60/40 vs. 63/37 Solder
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From: Smitty Two on 17 Jul 2010 13:15 In article <i1ovm1$ccb$1(a)news.eternal-september.org>, "William Sommerwerck" <grizzledgeezer(a)comcast.net> wrote: > >>>> The only reason 60/40 was ever manufactured in the first place is > >>>> that tin is more expensive than lead, so 63/37 solder costs more. > > >>> Cite, please? (and I don't mean a link to commodity prices) > > >> I can only cite "common sense". 63/37 has always been > >> more-expensive than 60/40. > > > Then you can't substantiate your contention that 60/40 was THE > > worldwide standard for tens of years just because it was a few pennies > > cheaper per pound? That is the statement of yours with which I take issue. > > I have no objection to your objection. > > However, 60/40 was never, ever, "a few pennies per pound" cheaper than > 63/37. For the last 30 years, the price of eutectic solder has been > sufficiently higher to make one think twice before buying it. The last time > I purchased solder, I decided that a one-pound roll of Kester 44 would last > the rest of my life, and I splurged. (At this point in my life, my > prediction is coming true. I rarely solder any more. If I drop dead, someone > digging through the junk will find a pleasant surprise. Assuming they know > what 63/37 is.) > > I just checked Parts Express, and a 1# roll of Kester 44 60/40 is $22.23. > 63/37 is $26.85. That's a $4.62 difference, almost 21% more -- hardly > "pennies per pound". When I bought the same product some years back, my > memory is that the price was around $7.50 for the 60/40, $9 for the 63/37. > Even that wasn't "pennies per pound". > > Businesses almost always try to cut every corner they can. If you think your > solderers -- or soldering machines -- are doing a good job, you might prefer > to buy the less-expensive 60/40. > William, Parts Express sells to hobbyists. Their prices are meaningless as a reference. I buy solder, as I have for 25 years, from industrial suppliers. Since you didn't state either the diameter or the core, (and diameter can make a huge difference in price) I looked up your comparison rolls on Parts Express. I see you referred to Kester 44 with a 66 core and at .031 diameter. To compare apples to apples, I called my supplier yesterday for current pricing: 63/37, $13.80/lb. 60/40, $13.30/lb. I also asked how many people were buying 60/40, and she confirmed that well over 90% of customers use 63/37. 1. You're paying nosebleed prices whichever formula you buy. 2. The cost difference is indeed pennies when purchased from real supply houses 3. Regardless of the cost difference, 63/37 *is* the standard now, as it has been for 20 years. 4. Based on #3 above, your assertion that companies will cut corners anyway they can is false. 5. Therefore, my contention that the widespread switch was made due to improved performance of 63/37 seems to be the only logical conclusion. Now, you said that 63/37 eutectic nature was known 50 years ago. That may or may not be true, but what is true is that the widespread industrial changeover happened much more recently, about 20 years ago.
From: Smitty Two on 17 Jul 2010 13:19 In article <m6qdnefeGvCgktzRnZ2dnUVZ_sSdnZ2d(a)giganews.com>, David Eather <eather(a)tpg.com.au> wrote: > > When the joint moves while in the plastic stage it is still electrically > connected - when the joint moves with a eutectic mixture it cracks - the > joint is very weak when still close to the liquid stage. Here I'm going to agree with William and others that you're mistaken. Eutectic means that the transition from liquid to solid occurs at the same temperature as the transition from solid to liquid. By definition, the joint *cannot* move with a eutectic mixture, except when the solder is liquid. It's the plastic state of non-eutectic stuff that has the potential to cause problems.
From: William Sommerwerck on 17 Jul 2010 13:51 > To compare apples to apples, I called my supplier yesterday for > current pricing: 63/37, $13.80/lb. 60/40, $13.30/lb. I also asked > how many people were buying 60/40, and she confirmed that > well over 90% of customers use 63/37. Fascinating. It raises the question of why there is such a huge difference in the pricing of Kester's solders. > Now, you said that 63/37 eutectic nature was known 50 years ago. > That may or may not be true, but what is true is that the widespread > industrial changeover happened much more recently, about 20 years > ago. Hey, I read it in Popular Electronics in the '60s. It was probably known back in the '30s.
From: Smitty Two on 17 Jul 2010 14:16 In article <i1sqk0$6bn$1(a)news.eternal-september.org>, "William Sommerwerck" <grizzledgeezer(a)comcast.net> wrote: > > To compare apples to apples, I called my supplier yesterday for > > current pricing: 63/37, $13.80/lb. 60/40, $13.30/lb. I also asked > > how many people were buying 60/40, and she confirmed that > > well over 90% of customers use 63/37. > > Fascinating. It raises the question of why there is such a huge difference > in the pricing of Kester's solders. > If you're referring to widely different prices from different suppliers, it's the same with any product or service, of course. When the 99% isopropyl topic come up, I plugged it into google's "shopping" tab. Prices ranged from 2.79 to 14.50 for a pint of the stuff.
From: William Sommerwerck on 17 Jul 2010 15:06
>>> To compare apples to apples, I called my supplier yesterday for >>> current pricing: 63/37, $13.80/lb. 60/40, $13.30/lb. I also asked >>> how many people were buying 60/40, and she confirmed that >>> well over 90% of customers use 63/37. >> Fascinating. It raises the question of why there is such a huge >> difference in the pricing of Kester's solders. > If you're referring to widely different prices from different suppliers, > it's the same with any product or service, of course. When the 99% > isopropyl topic come up, I plugged it into google's "shopping" tab. > Prices ranged from 2.79 to 14.50 for a pint of the stuff. That isn't what I meant. There's a 20% difference in the price between Kester's 60/40 and 63/37 solders. |