Joined: Aug 2017 Posts: 532 Threads: 46
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Location: Oakley, Hants, UK
Car type: 1929 AD Tourer, 1930 Rosengart LR2, Rosengart LR4 Van 1938 APE Tourer (Opal)
Quite agree Stuart about oxy-acetylene but when the regulations about exclusion zones came in about 12 years ago I decided I couldn’t afford to pay the loss of earnings bill for the property next door. So I got rid of the bottles, should have kept the oxygen.
As a retired Sevenist I found that the Turbo 90 gave me most of what I wanted. Easyflo ad you say is an excellent product.
I am always interested in any information about Rosengart details or current owners.
Joined: Aug 2017 Posts: 1,978 Threads: 90
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Location: Ripon
Coming from a jewellery/silversmithing background I have done a large amount of silver soldering over the past 50 years.
A GOOD FIT IS ESSENTIAL AND ABSOLUTE CLEANLINESS IS VITAL
Oxygen will help with temperature but avoid overheating
Take advantage of heat reflected from firebricks.
I prefer to put small pieces of fluxed solder near the join to take advantage of capillary action and avoid flooding with excess solder.
A pickle bath, (I use 10% Surphuric acid, and a neutralising bath of Sodium Bicarb.) is really useful for cleaning after soldering
A GOOD FIT IS ESSENTIAL AND ABSOLUTE CLEANLINESS IS VITAL
I repeat this last to emphasise it. Further, this means that there must be absolutely no trace of any lead or tin solder in the area as it will react at the high temperature and permanently damage the metal you are trying to silver solder.
Joined: Aug 2017 Posts: 741 Threads: 8
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Location: N W Kent
One other thing that might be worth adding to Derek & Duncan's comments is that sometimes, no matter how carefully you intend to work, silver solder running somewhere very close to your joint (like a threaded area, or some knurling) might still ruin the job. Paint some Tippex, or one of the clone typing correction fluids onto the area where you don't want the silver solder to go. Traditional Tippex or similar products will discolour under the torch but will not burn off, the solder will not flow on the areas that you have painted. A mate of mine uses Milk of Magnesia which apparently works the same way, but I haven't tried it myself.
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Thank you all for taking the time to reply, just the kind of advice and contacts I need.
Derek what is the "Maxy gas" you get with the Turbo kit and are there any regulations I need to be concerned about when storing this or the oxygen? I can see the potential benefits of the smaller nozzles and greater heat range. Excellent work on the Rosengart shell incidentally.
Peter.
Joined: Aug 2017 Posts: 532 Threads: 46
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Location: Oakley, Hants, UK
Car type: 1929 AD Tourer, 1930 Rosengart LR2, Rosengart LR4 Van 1938 APE Tourer (Opal)
Peter, I don’t know the make up of the gas I’m afraid. I just treat it with respect as you would any compressed gas. The fact that they send it through the post must show that it is not that volatile. I have used my kit for 10 years or so and have lost count of the jobs that I have done with it. Research prices they do vary considerably.
I am always interested in any information about Rosengart details or current owners.
Joined: Aug 2017 Posts: 2,748 Threads: 31
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Location: Auckland, NZ
Model engineers use silver soldering extensively for the construction of boilers and the like. For anyone esp interested in the subject there are quite a few books around by and for model engineers. Intricate shapes for models are sometimes assembled by using successively lower mp grades.
My problem is I inherited my plumber fathers stock of Silfoss (for copper pipes)and his and my very expensive Easy Flow is muddled with it......
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Nobody seems to have mentioned that silver solder is available in a range of melting points. If you imagine soldering a tankard, you would use the highest for the side seam, the middle for the base, and the lowest for the handle. So you can chose the one most suitable for the job in hand. Generally called "Hard, Medium, and soft" although I have heard one called "Enamelling"
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I'm still not clear about the regulations and safety implications of having oxy/propane or oxy/Mapp. All the information on line convinces me I can't legitimately have oxy/acetylene where I work (for insurance and fire regs reasons) but does the same apply to oxygen and other gases?
Any info welcomed thank you.
Peter.
Joined: Oct 2018 Posts: 91 Threads: 23
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The only thing helpful I can think of, having done a lot of silver soldering, is that the temperature is far higher than soft soldering- but the flux will tell you when you're in about the right range, as it turns to 'glass' which is very obvious, and tells when the solder is about to flow.
I agree it's a good idea to cut small pieces of solder and place next to the joint, rather than stick feeding, if you're not used to it.
I use low temperature solder and easy flo flux, and a small propane torch on a bottle. It's not as fine as pure silver for fine silversmithing work, but still makes a very strong joint, and it's easier to work.
Getting the flus 'glass' off is best done with a weak acid solution as already said.
Give it a go- it's not difficult and good fun- but clean really thoroughly- a freshly filed surface with flux added before it has time to tarnish usually works fine.
