"Charles" wrote in message
...


"Michael A. Terrell" wrote in message
...


Charles wrote:

"Father Haskell" wrote in message
...

On Apr 21, 5:07 pm, "Charles" wrote:
Has this had any impact on repair and rework of electronic devices and
equipment?

If it's as bad as the lead-free plumbing solder, expect
poor wetting and tendency to set cold. 63/37 tin-lead
can't be beat. Fast, and joints look like they're soldered
with Sterling silver.

The eutectic 63/37 alloy is still easy to buy. Perhaps the repair
industry
is dodging the bullet fired at the manufacturing industry. Or, as
several
have pointed out, it is impossible to enforce lead-free rules on the
repairers.


Once again, you ignore the fact that Usenet isn't a US only medium.

OK, please post your International summary of the legal use of leaded
solders for repairs, as of May, 2011.

Speaking purely for the situation in Europe, as far as I understand it, and
based on research I did for an article in a trade mag at the time of the
implementation of the directive enforcing RoHS, it is the legal requirement
that any repairs carried out to a piece of RoHS certified equipment, must
not compromise that certification in any way. That means that any
replacement components used must be like for like, or a suitable equivalent,
having a similar RoHS certification to the original part, and that any
solder used in the repair must be lead-free.

Whilst it is probably true that this diktat is, for all practical purposes,
unenforceable, it never-the-less remains that it is the legal position, and
I suppose, if some department wanted to get bloody-minded about it, they
probably could pick on someone, and make an example of them. Green mist and
eco-bollox are the current lynch-pins of European beaureaucracy, and I'm
sure that some little tin god would score big by bringing a successful
prosecution against some poor sod like me, so better to just grin and bear
it, no matter how much you hate the situation, and get on with it within the
rules ...

Arfa