What kind of solder (Type, Diamter ect.) for ALL work? Kester 44 Help.

[Tele-Meister]

Let's get right to it.

I want to use ONE solder for Guitar / mic / speaker Cables, Guitar wiring work (pots ect), and PC Board / Effect pedal work. Is this possible?

Is Kester 44 Rosin Core the way to go?

63/37 vs 60/40?

What Diameter? (.20" .31" or .50")


To clarify, I don't want to buy several different solders. I just want one fits all type of thing. Thanks!!!

[LocustPlague]

Diameter doesn't matter a whole lot until it gets to be a ridiculous size. I believe you left off zeros on everything (unless you truly mean half-inch diameter solder...)

I usually use something in the range of .031" or thereabouts.

I've done VERY fine surface mount traces with it (but it is a bit big for that) all the way up to cable jacks. Anything with a bigger amount of surface and you either have to feed it really fast or move up to a bigger solder.

[Tele-Meister]

Originally Posted by LocustPlague

Diameter doesn't matter a whole lot until it gets to be a ridiculous size. I believe you left off zeros on everything (unless you truly mean half-inch diameter solder...)

I usually use something in the range of .031" or thereabouts.

I've done VERY fine surface mount traces with it (but it is a bit big for that) all the way up to cable jacks. Anything with a bigger amount of surface and you either have to feed it really fast or move up to a bigger solder.

Yes, I did forget to add a zero.

Ok so, I think .031" will be fine. Got the Diameter out of the way. ;)

[TeleTim911]

I've used the .031" 60/40 for years....and yes if you're doing really large solder joints you'll need to be ready to feed it fast, or burn something up, but that's not a problem.

[OzShadow]

63/37 - it goes from liquid to solid almost instantly with no in between. 60/40 stays in an in between gel-like state longer where a bit of movement can make for a bad joint.

I prefer to work with a smaller size for more control and keep additional mild flux on hand.

[piece of ash]

Originally Posted by OzShadow

63/37 - it goes from liquid to solid almost instantly with no in between. 60/40 stays in an in between gel-like state longer where a bit of movement can make for a bad joint.

I prefer to work with a smaller size for more control and keep additional mild flux on hand.

+1 63/37 is the right way to go... especially for hand soldering.

[Rod Parsons]

Make sure it has a rosin filled core.

[dsutton24]

Any / either will work fine, and will be a lot easier to deal with than the lead free solders.

I use 60/40 rosin core, the small stuff. That gives you the option of p.c. or point to point wiring. If you need bigger solder, just twist several strands together. I think that several strands twisted together distributes the flux more evenly than the 'bloop' you get from bigger solder. Not an important point, but it's all I got right now...

[tfsails]

I use .031" 60/40. I have a whole roll of it; will never use it up. The roll is 20 years old now and it still works just fine!

[Kewk]

Resin fluxes (which are corrosive) are pretty ancient technology and have been replaced in the industry by no-clean fluxes. I'd go with a Kester 245 or no-clean 63/37 from any other large solder company (AIM, Indium, Alpha etc). 0.031" is fine for guitars.

Note if you are manufacturing new parts and sending it to the EU it needs to RoHS compliant solder (typically SAC305). Not a problem for us hobbyists really (not yet).

[piece of ash]

Kester 44 is a NON-ACTIVATED ROSIN based flux... 100 year history of no corrosion.

No-clean's are fine for work with brand new (and FRESH) parts, and under ideal conditions. Neither really appies to all around guitar work.

[Kewk]

Originally Posted by piece of ash

Kester 44 is a NON-ACTIVATED ROSIN based flux... 100 year history of no corrosion.

No-clean's are fine for work with brand new (and FRESH) parts, and under ideal conditions. Neither really appies to all around guitar work.

I must respectfully disagree with that statement, but if you like RMA by all mean stick with it. For what it's worth, I'm a senior manufacturing engineer with 20 years experience soldering just about everything on the face of the earth.

The only people still using RMA is military contractors, because they are still building product designed in the 50's and once you fire a missile built with a certain process you are stuck with it. Of course, we also had to clean the boards with nasty chemicals because of the reliability concerns associated with RMA.

RMA wire solder might seem better, because the solid percentage is much higher (if it leaves behind a sticky pool, it's got a lot of solids). Actually the new no-cleans wet much better but they do have a lower percentage of solids and so can require more finesse than the average guy in his basement might have. You can compensate for this somewhat by supplementing the flux in the wire with a tacky rework flux design for reworking ball grid arrays.

Anyway, talking about this is too much like work. Good luck with what ever you like, but I would suggest someone brand new to try the latest and greatest no cleans.

[mPetetele]

I just used the lead free 96/4 silver bearing solder.Super easy to use and i can't solder to save my life!

[twiggymac]

60/40 rosin core, get a diameter that looks workable. im surprised at all the 63/37 people....never really heard of anyone using it till now.....maybe ill give it a go.

[Rob DiStefano]

actually, most any solder will work just fine. what's most important is the soldering process - clean, flux, pre-tin. and use proper heat for the parts to be joined.

[Kewk]

Originally Posted by twiggymac

60/40 rosin core, get a diameter that looks workable. im surprised at all the 63/37 people....never really heard of anyone using it till now.....maybe ill give it a go.

Really no reason to use 60/40 over 63/37. 63/37 is pretty much the industry standard for electronics. It's a true eutectic, with a 183C transition from liquid to solid. 60/40 has a mushy plastic temp range and you will get a weak solder joint if you jostle the connection as it cools through this range.

Twiggy, if you PM me your address I can send a sample. I'm happy to help out a fellow Mass tele fan.

Again, if anyone prefers 60/40 then that is fine with me. The electronics in a guitar are not really demanding when it comes to soldering technique. (low current, low frequency, no leakage issues, etc).

[Tele-Meister]

Thanks guys. I have a question though. I know you can sell guitars, pedals and stuff. But I have a brand new 1 Lb Spool of Kester 44 60/40 .031" solder that I will sell for cheap. Can you post that sort of thing in the classifieds?

I hope nobody gets mad at me for posting this here. Thanks!