Soldering Stainless steel

[P-J]

Right? Thanks for fixing our mistake and saving a bunch of misunderstanding in the future but GTFO.

Well thank YOU so much for that.!!!
I really appreciate your disrespect.!

The Meaning of GTFO
GTFO means "Get The F*** Out"

I'm done, just so that you will not be bothered in your over the top and arrogant future.

 

[wyzazz]

Ummmm, I think that was in reference to the folks at Harris... ...not directed toward you P-J. Just my take.

 

[iijakii]

Well thank YOU so much for that.!!!
I really appreciate your disrespect.!



I'm done, just so that you will not be bothered in your over the top and arrogant future.

Lol PJ,

He's saying that's how Harris is treating him. That GTFO wasn't in reference to you.

Bobby paraphrased Harris as saying "Thanks for fixing our mistake and savign a bunch of misunderstanding in the future but GTFO"

 

[Bobby_M]

Indeed. That may be the biggest misunderstanding in HBT history. I'm not even sure how. Just to be clear, I'll rewrite that now that I'm not typing on my phone.

Right?

= I completely agree with your assessment of the injustice that I just experienced.

Thanks for fixing our mistake and saving a bunch of misunderstanding in the future but GTFO.

= It's as if they their thanks for fixing the mistake on the Harris website was completely hollow due to the directly contradictory lack of customer support they exhibited.

 

[Stevo2569]

Probably. PJ's been on edge lately. Maybe needs to get laid.
PJ. Tell your lady friend to give it up once in a while. J.K. So you know.

 

[Scut_Monkey]

Thankyou Mr Monkey...

Out of interest did you by the reducer from McMaster?

Yes the reducer was from McMaster. Like someone else mentioned I also pulled the reducer too far in for some of the couplings. I simply hit the flared portion lightly with a hammer and the couplings would fit fine after that.

 

[cyclogenesis]

Thanks.. This is an awesome thread!

 

[digitalhifi]

Just a heads up but I successfully used Lennox general purpose liquid flux Solder Flux, 4 Oz, 200-850 F - Fluxes - Supplies - 1UYK3 : Grainger Industrial Supply for my joints and it worked like a dream. I would also imagine Stainless Steel Flux, 4 Oz, 200-850 F - Fluxes - Supplies - 1UYG7 : Grainger Industrial Supply would work. So if a grainger is close by this may be an easy way to go.

 

[lschiavo]

Just a heads up but I successfully used Lennox general purpose liquid flux Solder Flux, 4 Oz, 200-850 F - Fluxes - Supplies - 1UYK3 : Grainger Industrial Supply for my joints and it worked like a dream. I would also imagine Stainless Steel Flux, 4 Oz, 200-850 F - Fluxes - Supplies - 1UYG7 : Grainger Industrial Supply would work. So if a grainger is close by this may be an easy way to go.

I can vouch for the second one. I linked it earlier but stuff seems to get buried in this huge thread.

 

[Brickout]

Has anyone found a good price on the solder? Everywhere I looked on-line was really expensive.

 

[Scut_Monkey]

Has anyone found a good price on the solder? Everywhere I looked on-line was really expensive.

I used standard plumbing solder that you can buy at any home store. I believe that's what a lot of people have done as well. It worked excellent for me.

 

[Huaco]

Has anyone found a good price on the solder? Everywhere I looked on-line was really expensive.

If you get a 4oz bottle it should last you quite a while and was only 6 bucks from what I saw...

 

[wyzazz]

If you get a 4oz bottle it should last you quite a while and was only 6 bucks from what I saw...

Solder, not flux.

 

[P-J]

You can get a small Stay-Brite Kit with Flux from Home Depot. It's enough to do several connections.

 

[Brickout]

You can get a small Stay-Brite Kit with Flux from Home Depot. It's enough to do several connections.

Oh that's perfect! I only needed to solder a 1" locknut to keg keg for an electric element.

 

[Huaco]

Solder, not flux.

Ooops... tired brain was typing... haha.

 

[Stevo2569]

I've been pretty successful soldering stainless to stainless and brass to stainless. I just tried stainless to aluminum and it didn't bond to the aluminum. Does anyone know why?

 

[P-J]

I've been pretty successful soldering stainless to stainless and brass to stainless. I just tried stainless to aluminum and it didn't bond to the aluminum. Does anyone know why?

Yes. When you solder Aluminum you need to use a special flux to do it. The one you need to get is Harris Stay-Clean Aluminum Flux. You use it to solder Aluminum to Aluminum and it also works very well joining Aluminum to copper, brass and stainless steel. Use it with Harris Stay-Brite solders.

It is offered on ebay.com - AUMINUM-Soldering-Flux-HARRIS-Stay-Clean-4-oz

I hope this helps.

