What solder do you use for basic DIY electrical repairs?

[Mabouya]

About once every few years I wish I had a soldering iron for simple home electronic work. I finally broke down and bought the cheapest pencil-type Weller ($15, 15 watts, max T of 750*F, and 3-5 minutes warm up time (!!!), Made in Mexico - not China - Yay! )

It didn't come with any solder so I bought some of the old reliable 60:40 with rosin flux core. I noticed that there's a lot of lead-free solder out there, but not having used it in the past I didn't get that.

The tree-hugger side of me wants to do the right thing - what's been your experience with lead free? How well does it work?

I do know that it has a higher melting point than 60:40

Wikipedia: "Most lead-free replacements for conventional 60/40 and 63/37 Sn-Pb solder have melting points from 5 to 20 °C higher,[6] though there are also solders with much lower melting points."

TIA

[spopepro]

I do a lot of soldering, and use 60/40 and plan to until I can't get it anymore. The lead free stuff kind of sucks. Not only does it require higher heat, but I find that it doesn't always want to wet, especially if you're using old circuit boards or ones that don't have an enig coating. If you go lead free a good temp controlled station, and some resin flux near by can make it just about as easy to use as 60/40.

[Drew]

I use gold. Solid gold.

[summilux]

I have a stash of Rat Shack 60/40. Does Radio Shack even exist anymore?

[xjoex]

I switched my personal stash and all the solder in my lab to Lead Free solder. This is what I buy: Solder Lead Free - 1-gram Spool - TOL-9325 - SparkFun Electronics . Can't say that I notice any difference while in use.

Although I probably inhaled enough lead from solder working on R/C cars as a kid growing up... a little more wouldn't kill me.

-Joe

[Mabouya]

Although I probably inhaled enough lead from solder working on R/C cars as a kid growing up... a little more wouldn't kill me.

When I was around 13 or 14 yrs old (so, back in the mid-seventies) a buddy of mine and I decided that we wanted to make our own weights. He had some old car batteries lying around and we scoured the neighborhood for a few more. We then borrowed a cooking pot from his parents' kitchen, built a wood fire between three rocks in the back yard, and threw the plates from the smashed batteries into the pot. We then poured the lead into condensed milk cans and we had out weights. As far a I know, that pot was returned to the kitchen and used again for food. I also remember sawing pieces of lead off an extra hunk for use as weights in my model airplanes.

I have no clue how much (if any) damage all that messing around did...