18 ms·

> all wire meant to be sold in the EU must be ROHS complaint Just an aside, this is a personal gripe. I grew up on lead solder, making Heathkit projects with m

by caeril 5y ago

> all wire meant to be sold in the EU must be ROHS complaint Just an aside, this is a personal gripe. I grew up on lead solder, making Heathkit projects with my dad. I tried re-engaging with the electronics hobby as an adult, decades later, in a world filled with ROHS solder, and I have to say it is a huge pain in the ass to work with. Adhesion, balling issues, etc, regardless of core type, flux, etc, even on nice controlled-temp Hakko stations, versus the Weller crap irons of my youth. Maybe I'm just a grumpy old man, or maybe my memories are covered with rose glasses. But electronics seemed be more enjoyable in the lead era. And to my knowledge, my IQ did not suffer.

nate_meurer 5y ago
> "And to my knowledge, my IQ did not suffer." I suspect the opposite. I grew up eating off of lead-contaminated Lenox dishes, playing with fishing weights and mercury from broken thermostats, and other stimulating but toxic activities. I strongly suspect these things account for at least some of the attention deficit and impulse control issues I now struggle with as an adult. I'm sure your IQ is more than adequate, but you have no way of knowing what it would be if your brain was kept cleaner in your youth. For my part, I'd love to be smarter.
jeffbee 5y ago
Nothing about RoHS is preventing you from poisoning yourself and your family in the privacy of your home. Leaded solder is still widely available. https://www.digikey.com/en/products/detail/kester-solder/24-6040-0061/265619 https://www.digikey.com/en/products/detail/kester-solder/24-... Here's half a kilo of lead in a solid metal bar, if you want to just poison a whole city or small country: https://www.digikey.com/en/products/detail/kester-solder/44-6337-0050/265631 https://www.digikey.com/en/products/detail/kester-solder/44-...
- nvarsj 5y ago
  You can't get lead poisoning from using lead solder. The melting point is not high enough to turn the lead into a gas. In fact, lead free solders are generally more harmful - due to higher melting points they tend to produce a lot more flux fumes. ROHS solder was introduced so when you junk your mass produced electrical appliance, you're not adding more lead to the environment. For hobbyists it makes no sense.
  - relaxing 5y ago
    The risk is in lead transferring from your skin to your mouth, like if you don’t wash your hands before eating. Still I agree, the risk is acceptable for the small amount of solder work I do.

by caeril 5y ago

nate_meurer 5y ago

> "And to my knowledge, my IQ did not suffer." I suspect the opposite. I grew up eating off of lead-contaminated Lenox dishes, playing with fishing weights and mercury from broken thermostats, and other stimulating but toxic activities. I strongly suspect these things account for at least some of the attention deficit and impulse control issues I now struggle with as an adult. I'm sure your IQ is more than adequate, but you have no way of knowing what it would be if your brain was kept cleaner in your youth. For my part, I'd love to be smarter.

jeffbee 5y ago

Nothing about RoHS is preventing you from poisoning yourself and your family in the privacy of your home. Leaded solder is still widely available. https://www.digikey.com/en/products/detail/kester-solder/24-6040-0061/265619 https://www.digikey.com/en/products/detail/kester-solder/24-... Here's half a kilo of lead in a solid metal bar, if you want to just poison a whole city or small country: https://www.digikey.com/en/products/detail/kester-solder/44-6337-0050/265631 https://www.digikey.com/en/products/detail/kester-solder/44-...

nvarsj 5y ago
You can't get lead poisoning from using lead solder. The melting point is not high enough to turn the lead into a gas. In fact, lead free solders are generally more harmful - due to higher melting points they tend to produce a lot more flux fumes. ROHS solder was introduced so when you junk your mass produced electrical appliance, you're not adding more lead to the environment. For hobbyists it makes no sense.
- relaxing 5y ago
  The risk is in lead transferring from your skin to your mouth, like if you don’t wash your hands before eating. Still I agree, the risk is acceptable for the small amount of solder work I do.