insp79
Well-Known Member
Yesterday, I attempted to TIG weld a 1/2" coupler to a piece of stainless steel. It was ugly. I actually melted the coupler trying fill a hole in the steel.
Then I found the thread on HBT about soldering stainless. So I tried it. It works great.
Here is my quick tutorial in pics.
Drill hole 1" dia. using a step drill lubed with wax.
Remove any burrs and polish the area.
This is a mandrel press made from a bolt and large washers. Then grind down a coupler to make a point on one side.
Insert the bolt through the hole with the mandrel.
Then tighten the nut until the mandrel squeezes through.
Here is the result. This will give more surface area to solder to.
My couplers are turned down 0.030" to create a lip.
Coat the surfaces to be solders with liquid flux. This is basically muriatic acid. Be careful not to inhale any fumes or smoke while soldering. It's Nasty stuff.
Heat the fitting and briefly until the silver solder melts.
remove flame.
Ensure that the solder is absorbed all the way around the fitting. Then cool with wet towel. Be careful not to disrupt the solder puddle, it is still liquid. Stainless will hold the high heat much longer than copper.
Then clean up the area by buffing with high speed grinder and scotch-bright pad.
Looks good and lasts a long time.
This breif summary is what I learned from the 100+ page soldering stainless sticky.
Give it a try. It makes a strong clean joint.
Then I found the thread on HBT about soldering stainless. So I tried it. It works great.
Here is my quick tutorial in pics.
Drill hole 1" dia. using a step drill lubed with wax.
Remove any burrs and polish the area.
This is a mandrel press made from a bolt and large washers. Then grind down a coupler to make a point on one side.
Insert the bolt through the hole with the mandrel.
Then tighten the nut until the mandrel squeezes through.
Here is the result. This will give more surface area to solder to.
My couplers are turned down 0.030" to create a lip.
Coat the surfaces to be solders with liquid flux. This is basically muriatic acid. Be careful not to inhale any fumes or smoke while soldering. It's Nasty stuff.
Heat the fitting and briefly until the silver solder melts.
remove flame.
Ensure that the solder is absorbed all the way around the fitting. Then cool with wet towel. Be careful not to disrupt the solder puddle, it is still liquid. Stainless will hold the high heat much longer than copper.
Then clean up the area by buffing with high speed grinder and scotch-bright pad.
Looks good and lasts a long time.
This breif summary is what I learned from the 100+ page soldering stainless sticky.
Give it a try. It makes a strong clean joint.