Rose alloy, named after the German chemist, is used for soldering and improving the technical qualities of parts in devices. With the help of these pieces of metal, aluminum, copper, silver, brass, nickel are connected and boards and jewelry are tinned.
The composition of the Rose alloy and its fields of application
Rose alloy is created by mixing bismuth (50.0 ± 0.5%), tin (18.0 ± 0.5%) and lead (32.0 ± 0.5%). This alloy is sold as a silvery pellet. In terms of technical characteristics, the Rose alloy resembles Wood's alloy, only it is less toxic due to the absence of cadmium in its composition (12.5% in Wood's alloy).
The melting temperature of this mixture of metals is only 94-96 ° C, so it is very convenient to use it. Many radio technicians have found use of Rose's alloy in tinning the copper surface of an etched board. In addition to the mixture of metals itself, this work also uses a suitable container, cotton balls or discs, citric acid and two wooden sticks.
Due to its physical properties, the Rose alloy is used in electrical fuses, laboratories for semiconductor technology with parts sensitive to overheating and in radio engineering, as POSV 50 solder. alloys. Rose is also used for tinning bronze, brass, copper, copper-nickel alloys with silver-plated ceramics, nickel and jewelry.
How to Tin a PCB with Rose Alloy
Very often, Rose alloy is used for tinning a printed circuit board at home. It happens in the following way. Take a container where tinning will take place, and pour half a glass of water into it, put it on fire. When the water warms up a little, pour a teaspoon of citric acid into it and stir. Place the printed circuit board in the container. When the board turns pink, place a few pieces of Rose alloy directly into the container on the foil-coated side. Wait until it melts.
When Rose becomes liquid, use wooden sticks with ends wrapped in cloth or cotton wool to spread it over the textolite. If the pieces have rolled off the board, you can quickly put them back in place with chopsticks, or turn the board over and press them against the alloy with foil. You can remove excess metal with the same sticks, wiping Rose from the foil with light movements. Remove the finished board from the container and let it cool.
How to handle Alloy Rose
The Rose alloy is transported according to the usual standard developed for the transport of metals. The rose can be transported in a car or by any rail. The alloy is stored both in closed warehouses and in the open air, but in carefully packed containers. The Rose alloy is not too toxic, but one should not forget that it contains heavy metals. It is undesirable to work with him for too long.
