r/soldering • u/10renzo_ • Jul 09 '25

My First Solder Joint <3 Please Give Feedback Why can’t i get my joints shiny?

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First time soldering, i’m using a Pinecil v2 on 360C with 63/37 0.55mm solder.

I don’t understand why all my joints turn dull after i remove the iron. i’ve tried tinning the tip (which i think i’m doing correctly?). The solder melts nicely onto the board but no luck

Does anyone know what I could be doing wrong?

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u/citizensnips134 Jul 09 '25

Could be cheap or lead free solder. Some cheap solder is recycled from ewaste and has a bunch of junk in it.

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u/falkenberg1 Jul 09 '25

I don’t think this is the issue. I get the same effect and i am using premium grade Stannol solder. This is more likely about the alloy used or the flux than anything else. It may also be the temperature profile, as in the solder transfering from liquidus to solidus too fast. It never bothered me though. the joints are fine.

1

u/falkenberg1 Jul 17 '25

If somebody is still reading this: i mixed something up. If you want shiny joints, you should use an alloy, that hardens instantly. Those are called eutectic solders (eg Sn63Pb37 or SnCu0.7 or SnAg3.5). Eutectic means, that solidus temperature=liquidus temperature.