Re: Soldering question: galvanized steel and brass
Bob is right -- your best option is a mechanical fastener. You CAN solder galvanized, however, and it works quite well. It is perfectly safe if you're using a soldering iron, which doesn't heat up the zinc enough to be dangerous. You DO NOT want to use a flame to solder it, however, as that will definitely vaporize the zinc coating. This will also make the steel rust much faster, which is undesirable, too. In any case, even if you're going to use solder, you must have a strong mechanical connection between the parts, or the joint will still be weak enough to break. -vance- Oh and it's the same old story ever since the world began Everybody got the runs for glory nobody stop and scrutinize the plan. --Paul Simon
Re: Soldering question: galvanized steel and brass
Unless you clean all the galvinizing off you will not be able to solder, and, besides, the fumes created by heating the plating is highly toxic. So your best bet is to stick to mechanical means of attachment. Bob Starr
Soldering question: galvanized steel and brass
Hi, I need to mount my US windmill model in G scale made of galvanized steel. I intend to solder 4 brass angles at the bottom, cut them open, bend them so that they are level with the ground, then solder them onto pieces of copper that will be attached with brass wood screws to a piece of wood. Would I get a durable joint by soldering brass to galvanized steel? Or should I use brass fasteners to attach the brass corners? I plan to mount it on the balcony railing, so it better be good... Any advice is welcome; including tips on straightening out the bend wheel. Regards, Matthias __ Do you Yahoo!? Yahoo! Mail - 50x more storage than other providers! http://promotions.yahoo.com/new_mail
Re: Soldering Question
Chris, Assuming you are using a silver-solder like Easiflo, it is not necessary to get the metal red-hot. The things are: Before you start get the metal clean. File it, sand it and keep your oily fingers off it !! Use the proper silver-soldering flux. Slosh it around the joint and a bit besides. If it is too dry, add water and mush up into a cream. Lay along the joint a whole bunch of little snippets of silver-solder 1/16" rod. Heat one area of the joint with your propane torch. I needs to get to the state where the metal becomes shiny with heat and the oxide colours run around following your torch. It is NOT red-hot. The flux will have gone through the stages of bubbling as the water boils away, and then turning into white powder along the joint, and finally becoming a clear syrup. At this stage, one of the snippets will melt and run into the joint. Move alomg the joint slowly, and one after the other the snippets will melt and run in. Take your time, and let it happen. If it doesn't happen, stop, shut down, let cool a bit and spray water on it to get rid of the flux, and start again. Once you get used to it, this will rarely happen. Cleanliness is No.1 and the it's good fluxing and snippets along the joint. But red-heat, absolutely not. Copper, brass, steel. All the same. Peter Trounce. -- > From: Chris wolcott <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > To: Multiple recipients of sslivesteam <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > Subject: Soldering Question > Date: Wednesday, March 14, 2001 8:13 AM > > I'm new to Live Steam and soldering with silver solder. The few times > I've done it so far, I've used a propane torch like you'd use to solder > water pipe, and to get the silver solder to melt I've had to heat the > work (Copper-Copper/Copper-Brass) until it glowed. Is this normal? I'm > concerned that I'm going to melt something besides the solder doing > this. > > Also, if I try to solder something to a piece that already has something > soldered to it, will I not loosen the bond there trying to add the new > piece? (I'm REALLY concerned if I ever try to attach something to my > boiler/smokebox that I will compromise the pressure vessel's integrity.) > > Any hints on doing it right? >
Re: Soldering Question
In a message dated 3/14/2001 9:25:40 AM Pacific Standard Time, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: > rubbing rouge on the previous joints Another one is coating your joint with pencil lead. Alternately if a joint is close to my soldering I will flux it and allow it to melt again properly so as not to have a cold joint when I am done. I think it is important to do as many solderings in one heating as possible to avoid all this. Bob
RE: Soldering Question
Ferdinand, Congratulations on the new daughter! Steve
Re: Soldering Question
HI Chris re: other parts coming loose - rubbing rouge on the previous joints - red greasy paste sold by most jewellery suppliers. This keeps the silver solder from running on existing joints - the pickle solution will remove all the build up - I use a warm Alum solution for pickling ( available at most drugists.) Cheers Ferdinand ( a proud dad of a new baby girl 4 days old )
Re: Soldering Question
HI Chris This is quite normal - the temperature of silver solder varies depending on the hardness of the solder. The higher the hardness the higher the working temperature. This also has the advantage of starting with the hardest and finishing with the softest if you have multiple soldering to do on one piece. Here is a link with some tips. - I have many clients who are jewellery manufacturers which is where I got all my questions answered. There are also great books on the market which describe silver soldering in great detail in the jewellery section of bookstores. the link : http://www.fls.org.jm/users/fls/kerrst/boiler.html Chris wolcott wrote: > I'm new to Live Steam and soldering with silver solder. The few times > I've done it so far, I've used a propane torch like you'd use to solder > water pipe, and to get the silver solder to melt I've had to heat the > work (Copper-Copper/Copper-Brass) until it glowed. Is this normal? I'm > concerned that I'm going to melt something besides the solder doing > this. > > Also, if I try to solder something to a piece that already has something > soldered to it, will I not loosen the bond there trying to add the new > piece? (I'm REALLY concerned if I ever try to attach something to my > boiler/smokebox that I will compromise the pressure vessel's integrity.) > > Any hints on doing it right? >
Re: Soldering Question
In a message dated 14/03/01 16:05:56 GMT Standard Time, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: << until it glowed. Is this normal? >> Yes. Needs to be this hot. You will notice when it is hot enough as the solder will 'flash' into the joint. It is better in the dark as the Bishop said to the Chorus girl. No you won't damage copper, phos bronze or brass (oxy-prop is a different matter) 'tho there is a school of thought that maintains that the threads in boiler bushes should not be fully cut prior to silver soldering. Don't stew the solder once it is in however. Also remember Brother Wade's tip for straightening out any bushes that solder in skew-whiff by inserting an appropriately threaded rod to gently 'verticalise' the bush. Wrt your second point, we are helped by the fact that the melting point of an 'old' joint is a bit higher than fresh SS. Although there are preparations to protect previous joints, avoiding direct heat & a lump of metal as a heat 'sink' is all that I have found necessary with gauge 1 boilers Try and do as much as possible in one heat - heat is never really localised in a mass of copper - & this means close holes for the bushes so they won't fall out & 'pip' the the boiler at ~ 120deg ~ 1/4" in from ends with a blunted centre punch or something similar so the flanged ends don't move when everything is up to heat. All drilling & pipping with a dowel inside the annealed boiler tube. >From a pretty inexperienced boiler maker, Art Walker.
Soldering Question
I'm new to Live Steam and soldering with silver solder. The few times I've done it so far, I've used a propane torch like you'd use to solder water pipe, and to get the silver solder to melt I've had to heat the work (Copper-Copper/Copper-Brass) until it glowed. Is this normal? I'm concerned that I'm going to melt something besides the solder doing this. Also, if I try to solder something to a piece that already has something soldered to it, will I not loosen the bond there trying to add the new piece? (I'm REALLY concerned if I ever try to attach something to my boiler/smokebox that I will compromise the pressure vessel's integrity.) Any hints on doing it right?
