Making solder as an alloy of tin and lead

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Two black wires being soldered together using a soldering iron

Source: © Shutterstock

Try this practical to make solder by heating together the metals tin and lead before investigating the alloy’s properties. Includes kit list and safety instructions.

In this experiment, students make their own alloy, heating lead and tin together to produce solder. They then investigate three properties of the alloy and compare these with lead, including hardness, melting point and density.

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