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Silver soldering

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David - 11 May 2008 19:17 GMT
Hi all,

It has been a long time since I last posted here. Anyhow, I have been going
over some of the past few weeks postings to catch up...

I am currently building a lady stephanie beam engine. I am currently making
the 'eccentric rod'. It is suppsed to be made from 1/16th MS, but I couldn't
find any, so I have now made it from 1/8 x 3/32 stainless. Quite a bit
bigger, but it was the smallest cross section I could find.

Anyhow, I have now made the 'struts' for want of a better term. (This is
where the bars strenghten the eccentric rod and I suppose looks a little
like a truss).

I am now ready to silver solder them, but having never done any silver
soldering, am looking for any tips. (I have done brazing in the past, but
then I was working with a proper brazing hearth with firebricks and what
have you. I don't have anything like that here in my own workshop).

I have a brazing torch and also a small gas torch (like a pencil which takes
cigarette lighter fuel). I have silver solder and some white flux powder for
it. How do I use the flux? Do I mix it into a paste like with the flux for
brazing?

Signature

Best regards,
Dave Colliver.
http://www.AshfieldFOCUS.com
~~
http://www.FOCUSPortals.com - Local franchises available

Steve - 11 May 2008 19:35 GMT
Same as any sort of brazin really, make sure you have enough heat (Ive never
found anything small enough to braze with those gas lighter pencil torches),
all components are clean and dont apply direct heat to the flux.

I warm the rod enough to make the flux stick  then when the work is hot
enough I apply it to the work keeping heat on from the torch,  but again
heat the work not the rod.

Play about wih some scrap to get a feel for it for first,  you'll find it
just works.

Steve

> Hi all,
>
[quoted text clipped - 19 lines]
> powder for it. How do I use the flux? Do I mix it into a paste like with
> the flux for brazing?
David - 11 May 2008 20:13 GMT
Hi,

Thanks, I will try it (tomorrow evening now when I finish work).

Do I need to mix some flux with water as I seem to remember having to do
that with brazing... (I do recall when I was doing the welding phase of my
apprenticeship, also dipping the warm welding rod into flux (gas welding) to
get some flux in, however, my apprenticeship was 23 years ago and I moved
out of commercial engineering 19 years ago, so everything is hazy.)

Signature

Best regards,
Dave Colliver.
http://www.AshfieldFOCUS.com
~~
http://www.FOCUSPortals.com - Local franchises available

> Same as any sort of brazin really, make sure you have enough heat (Ive
> never found anything small enough to braze with those gas lighter pencil
[quoted text clipped - 32 lines]
>> powder for it. How do I use the flux? Do I mix it into a paste like with
>> the flux for brazing?
Steve - 11 May 2008 20:20 GMT
> Hi,
>
[quoted text clipped - 43 lines]
>>> powder for it. How do I use the flux? Do I mix it into a paste like with
>>> the flux for brazing?

I use easiflow flux and I've never mixed it with water,   when the flux
meets the hot components it tends to flow.  Self taught,  not aware of
fluxes you mix with water.  Dad used to do a fair bit of brazing with brass
rod's no recollection of him mixing flux with water either.

Steve
russell@eberhardt.org.uk - 11 May 2008 20:36 GMT
> I use easiflow flux and I've never mixed it with water,   when the flux
> meets the hot components it tends to flow.  Self taught,  not aware of
> fluxes you mix with water.  Dad used to do a fair bit of brazing with brass
> rod's no recollection of him mixing flux with water either.

Easyflow flux is usually supplied as a paste to mix with water
although it can be bought ready mixed.  However it is not very good
for stainless steel.  Better to use Tenacity no.5 or HT5.

Have a look at this website for some good advice:
http://www.cupalloys.com/content.php

regards,
Russell.
David - 11 May 2008 21:03 GMT
Hi,

Thanks, I will be bookmarking that site.

It does say on there to mix the flux with water to get the consistency of
yoghurt.

I am not sure what flux I have. It is a white powder, I am guessing it is
not HT5.

cupalloys is actually fairly local to me (about 15 miles), so in theory, I
could pop-up and have a look. Surprised thought that there are no prices on
the site for silver solder (or none that I could see.)

Thanks for your help.
Signature

Best regards,
Dave Colliver.
http://www.AshfieldFOCUS.com
~~
http://www.FOCUSPortals.com - Local franchises available

>> I use easiflow flux and I've never mixed it with water,   when the flux
>> meets the hot components it tends to flow.  Self taught,  not aware of
[quoted text clipped - 11 lines]
> regards,
> Russell.
Allan Waterfall - 11 May 2008 22:02 GMT
You might find some useful information here...
http://www.cupalloys.com/content.php

If you ring up you'll also get some helpful advise.

Ahhh,apologies the link has already been posted.

Alla

--
Allan Waterfal
Steve - 11 May 2008 21:47 GMT
>> I use easiflow flux and I've never mixed it with water,   when the flux
>> meets the hot components it tends to flow.  Self taught,  not aware of
[quoted text clipped - 11 lines]
> regards,
> Russell.

