Lead free solder is, I find, notably harder to work with. It has a higher melting point, and doesn't seem to wet near as well. Flux is your friend here. It may also be easier to learn to do it with leaded solder and then switch to lead free.
(It's also quite possible that I just found it trickier to work with because I got used to the leaded stuff, so it may go just fine, of course!)
Hm, I should try that. dymaxion was trying to discourage me on grounds of the inhalation risk, but I did notice that the lead-free stuff doesn't flow easily.
lead-free is *horrible*. It doesn't wick worth beans. The vapor pressure on even molten lead at reflow temps is still pretty low. Put a little fan right beside it, sucking air away from it. The flux fumes are actually worse for you in the short term than the lead is. I've worked in places where people have been soldering electronics using lead for 20 years and still had high-normal blood lead ranges. It's primarily an ingestion danger.
Do you have documentation on the safety claims? I'd really like to see them. I've always been told that leaded solder is bad, and that flux is relatively safe.
(It's also quite possible that I just found it trickier to work with because I got used to the leaded stuff, so it may go just fine, of course!)
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The vapor pressure on even molten lead at reflow temps is still pretty low. Put a little fan right beside it, sucking air away from it.
The flux fumes are actually worse for you in the short term than the lead is. I've worked in places where people have been soldering electronics using lead for 20 years and still had high-normal blood lead ranges. It's primarily an ingestion danger.
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Also, good plan! I should probably consider adopting that strategy myself...
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