get away with not cleaning it. Kester 245 is a popular "no clean" solder.

63/37 is the best alloy for PCB soldering. It has the lowest melting point, and is eutectic:


That second point allows the molten solder to "snap" to a solid when it cools. We used 63/37 solder exclusively in the PCB factory that I worked at; specifically Alpha Metals [no clean] Cleanline SMT Core Plus in .015" and .025" diameters.

Yep 63/37 is my preferred solder when I do have to solder PCB boards.
 
Doesn't California cann lead solder from stores?

If so, but import it.
 
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