Mike,
I have had mixed results on that question. I have had some old solder
that did not flow well. I really don't know if it was age or that the
solder was junk to begin with. I have trouble believing that solder
will 'go bad', so just try what you have and see what the results are -
if it does not flow nicely, put in in the box for plumbing repairs and
do not use it for electronic construction.
If you are buying new solder, I highly recommend the 63/37 alloy with a
mildly activated flux - Kester 44 is a highly activated flux and will
work OK, but will leave more flux residue than I like to see. For work
with plated thru-hole boards, I recommend a solder diameter of no grater
than .02 inches - I use .015 inch diameter myself and I can control the
amount of solder applied easily. With the larger diameter solders, by
the time it begins to flow, there is already too much solder on the
connection.
73,
Don W3FPR
[EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote:
n a message dated 6/16/2007 6:43:24 PM Pacific Daylight Time,
[EMAIL PROTECTED] writes:
Does solder eventually "go bad?" I'm sure the metal components don't, but I
wonder about the flux. I'm talking about a span of many years. I'm using
Multicore MM00979. What I'm using now is fresh, but I'm placing a Newark order
for other stuff and thought I might include some more solder if it doesn't
spoil. Thanks.
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