solder pot solder

I need a small amount (about a cubic inch, I would guess) of this for a solder pot. Does anyone know where I would get this (in the uk, I suppose)

It doesn't matter to me whether it's lead based or not as it's only being used for tinning wires.

Apparently normal fluxed solder isn't suitable.

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jasee
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In message , jasee writes

Any plumbers merchant. Plumbers use a separate acidic(?) flux - something to do with the need to ensure drinking water pipes are not contaminated.

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Tony

Reply to
Anthony R. Gold

Thanks but looks to be about four times as much as I need

Reply to
jasee

If this really suitable it would be good, basically I'm tinning lintz wire.

Reply to
jasee

Litz wire can be very difficult to solder to. I certainly wouldn't recommend trying to use lead-free solder, unless you have to - and contrary to what you say, it *does* matter if the tinned wires are to be used in any equipment that is going to be offered for sale in the EU. In this case, it is a legal requirement that you observe the RoHS directive, which mandates that you may not use leaded solder, or components containing lead, or having lead-solder tinned leadouts for any part of the product. If the wires are only going to be used for something you're doing for yourself or a small group of you - a ham radio project or some such, at your local radio club for instance - then you need not conform to the requirements of RoHS.

If the Litz wire is modern stuff, then the insulating material should burn off in the solder pot, but you may need to hold the wire in the molten solder for a few seconds to ensure that you are down to bare metal. You

*can* use normal flux-cored solder, if you have a temperature controlled iron that you can turn up the temperature nice and high on, with a nice big chisel tip. You can pinch the iron up in a vice at an angle so that the flat part of the tip faces up and is horizontal. You can then apply the wire in one hand, and the solder in the other, and form a pool of molten fluxed solder on the tip, which you can hold the wire in, before slowly drawing it out. No slower really, than using a solder pot.

Arfa

Reply to
Arfa Daily

Maybe litz (litzendraht in German means bundled) wire. This manufacturer recommends 60/40 tin/lead:

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Tony

Reply to
Anthony R. Gold

It _is_ bundled strands of insulated wire, difficult to solder together.

60/40 tin lead is traditional solder which solders much better than the awful lead free stuff. Interesting link (thanks) though my solder pot's max temperature is much lower.
Reply to
jasee

Solder used for solder pots typically wouldn't have flux in it, but otherwise, it's the same alloy as common wire solders.

If you can find a spool/roll of solid wire solder, you can melt that in a solder pot with the same results. You can feed solid wire solder (not acid or rosin core) into your solder pot, and apply a suitable amount of liquid rosin flux to the ends of the wires before dipping them.

Rosin core solder would also work, but you would need to skim the flux off the top of the molten solder (flat hardwood stick similar to a tongue depressor) to minimize smoking of the hot rosin. You would still want to flux the wire ends properly.

You should probably do the initial melt outdoors if you use rosin core solder because the smoke may be a problem.

I'm guessing that a half-pound (8 oz) spool of solder would approximate the

1 cu in supply you referenced, although that's a very low volume for a standard solder pot.

-- Cheers, WB .............

Reply to
Wild_Bill

Sorry for the late reply, thanks all for the advice, I've got plumbers old lead/tin and new type solders, from what's been said, I think I'll try lead/tin first. Someone off list mentioned using meths to burn the insulation of the wire but I think it's too thin for that. Thanks everyone.

Reply to
jasee

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