A compound known as antimony trioxide, formerly a commonly used fire retardant that is now outlawed or heavily restricted, and several related compounds used in plastic production add to this confusion. The core answer to your question is that companies were and still are adverse to creating & marketing a product containing an element which is often assumed to be more toxic than it is. Perhaps mandatory labeling is worth considering, but one harmful interaction with one specific soldering fluid does not fully explain the slow uptake. Chlorine and ammonia based cleaners have this same issue, and are definitely used in the same settings. The possibility of antimony + zinc chloride toxicity are relevant, but this alone cannot explain the public perception of antimony toxicity. That said, concerns over antimony toxicity are still very much a problem that prevents higher quality lead-free solder from flourishing. Since the time you asked this question there are now more products containing antimony on the market. Some sources say that AIM has a patent on it, but according to this it only applies in USA and Japan. Less silver oxide (which ruins the solder when heated for too long).Inhibits tin pest and other undesirable compounds.Īnd here are some more advantages that come specifically from replacing some of the silver with antimony:.Increased wetting (probably, although 0.3% is more optimal for this). Here are some advantages I see of the Ag03A alloy vs SAC305 (due to the antimony): It's still not as common as the above mentioned alloys in mass production, and is almost nowhere to be found for hand solder wire. The most common electrical solder alloy with antimony is Ag03A (96.2%Sn, 2.5%Ag, 0.8%Cu, 0.5%Sb). Most of these are mechanical (strength) benefits, similar to the benefits of silver while being cheaper. Small amounts of antimony (Sb) have been shown to improve the properties of tin-based solder. For a small piece like this you may want to copper plate the piece yourself using a small brush plating kit.The most common lead free electrical solder alloys are SAC305 (96.5%Sn, 3.0%Ag, 0.5%Cu) and Sn99 (99.3%Sn, 0.7%Cu), especially for hand soldering wire. Copper will adhere without any problems to that type of Solder as long as the plated piece is properly degreased of course. You likely need some kind of fluoride based activation step. Is there a difference in preparation or bath chemistry that would give optimal results?Ī. I would like to send it away to a local plater but they could not give me a definitive answer if the copper would stick to the solder or not. If it does adhere, will it hold up as well enough to buff the part to an even sheen (assuming the solder doesn't melt underneath)? My question is if copper will readily adhere to the soldered areas. We would like to make those areas disappear with copper plating. There are some areas of the still that have been repaired with 95/5 solder (95% tin, 5% antimony). We have a small copper still (tabletop sized) that we are looking to restore for display purposes and occasional use. I work in the craft brewing and distillation industry. Earl WoolseyĬopper Plating Over 95/5 Tin/Antimony Solder March 10, 2017 you could use a 1/2" elbow or a 3/4" bullhead tee if you prefer, just don't dissolve the whole thing. I make my own by tossing a copper elbow (3/4") into a batch of zinc phosphate metal prep or a 10% phosphoric acid solution. You could try copper phosphate or copper dissolved in zinc phosphate.
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