Solder
Two alloys, made by melting tin with lead or with a little copper in a crucible or mixer and casting ingots like any metal.
| Alloy | Mix | Melts at | Good window | Hazard |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Leaded Solder | tin and lead | 183 Tu | 60 Tu above | poisons while hot |
| Lead-Free Solder | tin and a little copper | 227 Tu | 30 Tu above | none |
The window is how far above its melting point a joint is still good. A thinner melt wets better, so lead solder forgives more; lead-free is cleaner but wants a steadier hand or a better oven.
What makes a good joint
- Reach the melting point and stay on the pad long enough (hand iron: drag at a steady pace; each pad is judged on its own, and a pad you sweep over stays cold).
- Stay inside the window. Above it the flux burns and the joint goes cold.
- Stay under what the traces and substrate stand (a printed trace lifts first). Past that the traces lift.
Working leaded solder while it is hot poisons whoever is within 3 blocks. Poison never kills.
Any other mod's alloy works if its material file marks it as a solder.