 

[Stevo2569]

Yes. When you solder Aluminum you need to use a special flux to do it. The one you need to get is Harris Stay-Clean Aluminum Flux. You use it to solder Aluminum to Aluminum and it also works very well joining Aluminum to copper, brass and stainless steel. Use it with Harris Stay-Brite solders.

It is offered on ebay.com - AUMINUM-Soldering-Flux-HARRIS-Stay-Clean-4-oz

I hope this helps.

Thanks P-J

 

[runningweird]

just bought the little soldering/flux kit from airgas. my locknut for the element should be here from amazon tomorrow with the o rings. Going to try my hand at this for my new electric keggle.

 

[runningweird]

got the nut soldered on. Looks like sh$7 compared to a lot of work on here because it tapped the nut and it slid around so I had to "fix" it with extra solder.

another issue was that I was soldering on a rounded surface with really thin solder that I really need to replace.

that being said after taking sanding disk to it the stainless and solder look well bonded and its leak testing overnight right now. So glad I found this thread because I was not wanting to have a weldless fitting on my keggle. I also used the Pols potting method for my element - its drying now.

 

[Bobby_M]

Alls well that ends well. Harris finally sent me a 16oz bottle of Liquid stay-clean. I had to beat them up several times to get it but it showed up tonight.

 

[runningweird]

I also managed to do mine with a propane torch.

 

[wyzazz]

Alls well that ends well. Harris finally sent me a 16oz bottle of Liquid stay-clean. I had to beat them up several times to get it but it showed up tonight.

Glad they finally sent you a bottle of Stay-Clean, however you shouldn't have had to go back to them several times to get it. As you well know, customer service means a lot.

 

[zazbnf]

Ok, I give up.

I have a stainless 1" nut I was trying to solder to my stainless kettle for an electric element. cleaned both surfaces with bkf rinsed and dried then wiped with alcohol, let it dry, applied stayclean liquid flux, but when I tried to solder the nut on, solder will not stick to the nut. sticks fine to the kettle.

I have soldered all of my other fittings and soldered a nut on my hlt with no problems using the same steps. This is my last fitting I needed to solder.

When I couldn't get solder to stick to the nut, I even took the nut and used a drill with a stainless brush on it to try and polish it up, then dropped the nut in a small cup with stayclean liquid flux and let it soak then tried to get solder to stick to just the nut. It just beads up and falls off when it cools. There are a couple of small spots on the nut that held the solder.

The only difference between the 2 nuts I had was one was marked 304 and it soldered just fine, the 2nd one is marked 316.

Is there some special trick for soldering 316 stainless? I am soldering with a propane torch.

Thanks for any thoughts.

 

[lschiavo]

Ok, I give up.

I have a stainless 1" nut I was trying to solder to my stainless kettle for an electric element. cleaned both surfaces with bkf rinsed and dried then wiped with alcohol, let it dry, applied stayclean liquid flux, but when I tried to solder the nut on, solder will not stick to the nut. sticks fine to the kettle.

I have soldered all of my other fittings and soldered a nut on my hlt with no problems using the same steps. This is my last fitting I needed to solder.

When I couldn't get solder to stick to the nut, I even took the nut and used a drill with a stainless brush on it to try and polish it up, then dropped the nut in a small cup with stayclean liquid flux and let it soak then tried to get solder to stick to just the nut. It just beads up and falls off when it cools. There are a couple of small spots on the nut that held the solder.

The only difference between the 2 nuts I had was one was marked 304 and it soldered just fine, the 2nd one is marked 316.

Is there some special trick for soldering 316 stainless? I am soldering with a propane torch.

Thanks for any thoughts.

I don't believe there should be an issue with the stainless types. I roughed both surfaces with fine sandpaper like I prep copper. Maybe there is a coating of some sort on the nut?

 

[zazbnf]

I don't believe there should be an issue with the stainless types. I roughed both surfaces with fine sandpaper like I prep copper. Maybe there is a coating of some sort on the nut?

It does have a slick feel to it, I thought between the scrubbing with bkf and later the stainless wire wheel on the drill that any coating should have been removed. Thought maybe that slick feeling was just a property of the 316 stainless but it sounds like that probably isn't the case.

I will try sandpaper and see if it makes a difference.

Thanks

 

[BargainFittings]

Definitely use sand paper.

 

[zazbnf]

Well I sanded the crap out of it by hand, and the solder still wasn't wanting to stick very well, so I fired up the belt sander and let it eat a bit, finally got it on and it doesn't leak but it isn't very pretty. Not sure what it is about this nut but I hope it holds up.

 

[runningweird]

i used a rotary palm sander on mine - held the nut with welding gloves and gave it a few minutes until it was nice and shiny.

glad it finally worked for you!