Brazing noob needs guidance...

[Veilside159]

Hey guys I've been trying to make a list for my parents with ideas for Christmas presents... I've already got my scx10 and hilux body on the way and I'm planing on making a trugy!!! I just need to figure out what are the tools I need to accomplish this...

I know I need a heat source capable of reaching 1200 deg F rite?
Would a small hand held butane torch work?

I know I need flux to clean the joint im welding together... But whats the rod called that you melt to make the joint? and were can I get it?

I know I need 3/16 brake line or some smaller stuff for cross bracing... Whats a good bender to get some small diameter bends?

I've already got a work bench set up with a 2x2 piece of 1/4 thick steel to do this on... Just need some help getting the rest of the stuff!

[C*H*U*D]

You might want to take a look at this page:

http://www.rccrawler.com/tuber.htm



.

[Veilside159]

Originally Posted by C*H*U*D

You might want to take a look at this page:

http://www.rccrawler.com/tuber.htm



.

you are my hero thankyou!!!

[amorton94]

Okay, so since the brazing rod melts at around 1200*, wouldn't a small butane torch work? Such as this one - http://www.amazon.com/Blazer-GB4001-...0125831&sr=8-3

[Veilside159]

Originally Posted by amorton94

Okay, so since the brazing rod melts at around 1200*, wouldn't a small butane torch work? Such as this one - http://www.amazon.com/Blazer-GB4001-...0125831&sr=8-3

thats kind of what my question was getting at...

[mr.freeze]

For what it's worth just getting to 1200* isn't always the answer it's getting your parts there quickly and not letting the heat dissipate to far into the work before the the braze bonds. You will have a much cleaner and stronger job if you have a torch that you dial down to the heat you need instead of waiting for it to get hot enough. If that all makes sense. I haven't built any custom chassis but I do refrigeration for a living and play with fire almost daily.

[Big Mike]

Originally Posted by mr.freeze

For what it's worth just getting to 1200* isn't always the answer it's getting your parts there quickly and not letting the heat dissipate to far into the work before the the braze bonds. You will have a much cleaner and stronger job if you have a torch that you dial down to the heat you need instead of waiting for it to get hot enough. If that all makes sense. I haven't built any custom chassis but I do refrigeration for a living and play with fire almost daily.

Good advice. Your goal is to bring the temperature of the material being joined past the melting point of the material used to braze. The quicker the temperature passes this point, the easier it is to make the braze material flow into the joint, and the less heat is transferred to areas you're not working on directly. Which makes the little hand-held butane unit a poor choice for this application.

This is a much better choice:

http://www.bernzomatic.com/PRODUCTS/...3/Default.aspx

For builders on a budget, who don't expect to progress beyond 1:10th scale size work, this set up is both inexpensive and efficient. Replacement bottles are available at Lowes/Home Depot, you might be able to find the torch kit there as well.

Butane ain't gonna get hot enough, regardless of what temp. the torch packaging says it will reach. MAPP alone is just barely adequate IMO, but it can be used. For quick, efficient heat you need to add oxygen to the mix...

[lowslowTJ]

Well I have successfully brazed hundreds of joints on brake line and 1/8th rod with with just MAPP and even just propane.... Propane takes forever, but it works. I usually use MAPP in the bottle from Ace, HomeDepot, Lowes. I would like to get one of these Oxygen/MAPP kits, but I have not yet bought one. I don't think Butane is gonna do it though.

[pardonmyn00b]

I use the mapp/oxygen set up and it works, but it goes through oxygen quite quickly. It does heat your material rather fast on the plus side. I don't intend to build a lot of stuff so it's fine for me.