Lead solder question

[mlweidl]

So i realized there was lead in the solder i was using and i did not a whole lot of soldering but hooked up a switch and four jacks

so being the hypocondriac that i am im not gonna start like growing a tail or anything like that am i? hahaha

[Frontier9]

Just how much did you swallow?

[JohnnyCrash]

Originally Posted by Frontier9

Just how much did you swallow?

HAHAHAHA!

Solder aint edible, so I have the feeling you'll be OK

I wouldn't worry mlweidl, though my girlfriend gave me the hypocondriac speech about using lead solder. She still isn't convinced. She also tries to get me to solder amps with rubber gloves to avoid high voltage jolts...

I am paranoid too though, I wash my hands after soldering.

[mlweidl]

none of it hahahhaa just the fumes were a little stinky but i didnt really breath too much in

[JohnnyCrash]

Originally Posted by mlweidl

none of it hahahhaa just the fumes were a little stinky but i didnt really breath too much in

I've had solder fumes trigger migraine headaches. I wonder if anyone has info on the health affects of solder fumes...

[sacizob]

I worked with lead cables for years with the phone company. We would wipe lead sleeve splices, melt lead for the plates on the lead sleeves. Scuff up the lead so solder would stick to it. They don't use lead cables anymore, but I never heard of any fellow workers having any problem. Like someone said "just don't eat it".

[callaway]

The fumes are not good to inhale either. I mean, if you only inhale a little bit over your lifetime, it's probably okay. But inhaling it is getting all the same junk into your body that eating it would.

[zook]

My mother soldered her whole life including when she was carrying me in utero. I've got all 12 fingers and 12 toes...

Winnie

[jefrs]

I shouldn't worry
a) tin-lead solder works.
b) lead-free solder doesn't work.
c) the stuff the nannies put in lead-free solder is worse than the lead it replaces (bismuth, indium, zinc, antimony, cadmium, etc).

[Scott S]

Just don't put in your mouth, and you'll be fine. A couple decades ago, workers for a telephone company or some such were coming down with weird symptoms. It turns out that they using their mouths as a third hand while making connections, and they were ingesting lead that way.

- Scott

[11 Gauge]

I go through a ton of solder in a short period of time. It really concerned my wife, who works at a hospital, that has a lead clinic.

...She finally beat me down and made me demand lead level bloodwork from my new p.c.p. this past summer. Results? Super low levels.

I wash my hands religiously, use gloves (latex are fine, lotsa folks like nitrile, though), and other sorts of common sense measures.

Even if you're using silver solder or similar, you still have to watch out for noncompliant components. It's really just an issue if you build lots of stuff, but just another thing to be mindful of. When I get non-RoHs compliant 1N400X diodes, I can almost feel the lead as a lubricant on the leads.

[callaway]

Again, just a reminder that you should avoid inhaling the fumes as much as possible though. If I have to stand directly over something I'm working on to get the right angle (more talking about amp building here), I am conscious of holding my breath for a few seconds. Also, a small fan on the table pulling fumes away from your face isn't a bad idea.

[musicalmartin]

I worked in an electronics factory in the 60's. The first time I walked in ,a rich hazy fog of tobacco and solder fumes hit me from about 500 women soldering and smoking like chimneys.After a week I could no longer see or smell it .I'm still alive ,sort of
.I think the lead free solder scam really applied to its disposal and recycling .Of course no Fender is going to sound authentic without nitro paint and leaded solder.Its pure vintage mojo .
sorry
Gotta get this one in .Who can tell if their wiring solder is leaded just by the tone ?.

[Scott S]

RoHS solder imparts a "tinny", brittle sound to my ears.

- Scott

[MickM]

Originally Posted by zook

My mother soldered her whole life including when she was carrying me in utero. I've got all 12 fingers and 12 toes...

Winnie

Me too, only my Mom had three of us....one of each! My outlook is moderation in all things and you'll be ok.

[jefrs]

Originally Posted by Scott S

RoHS solder imparts a "tinny", brittle sound to my ears.

- Scott

No, you can't hear it. But it doesn't wet the conductors properly like fluxed tin/lead does. Whilst not permissible for consumer manufacturing in the 'west' it is permitted for home and defence industry (where it has got to work) use.

For the amounts we use, which are nothing like a manufacturing plant, adequate ventilation and washing of hands are all that is necessary. Instructions not to eat it should be nugatory.

What worries me is that the ingredients in the lead-free substitutes, are even more hazardous, which pea-brained bureaucrat thought antimony poisoning was a good idea.

[Scott S]

I'm kidding, jefrs -- I'm the type who rarely notices the difference between power tube brands, let alone solder types.

- Scott

[jefrs]

Originally Posted by Scott S

I'm kidding, jefrs -- I'm the type who rarely notices the difference between power tube brands, let alone solder types.

- Scott

I know. But it's like lead-free petrol. That's got to be better for the environment isn't it? Wrong, it was to stop inner city kids getting brain damage. It's worse for the environment because now cars need a catalyst and have a higher fuel consumption and produce more waste than lean-burn engines would have done. And, let's see, what can we replace the lead with? I know, let's use molybdenum and benzene. Benzene is a class 1 carcinogen. This is simple science that is often mis-understood.

[backalleyblues]

Originally Posted by jefrs

I shouldn't worry
a) tin-lead solder works.
b) lead-free solder doesn't work.
c) the stuff the nannies put in lead-free solder is worse than the lead it replaces (bismuth, indium, zinc, antimony, cadmium, etc).

Cadmium is MUCH worse than lead-I used to paint with an airbrush, and used some cadmium paints (more intense than other colors available at the time). Every time I sprayed even a tiny bit of it (2 seconds) I'd have a headache within 2 minutes, even through a decent mask... Wasn't crazy about lead poisoning either, but lead-based paint had been phased out for several years by the time I started painting...

Franc Robert

[otterhound]

Originally Posted by jefrs

I know. But it's like lead-free petrol. That's got to be better for the environment isn't it? Wrong, it was to stop inner city kids getting brain damage. It's worse for the environment because now cars need a catalyst and have a higher fuel consumption and produce more waste than lean-burn engines would have done. And, let's see, what can we replace the lead with? I know, let's use molybdenum and benzene. Benzene is a class 1 carcinogen. This is simple science that is often mis-understood.

Lead serves two purposes in fuel . Number one is as a lubricant . Number two is knock supression . Number one can be solved with valves and seats that do not require the lube , like we have now . Number two can be solved with more efficient cylinders and combustion chambers and lower compression ratios . Make me wonder why all of the other crap in there . Back to solder . Keep your distance from the fumes and all the rest . Good advice here .