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Mystery solder x-ray analysis
🕑 Added 2025-01-22 18:04:10 +0000 UTCInitial indications of an X-ray fluorescence analysis of the mystery solder are that it is mostly lead (about 94.5%) with 5% tin and possibly 0.3% percent of cadmium.
Comments
Paul Ste. Marie
95% Pb? That's super cheap solder, all right. The stuff plumbers traditionally used is 50%.
Big Clive
All good here so far. When we chose this place we specifically selected a location for low wind exposure. Kevin will probably be out putting powerlines back up though.
Jonathan H
Just seen the storms in IOM - hope Clive is OK.
Big Clive
Just a text post.
Big Clive
That was the correct thing to do - for their safety.
Keri Szafir
Holy crap. I've seen 40/60 (as in 40% tin and 60% lead, rather the other way round which is typical) and it was terrible to work with. Can't imagine soldering with almost pure lead.
N. Shaun Tremayne
Not just the metals in these suspicious solders but what the flux? As have seen some dangerous fluxes for certain jobs!
Dave Frederick AKA @amorphuc
No post? Nothing to see?
N. Shaun Tremayne
Certain things like solder I only use from trusted sources. I was lucky as still have plenty as I was teaching at a large college at the time they decided to ban leaded solders. So it went home in my bag so not to pollute the students π!
Jrandom Bob
Mmmm Cadmium...
Big Clive
It flowed at my standard 350C iron temperature.
Kai-Steffen Hielscher
No wonder it behaves so strange. Just look at a phase diagram of lead-tin alloys, e.g., https://fctsolder.com/eutectic-solder/ or https://www.researchgate.net/publication/337367336_Die-attach_for_high-temperature_electronics/figures?lo=1 (similar composition to the "high temperture solder" in this thesis).
Mike Schwab
5 degrees above ambient? ;)
Tazz1669
The X-ray fluorescence machines are fairly good only thing they miss is light elements like aluminum. I used to use an old one at work.
Nils Hammar
So essential old car batteries melted with some tin scrap from burnt PCBs, the cadmium is probably from old capacitors.
CasualKitty
Of the juicy lead solders that might be the juiciest.
Chris Hill
that is 80 - 85% lead, this looks much higher lead content.
Chris Hill
Wow, cadmium is concerning. Even a small amount is very toxic. Such a high proportion of lead seems odd
Keith W
Could it be this stuff? http://www.farnell.com/datasheets/3625646.pdf
RonNona
And don't eat it, because without a warning there are people who would.
Mike Hughes
Ooooh Don't want to be breathing those fumes.
Tony Webb
What's the melt temperature?
