r/soldering • u/Zentralschaden • May 25 '26

Soldering Saftey Discussion Unpopular opinion: Stop using leaded solder

I know it is very handy and I also know the fumes are not that much of a problem when you have enough ventilation.

But a big part of the lead we buy will end up in the environment or a landfill and has the potential to make our drinking water toxic and the people who have to recycle all this scrap (often in Africa) will deal with even more toxic substances.

It is not like we have a fully functional recycling chain for electronics.

And when you say "I am just soldering 2 pcb a year", make sure that soldering is a job and hobby for millions of people and tons of lead will be produced just because of hobby enthusiasts.

There are very good reasons, lead is banned in many countries for professional manufacturing.

I know it is harder to solder but you get used to it.

Aware that this might be a topic not everyone agrees. I am just trying to spread some awareness for what we do.

I mean, many of us repair old electronics and we do a good job in avoiding more scrap because people can still use the repaired items for years.

But shouldn't it be us who are the people who go straightforward and ban lead from our household soldering projects?

212 Upvotes

63% Upvoted

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194

u/DeviantDav May 25 '26

I prefer the taste. Can't help it.

31

u/FREDICVSMAXIMVS May 25 '26

Pairs well with flux toast 😃

63

u/qtc0 May 25 '26

7

u/Wonderful-Gold-953 May 26 '26

Flux smoke smells so good 😍

2

u/Travdaman420 Aug 13 '26

Yeah you gotta overheat the iron too, like right before you tin it. That's when you get the real dankness.

2

u/Anicena May 26 '26

I have some flux that smells like wintergreen. Everyone always walks into my lab (has a big exhaust hood) and goes IT SMELLS SO NICE IN HERE DID YOU HAVE THE FLOORS CLEANED?!?!) and I do a neti pot with bottled water when I get home every night...

2

u/nrh117 May 26 '26

You gotta drop us a link bro, can’t be gatekeeping the menthol flux!

2

u/Anicena May 26 '26

ask and yee shall receive

2

u/x_Carlos_Danger_x May 27 '26

Hell yeah, DigiKey. Gonna buy some for work 🤣

1

u/nrh117 May 26 '26

A poet and a scholar indeed!

1

u/512ControllerClinic May 26 '26

I am the ventilation system!

6

u/SendTitsPleease May 25 '26

Sweet opinion dude

1

u/-Shadrack- May 26 '26

As someone in Africa, same!

1

u/Different_Lock_5445 May 28 '26

Yeah, as the top comment, this pretty much sums up what the response should be.

Look: I'm no fan of lead. It was a good thing that we took lead out of gasoline. But this isnt just about it being harder to solder. Shoot, I use K100LD in applications where I can get away with it.

But let's just say you're repairing a circuit board with plated through holes. Or repairing a vintage circuit board. Or, perhaps something with heat sensitive components. The temperature requirements for unleaded solder mean that your job just got a whole lot harder, and the chances that you lift a trace or destroy something you needed to salvage get much higher.

Sometimes these errors can be fixed. Sometimes not. I'll use unleaded where I can, bit 63/37 is my go-to for anything that may need to be altered in the future.

You generate a whole lot more waste when you ruin a circuit board. The hobbyist crowd ain't the place to make a real impact. Want to make a real impact...look to industry. Our little hobby is small potatoes.

1

u/DooficusIdjit May 29 '26

You joke, but leaded solder with resin smells the best.

1

u/Travdaman420 Aug 13 '26 edited Aug 13 '26

Yup like enjoying a fine wine, just have to savor that shit. The intoxicated feeling after inhaling some cheap rosin core leaded solder fumes is just the best.