My how things have changed....

[Roscoe Primrose]

Back in 2007, some of you would have participated in a group buy of Kester 2% silver solder. Price per pound at the time was about $25 with shipping split over the 10lbs I bought at the time. I wouldn't even have though of this, but I'm just about through the first pound of the ones I ended up with since there weren't 10 buyers. I have two left, so another 25yrs or so at my current rate. Good thing too, best price I can find on-line is about $70/lb plus shipping, with a minimum order of 25!

Roscoe

[ratbagp]

Does this mean that if you buy all 25 rolls for your own consumption then you will live another 300 years or more?

ray

[Roscoe Primrose]

If it does, then I’m definitely not buying it...

[TubeDriver]

[Roscoe Primrose]

Last week, when I was working on an xover, I killed that first roll... This is all that's left:

[TubeDriver]

Looks like a cartridge cantilever! I have a giant roll of the old WBT silver solder that I hoard carefully, most stuff just gets the roll of standard Kester solder. I don't do much DIY or repair so I am set for a long time.

[ratbagp]

Is the WBT really noticeably better than the Kester? Just curious. Do you use the WBT on certain connections where it makes a difference and Kester on the non-critical joints?

Which reminds me that I need to get another roll of Kester before the move to Australia. I have packed most of my parts in small plastic lunch boxes from Dollar Tree in larger U-haul boxes. I have numbered the boxes so that I can hopefully find stuff at the other end. It's amazing all the stuff I have accumulated over time.

ray

[Roscoe Primrose]

It's hard to A/B solder... That said, I've been using Kester 2% silver solder for years, and have no complaints.... Lead free? Forget it!

Roscoe

[ratbagp]

I tried lead-free just once and not for long.

ray

[TubeDriver]

Never ABed it but it flows really nicely. It is also $$$ so I use it for signal level connections in gear I care about. Other things that I am tinkering with get the Kestel.

Is the WBT really noticeably better than the Kester? Just curious. Do you use the WBT on certain connections where it makes a difference and Kester on the non-critical joints?

Which reminds me that I need to get another roll of Kester before the move to Australia. I have packed most of my parts in small plastic lunch boxes from Dollar Tree in larger U-haul boxes. I have numbered the boxes so that I can hopefully find stuff at the other end. It's amazing all the stuff I have accumulated over time.

ray