Herbert Graf wrote:
> On Sat, 2007-02-10 at 12:02 -0500, Timothy J. Weber wrote:
>> I've used the old 60/40, 1/16" diameter, rosin-core solder for years. 
>> But I wanted something smaller gauge to use for SMDs.  And I figured I 
>> should transition to lead-free.  So, I've been trying Kester lead-free 
>> 0.02" no-clean solder.
>>
>> I'm having a hard time with it.  Basically, the iron tip doesn't wet - I 
>> can't tin it with this stuff.  After the first few joints, I can't even 
>> melt the solder by pushing the tip against it hard.  Re-tinning with the 
>> plain old lead stuff resuscitates it for a little while.
>>
>> Should I not be mixing both types of solder with the same iron tip?
>>
>> I'm using a Kester Flux-Pen to flux the components and pads, but very 
>> little of that may be getting on the iron.  Is there some way I should 
>> be getting flux onto the iron?
>>
>> Or... am I missing something else?
>>
>> I'm prepared for lead-free solder to look a little duller, but not being 
>> able to get it to flow at all seems like a show-stopper.  For now, I've 
>> gone back to the 1/16" diameter stuff for SMDs; I end up getting too 
>> much solder on the joints, but at least the darn things stick where 
>> they're supposed to.
> 
> When lead free first started to become an issue the wisdom at the time
> was you had to keep two sets of tips, one set for lead, one set for lead
> free. You could not mix the two.
> 
> I do not know if that has changed, still I think it's a good idea to
> keep them separate.

Doesn't your soldering iron need to be hotter for lead free?

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