Soldering Question??

Re: Soldering Question??

Robert Cox

>Clean.

Clean the solder too.

Flux inside the joint.

Don't overheat.

Been a long time since I used silver solder though...

Re: Soldering Question??

Mark Mandell - Gone Round In Jersey

>Jen,

Sounds like the metal is "dirty" from either oil (usually from fingers etc) or some other foreign substance. When it cools, wear clean rubber gloves and the degrease both parts with solvent, lightly sand them to brighten, try again making sure to get both parts hot enough. Are you using "hard" silver solder or silver-bearing solder? Hard solver solder usually requires cherry-red heat in the steel which I don't think would do your cutter's steel much good.

There is an alternative, however. Use medium CA and a little accelerator instead of the hot solder routine. If/when the tip has to be removed/replaced, gently heating the tool shaft releases the glue and the bit just drops out. That's how Ellsworth does most all of his cutter-bit tools. Holds better than set screws, and is simple and quick to change bits.

Hope this helps.

Mark

Re: Soldering Question??

Wayne Cooper Charlotte NC

>Jen

I have found that cleaning it good always helps. Even though you are using flux it still needs to be clean. I would use some sandpaper to both pieces and the solding iron. Wayne Cooper Charlotte NC

Re: Soldering Question??

John Lucas

>I agree with Mark I think dirty metal is the problem. I clean the metal and degrease with some solvent. Then put the flux on the metal place the cutter in place and heat till the solder wants to flow. If it's a big chunk of solder I put it on the metal and gently heat until if flows into the joint. If I need more I touch the solder the to the joint. Remember that solder will flow toward the heat so you may have to heat from the bottom.

One more thing...

TD

>95% of the heat should go to the metal being soldered, very little heat to the solder itself. I think this is your problem.

TD

Re: Cherry red heat and HSS

Al Crandall

>Jen has gotten some good advice here as well as my sending her an email reply before I came here today.

Short history on HSS: It was found that metals could be machined at much higher speeds with these new alloys than was possible with the old high carbon alloys, thus the name. The alloy is hardened and then tempered at a tempeature which is above cherry red. Most steels will become softer during the tempering process, but some HSS actually gain a point or two in hardness during the tempering. As long as you don't get the alloy hotter in use than it was during tempering you don't change the hardness, and HSS has excellent red hot properties. Jen and I bought hard solder with a melting point of about 1550F. This temp will not change the hardness of her HSS tool bit. It is, however, a difficult solder for a novice to use. I gave her only that one lesson about a year ago, and time has probably clouded some of the pointers. If she can't get it to work using the great advice she has gotten from Wood Central, I'll go over and help her again.

Thank you SO much!

[email protected]

>Thanks everybody...Al, I'm at work now and haven't read your email.....but I have a feeling it's the fact that I didn't clean the stuff, and that I didn't let it get cherry red first and the solder was just melting away.

Thanks for all the great advice. I'll let you know how it goes. Al, I'll read my mail in the morning and give it another shot. Thank you!

Jennifer

solder

Ruth in So Cal

>Jen, I never flux the solder, just the metal.....then touch the metal with the solder and the solder just 'melts' if the metal is the correct temp.

:)

Re: solder

Leo Van Der Loo

>Jen in my opinion you didn't get the steel hot enough, and then the solder will not flow onto the steel but just roll off, heating your solder and dipping in the flux is a standard way of getting the flux onto the parts to be soldered, applying the flux cleans the parts just fine if they are reasonable clean to start with.

Just go back and give it another shot, hope you have a good high temperature torch, just propane is not hot enough.

Have fun and take care

Leo V

Re: solder

[email protected]

>Thanks Leo,

I'm sure that it was part not cleaning the parts, and second not getting it hot enough. I'm using mapp gas and it worked fine before. I didn't get the stuff cherry red before applying the solder. I'll give it a go tomorrow.

Thanks : )

Jen

Re: solder

Russ Fairfield

>Jen,

The MAP gas should get you the temperature you want, but the temperature in an unheated work area at this time of the year can be enough to keep you from getting the red color you want. It would help to get 4 or 5 firebricks and build a little enclosure to contain the heat around the working area.

Re: solder

[email protected]

>Thanks for that Russ....actually today was a balmy 66 deg! Had I known more about what I was doing it may have worked. The bottom is suppose to fall out tomorrow though....back down to 24 tomorrow night!

Jen

Re: Soldering Question?? *LINK*

Bill Turpin in WNC mountains

>Jennifier:

Most of your answers are contained in this WC article that Forrest Addy and I wrote some time back. Silver solder flux is primarily meant to remove oxides from copper or silver. It will not remove the dark grey oxide from OVERHEATED steel. This must be removed by sanding or filing. Let the heat of the tool flow into the solder to melt it. Do not allow direct flame impingement on the solder. Easy flow solder melts 100� (at 1450�) below hard solder, which further prevents changing the temper of HSS. When the flux melts it becomes chemically active. It is active in the same temperature range of the solder melt. The flux will indicate when to touch the solder to the steel. Do not overheat the steel. Put the cleaned, fluxed solder in the general area (an inch or so away) of the joint but do not hit it directly. This will preheat the solder for faster melt but not melt it before the steel is ready. You can e-mail me direct if you want.

Bill Turpin in WNC mountains


WC soldering article