Kester 24-6337-0027 Solder Roll, Core Size 66, 63/37 Alloy, 0.031 Diameter

Great product for RC modelers and electronics hobbyists. This is a good value in a big, economy-sized spool which should last me a year or two. A dispenser is a good idea; this roll is much heavier than a standard hardware store pack and can be hard to manage. Mine likes to jump off of my table and go for a joy ride at the most inconvenient times, rolling across the room trailing wire. I guess another option would be to transfer some to a smaller spool as you use it. This .031 diameter is a pretty good compromise size for cables ranging from 28 to 12 AWG. It will even work on fairly roomy circuit board pads; however, I generally keep a small supply of thinner-diameter solder on hand for that kind of work. When I started out soldering cable harnesses, connectors etc. for my models, I found it pretty frustrating. As we know, the goal is to get the solder nicely liquefied so it will flow freely through the work, then keep things very still while it cools and solidifies. I found that, as I heated the cable and applied solder, it tended to soften, but getting it to melt completely enough to flow into the twisted wires - especially on bigger cables - wasnt easy. Instead Id get a mushy glob that would sit on the surface without making good penetration. Then, when I was ready to let it cool, it seemed to take forever to solidify, making it hard to keep everything steady. As tempting as it may be, in such cases, to just stick the ends of the wires into a nice big glob of half-melted solder, let that cool and hide the pathetic result under a wad of electrical tape, the end product will NOT be a strong, reliable connection, able to withstand the necessary current without heating up, and may fail completely. Ask me how I know! Well, it turns out that the answer is in the choice of solder. For some reason, none of the instructional materials I studied early on even mentioned one of the keys to happy, safe soldering work. It lies in the concept of a eutectic mixture or alloy. For any combination of two or more metals, there is a certain ratio between the amounts of each which, when combined, yields an alloy with the lowest melting point possible. In the case of lead and tin, an alloy commonly used for electrical soldering, that ratio is 63 lead and 37 tin. Thats the ratio used in this solder. The practical result, and the reason why a eutectic solder mix works so well, is that when it melts, it goes directly from the solid to the liquid state or phase. When it cools and solidifies, it does the opposite. The intermediate state, known in technical terms as a glob, is completely skipped! When it gets hot enough, whoosh! It instantly liquifies, and flows beautifully into the cable ends and/or onto the connectors. (Remember to always heat the cable or connector first, and let it heat the solder!). Remove the heat, maybe blow on it gently for a second, and whoosh! Its back to a nice, shiny (which is what you want) solid. A strong, reliable electrical connection is born. Just try it, youll like it. Unfortunately, if you look at the labels of the majority of solders sold in hardware stores, youll find that the lead/tin ratios are 60-40, not the magic 63-37. I have no idea why the 60-40 is even made, though if I had to guess, it may be because the glob state is desirable for certain types of users - plumbers, for example, or lazy electricians who prefer the stick wires ends in glob method described above. Just dont be that guy/gal, unless your fire insurance is paid up, and youre ok with watching smoke pour out of your electric model aircraft in the seconds before impact.

Top quality solder!

I do a lot of new work as well as repair work and I love this solder. Not much else to say.

Lots of solder for a great price. Im glad I found this product.

Works as intended

Plenty of solder for a long time! Decent price

Ive always had a hard time soldering. I have tried many varieties of solder and flux as well as different irons/guns. I just figured thats how it was. I just used this Kester 63/37 today along with some new Rubyfluid soldering paste and wow, night and day difference. Just finished repairing several broken wires in a automotive wiring harness and I actually enjoyed the soldering work this time. This solder melts quick and flows nice. Its expensive but worth every penny.

This will last a long time.

Received product as described at a great price.

Really nice soldier to work with! Work as a Communications Equipment Repair Tech and bought this because the companys stuff wasnt as good. Flows well, enough flux to cut through corrosion, doesnt cold weld. Makes soldering easy