Steve, AA4AK wrote: Although it has been a very long time since I've built a Heathkit, I'm pretty sure recalling that Heath had a disclaimer that both acid core solder or a soldering iron cleaned with sal ammoniac would void their warranty.
It is enough of a concern that I would not use it on an Elecraft product unless Elecraft says it is OK. As for the harm it might do, I note that another poster has addressed that. ---------------------------------- Thanks, Steve. I agree with your concerns. Elecraft makes specific solder recommendations, and any deviation from those recommendations should only be done with full knowledge of why certain solders are recommended. I wasn't asking about the fumes! That's obvious. Indeed, rosin fumes should not be inhaled either, and as long as we're using solder with lead in it, ALWAYS wash your hands after handling it before picking up food! And wash them anyway because lead migrates through the skin. But the idea of a gas being able to contaminate a surface so that it's not safe to use for soldering later, long after the gas has dissipated - that's what I found odd. Normally the process of cleaning and tinning an iron does not leave any trace of the cleaning agent on the tip after it's done, even if liquids or pastes are used. Indeed, the whole idea is that all that remains on the tip is a thin coat of solder. There are Sal Ammoniac based fluxes that are used in plumbing, and as others pointed out they must NEVER be used for electronic soldering because the flux stays active at room temperature! The beauty of rosin is that it is totally inert at room temperature. Indeed, it's inert until it gets nearly hot enough to melt solder. So the rosin cannot hurt anything (except the aesthetic sensibilities of those who hate to see a little rosin residue) unless the circuit gets hot enough to melt the solder. In that case, I suspect other component failures will exceed any damage the hot rosin could ever do <G> Along that same line, there are some new fluxes sold specifically for electronic use that are advertised at "no clean" that are also very dangerous. These fluxes, like acid fluxes used by plumbers and the like, remain active at room temperature. They are sold for use in mass production where the boards are thoroughly washed after soldering to remove the remaining flux immediately. Most of these fluxes are water-soluble so the washing doesn't involve dangerous chemicals, but it's absolutely critical that be done, and done thoroughly and properly. If not, the joints will be eaten through by the flux after a few months, destroying the entire circuit board. The message is that not all 'electronic' solders are safe to use on the bench. Personally, I stick with the lead/tin rosin-core solder, and I've got equipment that I built half a century ago that still functions just fine. I might make the transition, with care, to lead-free solder one day if leaded solder becomes hard to find in the USA. We'll see <G>. Ron AC7AC _______________________________________________ Elecraft mailing list Post to: [email protected] You must be a subscriber to post to the list. Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.): http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com
