SN100C handsoldering

[Noobiq]

hello,

at work we use SAC305. it never bothered me in any way before. one day, for some reason, i wanted to know more about different alloys, fluxes, why there is silver or other things, so i started to "google" things, and eventually found SN100C.
I read only good things on it (some on this forum too), how good it flows, wetting properties, overall better than SAC305 in every way. So i told my boss about it, he ordered it, and it came. Then i tryed it.
Result was.. meh.. i mean, it was bad, very bad, it felt like using pure tin without flux, hard to work with, creates big  blobs of solder, it hardly flows.

i have few years of soldering experience, mostly with SAC305, and, for me, Its easy to work with. I use leaded solder only for wires.

manufacturer is STANNOL, SN100C Kristall400 2,2%
https://www.tme.eu/sk/en/details/sn100k400_0.7_0.5/solder-wires-lead-free/stannol/810913/

maybe the problem is flux? i can get it with kristall511, 2,7%

id like to ask if someone is hand soldering with sn100c alloy?

[wraper]

SN100C is a very good alloy. You need 10-15^oC higher soldering iron temperature than for SAC305.
Kristall 400 flux sucks. It's weak, causes a lot of splattering and forms burned crust on soldering iron tip. Kristall 511 is good enough IMHO.
But what you described is hard to address to just flux. Probably you have PCBs with poor surface, not adequate soldering iron tip or temperature. I soldered with solder you provided link to. Did not have much issues with it besides flux splattering and look of it's residues.

[wraper]

BTW I don't like STANNOL solders overall. There is always some little thing that doesn't feel quite right about them. If you have possibility, try getting SN100C from other company https://shop.scanditron.com/product/sn100c-glowcore-2-5-0-8-mm-500-gr/ (did not try myself). You could also try REL61 alloy which is quite interesting. Flows very good and has 2 degrees Celsius lower melting temperature than SAC305 and a bit cheaper too. https://shop.scanditron.com/product/rel61-glowcore-2-5-0-5-mm-500-gr-2/ It's dull, though, not shiny like SN100C.

[Noobiq]

i tried different temps,from 250 to 400 (i know that too high.. it was just to try it).
PBC was almost new, and no problem with SAC305
on the other hand, there was almost no residue, no splatter and very little smoke (i could hardly see it). Maybe faulty batch? .. i just cut the solder, and it looks like solid, without flux.

i will try different manufacturer.
Thanks.

[wraper]

i just cut the solder, and it looks like solid, without flux.

You need to cut it with something razor sharp to see the flux core. Preferably from one side only, like with scalpel, not with something like side cutters. Cutting with most tools will result in flux core being squeezed at the edge and will look like there is solid solder with no flux inside. Try cutting your SAC305 too and see if you can see the flux core.

[Noobiq]

yea, not my first rodeo    i should have mentioned it, i also cut SAC305 which has nice hole full of flux.

[umbro]

BTW I don't like STANNOL solders overall. There is always some little thing that doesn't feel quite right about them. If you have possibility, try getting SN100C from other company https://shop.scanditron.com/product/sn100c-glowcore-2-5-0-8-mm-500-gr/ (did not try myself). You could also try REL61 alloy which is quite interesting. Flows very good and has 2 degrees Celsius lower melting temperature than SAC305 and a bit cheaper too. https://shop.scanditron.com/product/rel61-glowcore-2-5-0-5-mm-500-gr-2/ It's dull, though, not shiny like SN100C.

 I don't like it either. STANNOL solder is POS.

[tooki]

Glad it’s not just me who isn’t impressed by Stannol. It can’t hold a candle to Kester. (Or Felder, a very affordable German brand.)

[wraper]

Glad it’s not just me who isn’t impressed by Stannol. It can’t hold a candle to Kester. (Or Felder, a very affordable German brand.)

I would prefer inexpensive Polish Cynel solder over Stannol even if they did cost the same. However they do not make SN100C. But I like their SAC307 with 1.1.3.B flux. Excellent for things with good surfaces which do not require more active flux, clear colorless residues and no splattering whatsoever. Have yet to see a single Stannol solder which does not splatter. Solders from Alpha are pretty good too, sadly they do not make SN100C either.

[tooki]

Try Felder. They make a nickel/germanium doped SN100C (“SN100Ni+”) that’s really nice, and it’s not expensive from Reichelt.

[nightfire]

Can second that, I just recently bought Felder Sn100Ni+ and SAC 305 for comparison, and both felt great. No splattering, only some residue from (clear) flux that was visible but only would have needed to be wiped off for cosmetic purposes. Fumes way softer than from classic solders in the 60/40 spools I sometimes use for repairs.

Usually Felder is available throughout some retailers like Reichelt or Voelkner in Germany, and even Amazon can supply them.

[nightfire]

Correction: Did some soldering (lots of pin headers) with Sn100Ni+, and had indeed some splattering, but no excessive amount...