Epic fail soldering stainless flanges, can it be salvaged?

Williams 728
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schiersteinbrewing

schiersteinbrewing

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So I've practiced soldering stainless numerous times thought I had it down. So I ordered the radius flange 1.5in TC from brewhardware. Watched their videos numerous times on installing the TC flanges.

Gave everything a good sanding, cleaned with soap/water, then cleaned with acetone. Got out the stainless soldering kit I bought from brewhardware a few months back. Brushed on a liberal coat of flux to both surfaces. Clamped on the flange and checked for large gaps. Started heating the areas around the flange first then heated the flange, would pull the flame away and check for solder melt, did this numerous times trying to evenly heat every thing. Everything is going good at this point, but that all soon changes. As soon as the solder starts to melt there is no capillary action the solder just beads up and runs off. So I grab the flux brush add some more flux, this helps. Here is what I ended up with.

This is the worst one. Leaked like crazy.
View attachment ImageUploadedByHome Brew1481242154.070694.jpg

This is the better one. Also leaked like crazy.
View attachment ImageUploadedByHome Brew1481242171.409810.jpg


So I heated everything back up and removed the flanges. Here is what I'm left with.

View attachment ImageUploadedByHome Brew1481242184.501698.jpg
View attachment ImageUploadedByHome Brew1481242195.272717.jpg
View attachment ImageUploadedByHome Brew1481242207.526848.jpg

Can the flanges and/or kettle be salvaged?

My thoughts are take my dremel and carefully sand/grind to clean off the solder from the kettle and flanges. Then attempt it again.
 
I had similar issues when first attempting to solder the kettles. Problem for me was that I practiced on two materials of the same thickness. Make sure you are heating the flange and your flame is set low enough that you are not directly heating the flux. It looks to me like you didn't sand well enough, not trying to criticize, just a guess based on my own previous failed attempts. Did you put some flux on both faces before laying them down to solder?

I don't use soap and water after I sand I just wipe it down with an acetone soaked rag to pick up any metal pieces. Then I immediately cover everything I just sanded with flux using an acid brush. In my mind this helps prevent the oxide layer from immediately forming in the presence of oxygen. Could just be in my head though. Make sure you sand the ever living h3ll out of it.

As far as where you are now I would get a stainless steel wire wheel for an angle grinder and hit the solder with it to get it out of the way. Then clean the dried flux off and re-sand all the mating surfaces. make sure you sand both the coupler and the kettle. Also don't rely on the grinding stone of a dremel to do your sanding, use 80 grit sand paper. I found that the grinding stone leaves too smooth a surface and the solder doesn't wick to it very well.

Judging by how black your fittings are I would also venture a guess that you are using too much heat. Turn your torch down and heat slowly. If the flux turns black clean it off and start over. If the flux turns brown and the solder melts and beads up I would say it either isn't sanded enough or not clean enough. Maybe you are leaving soap residue behind when you wash it.

Hope this helps, keep us posted. Hopefully Bobby will chime in, he is the master.
 
Last edited:
RTL said:
Did you put some flux on both faces before laying them down to solder?
Click to expand...


Yes I put flux on both faces, then after clamping put more flux.

I sanded the hell out of them both with my plumbing soldering Emory paper.

Possibly soap residue and to much heat. I'm using my plumbing benzomatic with mapp gas, may switch to propane for run number 2.


It's going to be chore to get this cleaned up and ready for round 2, luckily I have tomorrow off.
 
Yeah I used map gas just turned the flame down about as low as it would go. Is it the Harris stay brite liquid flux. That seems to be the only one that works.
 
Had the same problem I took them to work and had one of the welders weld them in place do yourself a favor and just have them welded !!! I ground all the crap off with angle grinder before I took them in
 
Before breaking out the heavy artillery and attacking the solder deposits mechanically, I suggest you put on a heavy glove, grasp a damp rag, heat up the area with your torch then quickly wipe off the solder...

Cheers!
 
abrew2u said:
Had the same problem I took them to work and had one of the welders weld them in place do yourself a favor and just have them welded !!! I ground all the crap off with angle grinder before I took them in
Click to expand...

I have to take exception here because it suggests that the soldering process is a losing battle. I want to be clear that there are now over 1000 solder-flanges out in the wild. I do hear of these epic failures about once every few months. As rare as it is, it's still discouraging that it doesn't work for everyone the first one.

It was mentioned earlier in the thread but I agree that the heat was too focused on the pot and not enough on the flange. It looks like the heat on the pot was melting the solder briefly but the flange was too cold for wicking to occur. After a brief warming of that area of the pot, I move directly to the top of the flange trying to avoid flame contact with the joint as much as possible. The pot gets plenty of indirect heat and it heats quickly.

I solder about 5 of these a week and about 1 in 20 will fail a leak test with a tiny weep hole. It's quickly fixed up with a little more heat and a drop of flux.

Even full fails like this one is salvageable. You get the stainless back to clean and shiny and start over. The patch of solder on the pot looks pretty good so just scuff it up and degrease. No need to fully remove the solder.
 
I was recently doing the same thing after watching Booby's videos. What I did wrong was already mentioned, I heated the object too fast. It turned dark brown and the solder did not stick. The second time I kept the flame away and went slower to bring the whole thing up to a higher temp. The solder worked as expected after making this adjustment.

BTW Bobby, thanks for the videos and willingness to share. My new Bayou 10 gallon you soldered up is working great!
 
Thanks for the help. Cleaned up with BKF, elbow grease and 3m pad. Already sanded the areas, may give it a quick sand again before I start. Just need to find more solder. Hopefully the local hardware store will have some. If not it a 35mile one way trip to the welding shop, which may just go there need CO2 refilled anyways.

View attachment ImageUploadedByHome Brew1481287932.777684.jpg
View attachment ImageUploadedByHome Brew1481287945.971666.jpg
View attachment ImageUploadedByHome Brew1481287957.760440.jpg


If I can't get this to work, I'll be ordering a kettle with TC soldered on from bobby.
 
I had a similar "epic" failure but succeeded on the second try. On the second go I "pre-tinned" the flange. (I saw that suggestion somewhere on HBT.) And, as others have said, I needed to be more patient with the heat. You can, indeed, over heat even with a hand held propane torch.

Good luck!
 
Definitely can overheat, especially the thin pot. I always er on the cold side. Heat for a bit, move the flame out of the way and rub the solder on the joint for 3 seconds. No melt, heat more and try again.
 
I noticed you are selling your previous system. What are you moving to? I just went to an induction setup with a Bayou from Bobby with the same fitting welded on. No more BIAB for me.
 
Bassman2003 said:
I noticed you are selling your previous system. What are you moving to? I just went to an induction setup with a Bayou from Bobby with the same fitting welded on. No more BIAB for me.
Click to expand...


My other system is a 16gal kettle and brew boss.

I am downsizing to a 10 gal kettle and built a Ardbir (braumeister clone) controller. This system previously had the weldless hot pods. I wanted the ability to take the hot pods off for cleaning and storage.
 
bigplunkett said:
If there both stainless have a welding shop tig weld it. If u lived close id do it for free.
Click to expand...


Thanks for the offer.

With this being right in the middle of the oil/gas patch, welders are paid premiums. My initial plan was to have someone tig weld the weld in flanges, that was until I started pricing it. Most places wanted $100 per flange, cheapest was a restaurant supply/repair shop they were $75 per flange.
 

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