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Thread: Soldering large brass pieces

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Apr 2017
    Posts
    1

    Default Soldering large brass pieces

    Hello Everyone! I have been working with Brass and other metals for a while but I am running into some issues when soldering large pieces.

    What I am trying to do is make a box with the dimensions of 5.5X3.3X1.5 inches out of five pieces of brass. Because of what I am using it for it needs to stay square and have tight tolerances.

    I can solder the four sides just fine with no distortion but I run into a lot of issues when attempting to solder on the large bottom plate (5.5X3.3 inches) . I get huge amounts of distortion on both the bottom plate and the sides. The metal starts to warp and bend.

    I am currently use a map gas torch with a large bushy flame and the brass sits on a few soldering bricks. I try my best to meet the metal evenly but it seems that no matter how slow I go I still end up with some levels of distortion.

    I have tried several different thicknesses of brass and different kinds of solder.
    if anyone has any suggestions on how to keep the metal from warping of how to better evenly heat I would be very happy to hear them!
    Thanks in advance!

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Dec 2009
    Location
    Central London
    Posts
    8,841

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    I recently had much the same problem, making a box albeit of copper and much smaller. As the piece builds up you need more and more heat to achieve soldering temperature. The metal is slow to cool and just distorts and buckles in the process.

    I counteracted the problem as best I could by correcting the warping of the sides with my soft jawed vice and adding the bottom with easier solder. If you are using silver solder, you can actually go to extra easy, or even resort to soft solder, cut into pallions and torch fired, using proprietary soldering fluid as flux. Dennis.
    Attached Thumbnails Attached Thumbnails cbp 2 Copper Box Project.jpg   fi Fibre Jawed Vice.jpg  
    Last edited by Dennis; 10-04-2017 at 09:35 PM.

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Oct 2016
    Posts
    142

    Default

    Super impressed with how square your box looks, Dennis. Doesn't look like it was ever warped. I can't even get my little square earrings to look straight.

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Aug 2009
    Location
    Staffordshire
    Posts
    1,727

    Default

    As Dennis has said, truing it up after soldering is key.

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