Dave,
The wire solder we are using comes with flux but we add flux using a small bottle too.  If you reflow a solder joint then you have to use the bottle of flux.  

If I soldered on tin plated boards I had to add flux from the bottle before using the wire solder which had the flux in it.

If I soldered to gold then the addition of flux was not necessary.  I could just use the wire solder.  

I have not experimented with aged components or large ground planes either.  I am waiting on some boards to come in that I can do that experiment with.  If anyone has experience with this I would like to know the answer myself.


If you have ever used high temp solder the solder joints will look about the same except you can see the blend of alloys in the solder joint.  A good solder joint does not have to be shiny to be a good joint.  All the other criteria we have used for solder joints still apply.  In fact after all I had read I was worried about the inspection criteria myself but it has not changed.  The only change is the bright and shiny part of it.  Automated inspection equipment is a problem though and it does have "trained", programmed or whatever one does to it.  We do not use this equipment here.

I have found the wetting, the fillet and all other solder joint criteria can all be met with the no-lead solder.


Metcal tips all come lead free now.  The part number, on the side of the tip, will end with LF.  This means the tip is a lead free tip.

Hope this info helps someone out.


-------------------------------------------------------------------------------Leadfee Mail List provided as a service by IPC using LISTSERV 1.8d
To unsubscribe, send a message to [log in to unmask] with following text in
the BODY (NOT the subject field): SIGNOFF Leadfree
To temporarily stop/(start) delivery of Leadree for vacation breaks send: SET Leadfree NOMAIL/(MAIL)
Search previous postings at: http://listserv.ipc.org/archives
Please visit IPC web site http://www.ipc.org/contentpage.asp?Pageid=4.3.16 for additional information, or contact Keach Sasamori at [log in to unmask] or 847-615-7100 ext.2815
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Linda