Miine is a white powder - and I got it from cupalloys.

Steve
mark@ems-fife.co.uk - 11 May 2008 21:03 GMT
> I use easiflow flux and I've never mixed it with water,   when the flux
> meets the hot components it tends to flow.  Self taught,  not aware of
> fluxes you mix with water.  Dad used to do a fair bit of brazing with brass
> rod's no recollection of him mixing flux with water either.
>
> Steve

I manufacture an assembly made from brass and copper which is silver
soldered.All the joints are fluxed before heating with Easiflow made
into a paste and painted on the joints.It helps if you add a couple of
drops of washing up liquid to help it "wet" the metal.Pic of the
finished assembly here.It`s the red manifold about halfway down.
http://www.ems-fife.co.uk/product.htm
Mark.
Richard Edwards - 11 May 2008 22:04 GMT
>> I use easiflow flux and I've never mixed it with water,   when the flux
>> meets the hot components it tends to flow.  Self taught,  not aware of
[quoted text clipped - 10 lines]
>http://www.ems-fife.co.uk/product.htm
>Mark.
I did read somewhere that mixing the powder with meths as opposed to
water stops it hissing bubbling and blowing around when heated.
Not tried it but does the pencil / graphite trick stop the s/solder
running where you do not want it? Suggested a while ago re tin/lead
soldering.

--

Richard

Email address is valid but remove burrs before sending!
Norman Billingham - 11 May 2008 23:14 GMT
>>> I use easiflow flux and I've never mixed it with water,   when the flux
>>> meets the hot components it tends to flow.  Self taught,  not aware of
[quoted text clipped - 16 lines]
> running where you do not want it? Suggested a while ago re tin/lead
> soldering.

Graphite will just burn off at brazing temperatures

Tippex works OK
Richard Edwards - 12 May 2008 06:43 GMT
>> I did read somewhere that mixing the powder with meths as opposed to
>> water stops it hissing bubbling and blowing around when heated.
[quoted text clipped - 5 lines]
>
>Tippex works OK

Thanks for that, need to S/Solder the crank for my "Otto" soon and
wish to minimise the spread.

--

Richard

Email address is valid but remove burrs before sending!
russell@eberhardt.org.uk - 12 May 2008 08:57 GMT
On 12 May, 00:14, "Norman Billingham" <norman.at.tumulus.org.uk>
wrote:

> Graphite will just burn off at brazing temperatures
>
> Tippex works OK

Yes, but make sure you get the traditional solvent based stuff (now
called Tippex Rapid), not the namby pamby water based one.

Russell.
Kevin(Bluey) - 12 May 2008 12:09 GMT
> Hi all,
>
[quoted text clipped - 19 lines]
> it. How do I use the flux? Do I mix it into a paste like with the flux for
> brazing?

The silver soldering flux I use is a white paste ( of course I'm in
Australia so brand names are useless to you) heat both the components to
be joined and apply the paste flux ,it will sizzle a bit and dry out to
a powder keep heating until the flux melts into clear liquid ,now apply
your solder rod ,it should melt and flow where ever you placed the flux.
I must add that the material being joined should be nice and clean with
no oxidization .

You can also get flux coated silver solder rods ,but they are more
expensive .The higher the silver content of the solder the more
expensive as well ,but it makes nice jointsand flows better .

Over heating the silver solder will cause it to bubble and will give a
lousy looking join.
Silver solder does not need the same amount of heat as brazing.
If one component is larger and heavier than the other apply most of the
heat to the larger component.

Forget the pencil torch a LPG (propane) torch or oxy /aceteylene is best
using a neutral flame.

Practice on scrap with the same type of joint that you will use on the
real job, you will find that when you get better with practice little
clean up and filing will be needed .

Kev

Signature

Kevin (Bluey)
"I'm not young enough to know everything."

bluey69@west.net.com.au

Peter - 12 May 2008 20:06 GMT
>> I am now ready to silver solder them, but having never done any silver
>> soldering, am looking for any tips. (I have done brazing in the past, but
>> then I was working with a proper brazing hearth with firebricks and what
>> have you. I don't have anything like that here in my own workshop).

 Moving away a bit from fabrication, how do the experts clean boiler
 parts beforehand ?
 Presumably NOT emery for boilers as it might cause pin-holes ?
 Even steel wool might leave bits behind ?

    Peter
David - 12 May 2008 21:02 GMT
Well, I have jumped in at the deep end and done it now.

For my first attempt, I am very pleased.

I soldered half of the thing togethor, then I was doing the other half,
heating it up and the first half collapsed. :(

I then changed my strategy. Get the first half done as before, then the
second half, do opposing ends first, then the bits in the middle. This
worked.

When I have finished cleaning it up, I will put a photo of it online.

Signature

Best regards,
Dave Colliver.
http://www.AshfieldFOCUS.com
~~
http://www.FOCUSPortals.com - Local franchises available

> Hi all,
>
[quoted text clipped - 19 lines]
> powder for it. How do I use the flux? Do I mix it into a paste like with
> the flux for brazing?
 
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