Being a MAN.
Some say that being a man is paying your bills, doing right by those around you, and always standing your round. And some say that being a man is about the amount of technology you have stuffed into your living room. All I know is, it's not all that.

At work I'm surrounded by urban survivalist types who regularly walk into the Peak District of a weekend with little more than a couple of twigs and a paper bag, guys who have Mig welders for at-home car repairs because they don't trust mechanics, and the spotty types who can make computers sit up and beg instead of just pleading with them in the vain hope you won't have to turn them off an on again for the nth time that day.

All I have is a habit of watching Ray Mears on TV religiously, a soldering iron which remains unused as lead vapour from the solder makes me sneeze, and a laptop which works after a fashion.

I can't help but think that somehow, I'm getting being a MAN wrong.
( jim_bob can herd cats., Mon 19 Jul 2010, 16:24, 14 replies)

Solder is lead-free these days
Crack out the iron and get soldering
( le brian, Mon 19 Jul 2010, 16:27, closed)

Hmmm.
Time to invest in a new breadboard...

**Plans**
( jim_bob can herd cats., Mon 19 Jul 2010, 16:28, closed)

Plus, lead melts at 327 °C and boils at 1749 °C.
So unless the iron is really fucking hot, it's not vaporised lead that's causing him to sneeze.
( The Mock TurtIe ™ --- Thinks you are a cunt, on, Mon 19 Jul 2010, 19:10, closed)

solder, being an alloy
melts at much lower temps depending on the tin and antimony content. Vapour phase soldering makes use of the fact that you don't have to vapourise all the solder, just give the spread of energies in the average distribution enough oomph that at the top end of the distribution there is enough for SOME to evapourate. Else the triple point of water would be ridiculous, i.e. water at 0c can be either ice, water or vapour.
( Rotating Wobbly Hat That's not a banana. THIS is a banana., Mon 19 Jul 2010, 23:12, closed)

Some, but not a lot.
Regardless of whether or not been it's alloyed, lead has a very low vapour pressure, even at the operating temperature of a soldering iron.
( The Mock TurtIe ™ --- Thinks you are a cunt, on, Mon 19 Jul 2010, 23:46, closed)

Solder
Solder comes with flux in it, which used to be rosin based... smells nice-ish but turns to acid in your lungs - and that's what's making you sneeze. There's no lead vapour.

Ditch it and get some fresh solder with a modern flux and you'll be fine. (Don't care what they say about lead-free being more eco-friendly, it's still crap, tin/lead is what you want!)
(Payload, Tue 20 Jul 2010, 19:38, closed)

You only needed to post your status.
"jim_bob now with added kittens!"
(waxdart hello., Mon 19 Jul 2010, 16:29, closed)

Arf
I'd forgotten about that.
( jim_bob can herd cats., Mon 19 Jul 2010, 16:29, closed)

So long as
You're not mincing down Canal Street in a short dress and heels, then you're getting it more right than I did the other weekend ;)

ninj edit: bloody good laugh though :)
( bluemeat has been best of all the animals since, Mon 19 Jul 2010, 16:53, closed)

Hammers...
As long as you have a range of different sized Hammers in your toolbox, you can still claim the MAN title. (The skill comes in knowing WHICH hammer to use to make those fine adjustments to the TV....)
( Batter Pudding Hurler is a figment of your imagination, Mon 19 Jul 2010, 18:18, closed)

The dreaded vapour
Is probably just the smoke from the flux that is likely to be integrated into the solder.Keep forging onwards bloke.
(boarders You won't catch me with my trousers, Tue 20 Jul 2010, 2:17, closed)

Once overheard, a LONG time ago
"A man's not a MAN wi'out a shed."
( pingless misunderstanding your banter on, Tue 20 Jul 2010, 12:26, closed)

What?
Even if the shed is full of knitting patterns and flower-arranging supplies?
(flimflam_machine, Tue 20 Jul 2010, 12:34, closed)

That means he is a man
But a man who plays for the other team.
( idonthaveafunnynickname Drink-Aware? Sure. I'm aware I want another drink., Tue 20 Jul 2010, 18:49, closed)