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Doublereed Archive - Posting 000061.txt from 2003/05
From: William R Brohinsky <onlyocelot@-----.com>
Subj: Re: [DR-L] New subject - Wires on oboe reeds
Date: Tue, 6 May 2003 03:36:17 -0400
In general, solder is something that is better not visited on a regular
basis. However, the whole subject of lead safety and solder is far
overblown by the industrial health and safety folk, leading to a
situation where it is difficult to impossible to know just what is and
isn't true about it.
I've been in the electronics industry for over 30 years, and have been
wielding a soldering iron for most of that time. I have no sign
whatsoever of lead poisoning. I've handled lead, melted it, inhaled the
flux fumes, etc. I've also worked under Murphy Hoods (a great idea, but
rarely really useful) and used other techniques to try to reduce my
exposure to flux fumes, not because I believe that they contain lead
(boiled out of the solder melt and lofted on the flux volatiles, uh
huh), but because I'm allergic to most pitch and sap and pollon content
in the air.
Some truth: there is, indead, lead in most solder. It is usually the
larger content. Lead-free solders tend to have other things (indium, for
instance) which are just as nasty or worse on their own. The trick is
that solder is generally an alloy, and like common table salt, the
dangerous components are considerably less dangerous in the mix.
Now... copper isn't really good for you. If you manage to absorb lots of
copper, it can affect your health adversely. Brass is a tin-copper (and
sometimes other things) alloy, and the copper is harder to absorb from
it. That's why it tarnishes less easily than plain copper. Of our
choices for reed wire, it is likely as good as it is going to get.
Tinned copper wire, bought from an electronics supply store or hardware
store most likely doesn't have solder in it. Tinned copper only would
have lead if it were tinned by applying melted solder, a hand-operation.
Tinned wire is generally copper with an electroplate of tin, and the tin
probably isn't going to get free and do you in. But you should be aware
that tinned wire is less ductile at the surface (where the tinning is)
than internally. It also is overall less ductile, meaning that it
probably isn't so great for reed wire anyway. At least my understanding
of reed wire application is that you want the wire to be flexible,
ductile, so that when you tighten it by pulling on the twist, the wire
conforms to the tube/blades evenly. Using ductile brass (annealed) does
this well, using tinned wire or iron or other materials tends to make
local high-stress areas in the wire, with other parts remaining loose.
(And if this stress redistributes over time, then yes, the wire is
literally unstable, and any feelings that it is unsuitable for
real-world use is justified.)
Anyway, while there is some danger from skin contact with solder, there
is far more danger from sucking on it. If you have wire that actually
has solder content with lead (or indium or any of the other nasty
ingredients), don't use it on reeds, please! Us doublereeders already
have a bad enough rep for going crazy, don't add lead poisoning to it!
As a final caveat, using solder to tin copper wire is cool in
electronics, because it makes the wire easier to solder to PC boards and
terminals. It does not make it invulnerable to tarnish/corrosion,
especially in contact with bodily fluids (not limited to fingeroils and
saliva). It is a slightly-better surface than raw copper in the kind of
controlled environment that keeps electronics healthy (like, in a box).
Real electroplate tinning does a far better job, and I still wouldn't
put it in my mouth or anywheres near.
Good ductile brass is still the best bet. Making reeds that don't
require any extra wires is best.
raybro
