Silver Solder Dimple - Pros/Cons to In/Out Dimple

Hey guys, I just wanted to see if I could get some opinions on a silver solder question.

Are there pros/cons to dimpling out/in?

On my keggle I pulled the dimple from the inside out, but I'm considering pulling the dimple in on my bayou classics. The following is my reasoning but I wanted to check with others before I confirmed.

Pros:
- Flame would be applied to the inside of kettle, thus keeping the kettle looking new.

- Solder would be easier to "watch" in order to stop flame once pooling. (Likely have a spotter)

Cons:
- Cut edge of stainless exposed to wort

I like to dimple inward and solder on the outside of the kettle. It looks nice from the outside to see a joint full of solder (if done properly) and also, there is less solder in contact with fluids. I know we use lead free solder, but still, the less, the better in my book.

This is how mine turned out on my keggles...

JUST MAKE SURE TO BACK-TORQUE THE SOLDERED FITTING WHEN INSTALLING HARDWARE!!!!!
(Yeah, ask me how I know...) lol! These joints are strong but not high-torque strong!

If you broke the solder joint free when you were installing fittings, then it's very likely that you had a cold solder in the first place. If the solder flows properly, you shouldn't be able to take it off with an impact wrench.

I was in the same boat recently. I was cleaning things up and decided to pull out all of my threaded fittings for a good cleaning. I ended up breaking off 2 of my soldered connectors, but after really close inspection I realized that the solder hadn't flowed well in the first place. They were water tight even without a well-flowed solder joint, but they weren't mechanically very well connected.

I am currently doing the same technique. Just did another one last night as a matter of fact... When I get done with mine, I have a nice ring of solder on the opposite side from the dimple. In my case, the inside of the keggle. I would say it is flowing pretty well. I wet all surfaces with flux and it is all sanded and cleaned with acetone prior to flux. I heat ONLY the heavier fitting, not the solder or sheet metal of the keg.
Maybe I'm missing something, but I don't see where I am doing anything different than the techniques outlined in the HUGE thread here on HBT about soldering stainless steel... Only thing I am doing different is I use a MAPP Gas torch.

bblack7489 said:

If you broke the solder joint free when you were installing fittings, then it's very likely that you had a cold solder in the first place. If the solder flows properly, you shouldn't be able to take it off with an impact wrench.

Click to expand...

+1

The tensile strength of stay-brite 8 solder with stainless is around 15,000 psi. If properly soldered you shouldn't be able to break it loose installing a fitting.

My vote is to dimple inside out..

When putting in simple fittings like 1/2 NPT couplings, I prefer to dimple inside to out. This allows me to see, from the outside of the kettle, if I have good flow through around the entire coupling. However, when installing tri-clover long shank ferrules, I dimple from the outside in so I can press the ferrule into the kettle. It makes it harder to inspect the flow through because I have to stick my head in the kettle, or rely on my phone for video of the joint.

Either way, I've never had a leaky joint, and I've never busted anything off the kettles, even though I've subjected a few of them to some "radical vertical impact tests".

From a functionality standpoint, I don't think it makes any different. Same goes from a health standpoint.

With that said, I poll my dimple inwards (like Huaco above) because I like to keep the solder contact with wort to a minimum and because I think the end result looks good. I prefer it to the opposite, but only barely. It's also very easy to watch the solder flow when the ring of solder is on the outside of the pot, and I only apply propane torch heat to the coupler which is also on the outside of the pot. The biggest drawback to putting the ring of solder on the outside of the pot is that if it runs out of the dimple then you're gonna see it flowing around the base of your pot. Luckily, I've pulled good dimples and had them leveled very well when doing the soldering.

But, again, IMO it really doesn't matter from a functionality or health standpoint.