Does multicore solder deteriorate with age?

We made our hydrogen in coke bottles, and sometimes the reaction got so hot the bottle shattered. One day we thought it would be a great idea to put a fuse on the balloon and light it so that when the balloon got up in the sky a bit it explode. The fuse was made from paper that had been saturated in a potassium nitrate solution, (tell the chemist you mum needs it to make sausages). The paper was dried and it becomes our fuse paper. However, as one of us held the balloon and the other lit the fuse the flame from the match went on the balloon and it blew up in our faces leaving us with the smell of singed eyebrows. We eventually got it to work.

P.S Don't try this at home kids.

In message , Theo writes

"When I were a lad"....

4 aluminium milkbottle tops (the tops, not the bottles!), Tizer bottle, conc hydrochloric acid, balloon stretched over neck of bottle. When balloon full, remove from bottle, and tie neck.

Prior to release, cotton string plus Jetex fuze wrapped around neck of balloon. Light string, and blow out flame, leaving it to smoulder.

Release. Balloon rises into the blue. Smouldering string reaches Jetex fuze. Fuze ignites and fizzes. Balloon explodes with either a loud bang (if the hydrogen contains a fair proportion of air), or a whoop (if it is pure).

You'd probably get 20 years for doing that today!

--
Ian

Oh indeed. But the cynic in me says H&S legislation is more to prevent any chance of an employer being sued than the actual health of the workforce - especially if any incurred charges can be past on to others.

Well lead is one of the easiest extracted metals so certain parts of the world are already 'contaminated' with it. It's a bit different when it's modified so large concentrations can be airborne.

--
*It IS as bad as you think, and they ARE out to get you.

    Dave Plowman        dave@davenoise.co.uk           London SW
                  To e-mail, change noise into sound.

Lead additives in petrol / gasoline stopped so long ago, that should be no problem for airborne pollution.

Graham

Here in the former Colonies, we have solved a more vexing disposal problem: what to do with nuclear power plant waste. We just keep dumping it into the pools conveniently located adjacent to each plant. After a while, it decays to (um) lead?

In message , Bryce writes

And then you all die of lead poisoning.

Actually, I'm just in the process of having a small house extension built. The flashing (where the new lean-to roof meets the old wall) is lead. Should I be worried?

--
Ian

Cautious. I'd replace it with something else.

You don't want to dump the lead flashing, especially when you should be able to get some money for it at a scrap-metals dealer.

It is excreted, but fairly slowly. It tends to hang around in the bones longer than in the other tissues.

--
~ Adrian Tuddenham ~
(Remove the ".invalid"s and add ".co.uk" to reply)
www.poppyrecords.co.uk

problem:

Wash your hands and face before eating, rubbing your eyes, smoking or picking your nose. A dust mask should be sufficient.

It is an issue when the Lead is heated to the point of vaporization. Allow adequate exhaust ventilation. This also applies to various fluxes which can lead to respiratory damage or discomfort. I tended to hold my breath when soldering and allow the air to clear before breathing.

Well, you lost that bet. It came from lead ore dust from ship load operations. They jusyt didn't wet it down in what is/was basically a hot dry and windy location.

labels

the

the

is

The

plants.

Actually there is a lot of home recycling of electronics in 3rd world countries with high concentrations of various contamination. Imagine little children smashing batteries and carrying the dust in baskets on their heads for 20 cents a day.

In message , Ian Jackson writes

You'd be lucky to get prison time, more likely to get shot in the head by an armed copper.

--
Clint Sharp

It's fine. Don't worry about it.

--
    W
  . | ,. w ,   "Some people are alive only because
   \\|/  \\|/     it is illegal to kill them."    Perna condita delenda est
---^----^---------------------------------------------------------------

I'm still using 30 year old Sn/Pb cored solder - it's perfect. Last year I picked up a few more 1 lb reels of "63/37" in case the RoHS-police stopped the sale of the stuff - should last me out in this hobby. My old company went Pb-free around 2007 - what a headache! Cheers, Roger

Are they Antex bits? I've noticed some "new" (old stock) tips which I have are so & soes to "tin". Even the normal "Bib" tip tinner didn't help. Once tinned they are fine.

--
73
Brian, G8OSN
www.g8osn.org.uk

It's the only material which does that job properly, so no.

--
*According to my calculations, the problem doesn\'t exist.

    Dave Plowman        dave@davenoise.co.uk           London SW
                  To e-mail, change noise into sound.

In message , "Dave Plowman (News)" writes

Thanks for that advice. I won't bother to rip it out. Anyway, the cement/mortar has gone hard now. I guess I'll just have to suffer the consequences.

--
Ian

Indeed. If you drink the rainwater collected from it for the next 100 years or so you might notice some effects.

--
*Aim Low, Reach Your Goals, Avoid Disappointment *

    Dave Plowman        dave@davenoise.co.uk           London SW
                  To e-mail, change noise into sound.