Trying all morning to decipher the many solders and fluxes out there. What I need to do is solder brass and copper to the back of bowies and also solder on the gaurds. I see high temp which is around 450 then silver solder which is around 1150 then silver solder which is around 450??? What solder is normally used for this task and which flux works best with stainless,brass, copper??
Thanks.
Hi Steve,
I believe most use low temperature silver solder, and that's what I use when I solder. Hopefully more will chime in 'cause I'm interested to hear the consensus. Use it sparingly, and heat it from below so the solder draws downward into the area you want it to go. I also recommend using HotSpot (a compound welders use to prevent heat from travelling beyond where you want it) to protect the temper in the blade. Hope this helps! <img src=' http://www.americanbladesmith.com/ipboard/public/style_emoticons//cool.gi f' class='bbc_emoticon' alt='B)' />
Steve,
If you are using the solder to seal the guard & blade then I would use one that has a melding point around 450. For this I have used a plumber's solder which is called silver bearing solder but I don't believe that it actually has any silver content. Since there is no need for strength in this, the plumber's solder will work fine. If you are needing more strength then you will need to use a true silver solder which will have a melting point of 900 degrees or higher.
Copper & brass solder easily and most any flux will work. If you are soldering to stainless though you will need to use an aggressive acid base flux. The one that I found worked best for me was "Comet Flux" from Brownell's.
Remember that the solder will flow towards the heat so heat the joint in the direction that you want the solder to flow.
Gary
Thank you Gary for the Detailed response.
Would any of these combo's work?
I fully understand the gaurd to ricasso now, what about soldering copper to the spine?? Would that require a completely different solder/flux combo??
Steve,
Here's a low temperature silver solder (4% silver) that I use: Jantz (www.knifemaking.com) item #JH101. This comes with flux, they also have it separately. This solder melts at 435 degrees.
|quoted:
Steve,
Here's a low temperature silver solder (4% silver) that I use: Jantz (www.knifemaking.com) item #JH101. This comes with flux, they also have it separately. This solder melts at 435 degrees.
Thank you sir, I'll give it a shot.
You can get Harris Stay-Brite solder at any welding supply place.
It's a low temp silver bearing solder which is one heck of a problem solver- it pretty much sticks to anything if you do your part and use Stay-clean liquid flux. It flows at 430f, so you need to be careful, and it's not a gap filler, but your joints are all tight, right? <img src=' http://www.americanbladesmith.com/ipboard/public/style_emoticons//smile.gi f' class='bbc_emoticon' alt=':)' />
