| General > General Technical Chat |
| Really RS Components, I am not allowed to order solder anymore?? |
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| coppercone2:
btw gnif you should turn that lead into work plates and hammers, they are useful tools in the shop for doing clean work. vise jaw lead hammer set lead work plate (be sure to cast it with a RS logo on it for maximum grip on odd shaped parts that will dig into the various crevices of the letters). if you want a good no slip no mar surface for doing something like drilling holes in a PCB look no further then a lead plate. Or if you need to push the PCB into something while yanking something off lead works good (you can make some lead blocks and other things also) the lead hammer is the one least likely to damage anything in your shop. |
| james_s:
--- Quote from: penfold on February 15, 2021, 10:12:07 am ---The "ban" only applies to non-professional uses at present, so it still allows for use in prototype dev, just so long as you can prove you're not just a hobbyist --- End quote --- But hobbyists frequently are the ones repairing old gear that was done with leaded solder. Whatever the case I'm glad I don't have to deal with that level of nanny state nonsense over here, I can still get leaded solder easily. I should probably stock up on a few rolls in case that changes. I've never been satisfied with the results of lead free. I don't eat it and I do my best to fix stuff to keep it OUT of the landfill. |
| penfold:
--- Quote from: james_s on February 15, 2021, 06:23:01 pm --- --- Quote from: penfold on February 15, 2021, 10:12:07 am ---The "ban" only applies to non-professional uses at present, so it still allows for use in prototype dev, just so long as you can prove you're not just a hobbyist --- End quote --- But hobbyists frequently are the ones repairing old gear that was done with leaded solder. --- End quote --- I know, hence why I'm on the side of "this rule would be far less ludicrous if there was a cohesive foundation to it", if it was dangerous to use then they need to update professional H&S guidelines, if its to reduce lead in landfill bound waste then they need to redo their maths or consult the EU heavy-metals in waste contamination report they commissioned. |
| tooki:
--- Quote from: james_s on February 15, 2021, 06:23:01 pm --- --- Quote from: penfold on February 15, 2021, 10:12:07 am ---The "ban" only applies to non-professional uses at present, so it still allows for use in prototype dev, just so long as you can prove you're not just a hobbyist --- End quote --- But hobbyists frequently are the ones repairing old gear that was done with leaded solder. Whatever the case I'm glad I don't have to deal with that level of nanny state nonsense over here, I can still get leaded solder easily. I should probably stock up on a few rolls in case that changes. I've never been satisfied with the results of lead free. I don't eat it and I do my best to fix stuff to keep it OUT of the landfill. --- End quote --- Maybe first-generation lead-free was bad, but modern lead-free solder works just fine, honestly, with the caveat that the joints are not expected to be mirror-shiny. No, it's not quite as nice to work with as leaded, but it's not the nightmare many people make it out to be. This is, of course, assuming you're using a high quality solder brand. However, I would decidedly advise against using lead-free to repair equipment originally assembled with leaded solder. The components may not have been designed to handle the lead-free temperatures, and mixing the two results in weaker joints. |
| tooki:
--- Quote from: penfold on February 15, 2021, 07:18:53 pm --- --- Quote from: james_s on February 15, 2021, 06:23:01 pm --- --- Quote from: penfold on February 15, 2021, 10:12:07 am ---The "ban" only applies to non-professional uses at present, so it still allows for use in prototype dev, just so long as you can prove you're not just a hobbyist --- End quote --- But hobbyists frequently are the ones repairing old gear that was done with leaded solder. --- End quote --- I know, hence why I'm on the side of "this rule would be far less ludicrous if there was a cohesive foundation to it", if it was dangerous to use then they need to update professional H&S guidelines, if its to reduce lead in landfill bound waste then they need to redo their maths or consult the EU heavy-metals in waste contamination report they commissioned. --- End quote --- Again, it's not ONE rule. The entire issue is that two entirely distinct regulations are at work here. Each one IS cohesive within itself. They don't really tie into each other because they each have entirely different goals. See what I wrote early in this thread: --- Quote from: tooki on February 11, 2021, 06:28:54 pm --- --- Quote from: woody on February 11, 2021, 04:13:02 pm --- --- Quote from: S. Petrukhin on February 11, 2021, 03:36:38 pm ---The human body is a fairly stable and protected system, capable of recovery within certain limits. Therefore, playing at home with a solder coil can be completely safe, but a nearby factory that regularly exudes pollution for a long time is a problem. --- End quote --- If i am not mistaken the whole anti-lead-solder policy is not meant to protect the people using it; it is primarily meant to prevent lead entering the environment when the devices in which it is used are scrapped and / or burned. But I could be wrong :) --- End quote --- Two regulations are at work: RoHS (which required lead solder to be eliminated from new products) is about environmental protection. REACH (which restricts the sale of lead solder to consumers) is about consumer safety. --- End quote --- --- Quote from: tooki on February 11, 2021, 07:45:03 pm ---Well, the big, legitimate exception is for repairs: since a) alloys with only trace amounts of lead (as happens when residual lead solder mixes into a lead-free joint) are brittle, and b) components and PCBs designed for lead solder may not withstand the higher temperatures of lead-free soldering, it is highly inadvisable to use lead-free solder to repair devices originally assembled with lead solder. That’s why RoHS expressly permits lead solder to be used for repairs, and for lead solder to be sold. (It only bans its use in new products.) REACH, having entirely different ambitions, makes no such distinction. Stupid IMHO. --- End quote --- |
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