[grozzle]

I built a few identical fidget-spinner toy kits using either leaded and lead-free solder to decide which type I should keep buying from then on, the leaded stuff was admittedly a tiny bit easier to work with and usually left a slightly shinier (better looking) surface, but not to an adequate degree to justify any real risk (or even continual worry) of brain damage et cetera from voluntarily raising the lead level of my home. Your comment seems unbalanced, to me.

[rlpb]

Just because it works for you doesn't mean it's fine for everyone, and assuming this without research is...brave?

Leaded solder reduces the risk of tin whisker growth which can over time cause shorts - catastrophic in any safety critical equipment.

https://nepp.nasa.gov/WHISKER/background/index.htm

[grozzle]

am well aware that leaded solder still has some niche applications, but the comment i replied to called lead-free a "clusterfuck" without any regard for the huge public health benefits.

i hope you agree it's good that e-waste isn't toxic.

[phendrenad2]

E-waste is still toxic, now you have to ask yourself if increasing e-waste due to poorly-performing circuits and electromigration (look it up) is worth making some parts of it less toxic. I don't have the answer, but you don't either.

[com2kid]

Lead free solder was responsible for the Xbox 360 red ring of death.

Millions of units of e-waste.

Hardly a niche problem.

More recent studies have shown that all lead free solders will eventually develop tin whispers and fail.

For devices with a 2 or 3 year lifespan (e.g. cellphones), sure, fine, whatever.

For electronics that should last a long time, e.g. washing machines, dishwashers, thermostats, ovens, microwaves, lead free ensures e-waste.

[tharkun__]

I don't think a tiny bit of easier working with it is why lead based would be used in aerospace ;)

Shininess? Who cares.

Now I know nothing about which is better in these regards but:

What would you look for in aerospace applications?

I would imagine things like:

Proneness to cold joints. Ease of detecting cold solder joints. Longevity (in general). Longevity under the stresses of aerospace realities. Etc.

Do you have data on that?

[redeeman]

> Shininess? Who cares.

Those who care about the quality of the solder joint. You need to get a shiny surface, because anything else is a strong indicator that the solder has been contaminated/oxidized, and if it is such at the surface level, it may well be on the contact points aswell. Im not saying its a 100% garantuee, but if you look at failed solder joints, ESPECIALLY handmade ones, nearly all of them are the ones that were not coming out shiny. If its not shiny, its a fail

[tharkun__]

You are correct for lead based solder, you want shiny to be sure. As far as I am aware however, shininess is "not a thing" with lead free solder.

[grozzle]

You've mis-interpreted why I commented.

aerospace is a small part of what soldering is used for, globally. the majority is consumer electronics.

keeping lead out of people's homes is a valuable public-health move, not a needless "clusterfuck", as the comment I replied to said.

[tharkun__]

Fair enough though I wonder how a user would come in contact with lead from solder in say my laptop? Genuinely curious.

As a hobbyist I use lead free and I bet the rosin flux burning off if I make a boo boo is bad either way, lead or not. It's in both types.

About worker health in consumer electronics sure we can talk. But let's include the flux question in that too.

[wannacboatmovie]

Are you planning to eat your laptop? If no, your risk is basically zero.

As for your hobbyist work, the flux used in lead-free solder is actually worse if you breathe it in:

It was widely believed that the move to lead-free soldering would create more environmentally-friendly conditions; however because of the higher temperatures required and extra flux used lead-free soldering smoke emissions actually contain more fine dust particles which are easier to breathe in. As Fig.1 shows, these penetrate further into the lungs than pollen or asbestos, reaching and blocking the alveoli.

https://uk.farnell.com/essential-considerations-for-managing...

[redeeman]

i wonder if you really got leadfree when you can say that. a leaded tin like 60/40 is infinitely nicer to work with than leadfree ones, and I have tried MANY, cheap and expensive leadfree solders, none come even remotely close.

Sure, dont inhale the smoke, dont eat it, wash your hands after handling the solder, you'll be fine. Want to do more for your health? chances are that getting a little more exercise is a hugely more impactful thing to do (and no, I do not know how much you exercise, but many people today are way too sedentary, myself included)

[phendrenad2]

Source: I made a fidget spinner. You can't make this stuff up

[grozzle]

it was a cheap kit, i made ten, for a decent sample size, and for practice. thanks for your kind attitude.

[phendrenad2]

Be kind to those who want to discuss things, not indulge you in your hobby talk.

[benj111]

He wasn't indulging in 'hobby talk'. He did a comparative assessment of solders using a (presumably cheap and simple) kit. The example just so happened to include a 'hobby'

You're taking the piss, and then bizarrely suggesting they should be kind to you.

[phendrenad2]

"Your comment seems unbalanced, to me."