Lead vs. Lead Free Solder

[sumanchaudhuri]

Hi,

I've been tinkering with some of the wearable projects on the adafruit learning website, specifically the LED hat project that reacts to sound. I purchased a lead-free solder for the project since the 60/40 lead solder was out of stock. I'm finding it very hard for the neopixels to stay connected to each other with the flex wiring. Move them a little and the wires come loose and I have to solder them again and again. I'm wondering if it's my poor soldering skills (I'm new to this, but watched a lot of youtube videos before I got started), or if it's because I'm using lead free solder. I read somewhere that beginners should use lead based solder...is it because it holds metal together better?

Any advice will be helpful.

Thanks!

[adafruit_support_bill]

Lead-free solder is a little trickier to work with. It helps to have a good temperature controlled soldering iron. If your joints are falling apart, the are probably 'cold' joints. You need to run the iron a bit hotter - usually around 725-750F (385-400C) compared to regular lead/tin solder. And make sure that the solder has flowed well onto both the wire and the solder-pad.

http://learn.adafruit.com/adafruit-guid ... -soldering

[sumanchaudhuri]

Thanks. So is it true that lead based solders "hold better" than lead free for the projects on your website?

[adafruit_support_bill]

Lead free solder will hold just as well when done right. But it takes a little more practice to learn how to make good joints with it.

Here is some more information about the differences between lead & lead-free soldering:
http://www.kester.com/kester-content/up ... .19.06.pdf
http://www.hakko.com/english/lead_free/pages/