soldering questions

[grob23]

I went down to the hardware store and picked up some brass rod. I wanted to make a roof rack and some other junk. I got home, plugged in the soldering iron and soldered some brass together. It held... for about 9 seconds... is there anything I should know? or try? can you even solder brass? definantly feel kinda stupid... cause I know how to weld, braze and solder, though I can't seem to make it work for brass... I don't have a welder... or a torch for brazing... someone said something about using mapp gas? anyone have any info on how that'd work? sorry for my newbie questions... but thanks~ Greg

[kerosinek]

I'm sure there are TONS of threads on here about this. Just search. I would answer your question but honestly have no idea.

[Kamikaze]

Originally Posted by grob23

definantly feel kinda stupid... cause I know how to weld, braze and solder, though I can't seem to make it work for brass...

I'm pretty sure brazing is done with brass??

[Mad Scientist]

You can solder brass, and it can actually turn out to be fairly strong.

What you need to do is prep the joint first. Make sure the peices mate up properly, and fish-mouth any tubes when necessary. Rough up the area a bit (I use a peice of emery cloth). Since soldering does not fuse the base materials together, this is important for structural integrity - soldering basically "glues" the items together with metal. Wipe it down with rubbing alcohol, and be carefull not to touch it after this step. You'll need a fairly high wattage iron if you are doing anything large. Mount the peices in a jig or some device to hold them where you want them, and apply the heat - make sure the tip of the iron makes good contact, and don't forget to tin the tip (apply a light coating of solder to the hot tip to help it transfer the heat more efficiently). Get the area good and hot, and touch the solder to it, letting the capillary action draw the solder around the joint. I use rosin core solder. Keep adding solder untill the joint looks like it is properly filled, and let it cool.

[JohnRobHolmes]

Originally Posted by Mad Scientist

You can solder brass, and it can actually turn out to be fairly strong.

What you need to do is prep the joint first. Make sure the peices mate up properly, and fish-mouth any tubes when necessary. Rough up the area a bit (I use a peice of emery cloth). Since soldering does not fuse the base materials together, this is important for structural integrity - soldering basically "glues" the items together with metal. Wipe it down with rubbing alcohol, and be carefull not to touch it after this step. You'll need a fairly high wattage iron if you are doing anything large. Mount the peices in a jig or some device to hold them where you want them, and apply the heat - make sure the tip of the iron makes good contact, and don't forget to tin the tip (apply a light coating of solder to the hot tip to help it transfer the heat more efficiently). Get the area good and hot, and touch the solder to it, letting the capillary action draw the solder around the joint. I use rosin core solder. Keep adding solder untill the joint looks like it is properly filled, and let it cool.

That was a really good guide. Clean, Clean, Clean surfaces are the key. Applying a bit of flux to the brass beforehand can make it easier to "tin" the brass and make the solder stick well.

[grob23]

thanks! I'll give it another try tonight!

[RcBro]

I'm going to try soldering the brass but have a few questions.

1. What is thick enough to look scale? I was thinking 1/8"??

2. I'm going to order my brass from McMaster. What solder would you suggest that they sell?

Thanks!

[Bronco]

use flux

[RcBro]

skiped the brass and decided to braze instead. Glad I did.