[TR] Body Solder

[Randall]

> Does anyone know if tin/copper lead free solder on a  
> roll (plumbing) with 
> no flux core is the same that is sold as lead free body  
> solder?

I don't know (didn't even know there was such a thing as lead-free body
solder), but I would be very surprised if it was the same.  Ordinary body
lead is a special alloy with a large plastic range (where it's not quite
solid and not quite liquid) to facilitate working it into shape.  Plumbing
(and electronic) solder are generally alloys designed to harden quickly once
heat is removed (to reduce chances of movement during the cooling process
causing a "cold" joint that can fail later).

> Body filller is not an acceptable soluton as there are pin 
> holes that  need 
> to be filled and I do not like to fill holes with filler.

FWIW, a friend of mine used POR-15 to fill a sea of pinholes in an
inaccessible area; and reported being quite happy with the results.  Haven't
had the pleasure myself, but I'll definitely try it if the situation comes
up.

Also FWIW, I've found lead-free plumbing solder to be almost impossible to
work with on steel.  Possibly I need a different flux or something; but I
wound up using more expensive electronics lead solder.

Randall