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Re: Brazing or Soldering?

To: EPaul21988 <EPaul21988@aol.com>
Subject: Re: Brazing or Soldering?
From: "Michael D. Porter" <mdporter@rt66.com>
Date: Thu, 25 Dec 1997 15:18:01 -0800
Cc: egil@kvaleberg.no, triumphs@Autox.Team.Net
Organization: Barely Enough
References: <32f9da44.34a3c9ae@aol.com>
EPaul21988 wrote:
> 
> In a message dated 97-12-26 05:42:21 EST, egil@kvaleberg.no writes:
> 
> << On 24 Dec 1997, Michael D. Porter wrote:
> 
>  > Solder simply will not
>  > adhere to steel.
> 
>  Oh, but it will. In fact, it adheres very well.  Just make sure the areas
>  are spotlessly clean, and you use a good flux (the brush-on type that also
>  contains solder powder is very good).
> 
>  BUT, solder is not very strong, and is definitely not striong enough for
>  stuctural repairs of any kind.
>   >>
> Oh, but it is, and it will too.  With the recent acquisition of a 36 F2 Morgan
> three wheeler I have been learning about soldering steel !!  For example, the
> prop tube is soldered to the bell housing !!!, which along with the engine and
> rear mounted tranny make up the structural spine of the beast !!  I think the
> ends of the drive shaft are soldered into place as well !!  Add to that they
> did not use the stronger silver solder either.

Well, I know you guys are going to continue to beat me up on this one,
but I've had to do lots of strange things when working as an
experimental proto machinist and fabricator, and I have never been able
to get a good joint with solder and steel, with two notable exceptions.
Silver solder works, but it's a whole `nother animal; second, one can
get a suitable bond to steel if the surface is first treated with a
tinning compound--after all, this was how body lead was applied to steel
before the days of bondo. The steel surface was "tinned" with a high tin
alloy and the body solder could then be applied. Standard low-tin
solders today probably won't cut it. I freely admit there's probably a
flux out there which I don't know about, but with what's commonly
available today, it's a neat trick if you can do it.

BTW, Bob--a Morgan 3-wheeler! Quite a find. Congratulations.

Cheers.

-- 
My other Triumph runs, but....

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