Solder Is Not One of the Food Groups

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WHY SOLDER IS NOT ONE OF THE FOOD GROUPS

Did you know...

... the atomic weight of lead is 82, its symbol is Pb, its density at 300k is 11.4. Tin's symbol is Sn, and its electron configuration is ... oh, never mind, that's way too much information.

Solder is an alloy of tin and lead, and the proportion of the two affects the melting point. The most suitable for almost all stained glass work is 60/40 (60% tin, 40% lead... Helpful Mikey)(a titanic intellect in a world full of icebergs...Ed) Looking at the two metals by themselves we see that tin melts at 450^oF and lead at 621^oF. But something really weird happens when you combine the two- the melting point drops down as low as 361^oF depending on the mix of the two.

% TIN	% LEAD	MELTING POINT
0	100	621^oF
30	70	496^oF
50	50	421^oF
60	40	375^oF
63	37	361^oF

If we continue to raise the amount of tin to lead past 63%, the melting point begins to rise again to where it is 450F at 100% tin, therefore 63/37 solder has the absolute lowest melting point. Pretty weird, eh? (you forgot about Marv Albert?...Mikey) And you thought that ratio was a gimmick? With respect to cost, the last time Stan (Mike's metals commodities broker) checked, tin was about ten times more expensive than lead, telling you why solder prices vary according to the amount of tin they have.

Of course, if it has our name on it, it's got to be the best available- that's why you can find Fantasy In Glass Solder only at Fantasy In Glass. Check out our own brand in 50/50 and 60/40 alloys, all virgin materials (like Mikey) making them flow and patina perfectly (like Mikey).

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