Recommend favourite solder?

[centenary]

Always amazes me when our US cousins say 'sodder' while we say 'sold-er.' There again, we do say samon for salmon! Anyhoo, recommendations for good solder for soldering wire to track.

When Im soldering wire railing in 1:72 scale for my RN Type 42 HMS Newcastle, Im never really satisfield with the results of my flux cored electrician's solder. There's always excess flux to clean away. So, anyone got any recommendations of their favourite solder? And yes, I know I'll still have to clean the flux away even if it's applied separately!

[Ironduke]

What country are you in? I know what to get and where in Australia but I've no idea where to shop in the UK.
I'd look for a "no-clean", rosin-core solder wire. Most solder for electronics will work fine.
I don't use traditional liquid flux for wires. It creeps up under the insulation and eventually corrodes the wire.

[End2end]

My only recommendation. Don't use lead-free solder. It's crap.
Thanks
End2end

[Flashbang]

Look for 60/40 rosen cored solder. eBay in the UK has loads in various thickness 0.7mm for fine PCB work and 1.0mm for general soldering of wires together or wires to rails. Be a little cautious of China sold solder its not always of such good quality!
The very best solder has a small quantity of silver added, around 1.5% to 2% but costs far more.

I've been using this 1.0mm Silverline 60/40 solder for some while for general wire soldering and find it flows well with a standard soldering iron. Example https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/100g-REEL-OF ... SwPCVX5Sj3

[Steve1414]

I've been using this 1.0mm Silverline 60/40 solder for some while for general wire soldering and find it flows well with a standard soldering iron. Example https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/100g-REEL-OF ... SwPCVX5Sj3

I sell lots of that Silverline solder and have never had any complaints about it.

Personally I prefer a lead free solder but with silver added. Never had a problem. I also never use an acid based flux unless can actually wash any residue from the join.

[Suzie]

Yes, lead free solder with 4% or thereabouts of silver makes for a good shiny joint that will last.

Avoid the lead free solder that has 2% copper instead of the silver - it is very hard to work with (hence the low price, it is about a quarter the cost of 'working' solder).

When using lead free you need a hotter iron, so 25W minimum, and ideally 40W. Lead free solder is almost pure tin.

It might take a bit of getting used to working at a higher temperature, but the results are worth it. Just make sure that you don't contaminate your iron with lead, it can be quite a chore to clean it off completely so you can get back to work making good joints again. If you are buying a new iron keep the old one for any work you do on leaded joints, and be prepared to start swearing at any club members that do emergency repair work with leaded solder!

[Paul-H]

I personally prefer lead to lead free and always try to buy the brand Multicore.

Lead free needs a much hotter iron, often in the 400 Deg C range were as leaded will melt in the 200 Deg C range, lead free is also well known for its brittal joints and the dreaded solder creep.

60/40 Multicore is just easy to work with.

Just be careful buying from eBay and other places flooded with dodgy Chinese sellers claiming things their products don't match, most Chinese leaded solder behaves like and looks like lead free.

Buy small quantities untill you find to one you like, then get s big spool that will last you some time.

Paul

[jameslandry]

The AxPower 63/37 is best for professionals who work on all kinds of electronics. High quality solder with flux makes it more stable in high heat. For more information: https://www.galvinpower.org/best-solder ... ectronics/

[pete12345]

I find unleaded to be difficult to deal with, unless doing a larger job needing a gas torch when it flows much more evenly into the joint. Maybe the unleaded stuff has a higher melting point. That might come in useful for building brass kits, where you can make the first joints in one type of solder and use a lower-melting point solder for nearby joints. For electrical work, the old lead/tin stuff can still be bought for home use and is much easier.