Soldering stainless

[JohnD]

I have a stainless urn where the spout looks to have been swaged in, and is leaking at the seam.

I know stainless is fifficult to flux, and I will need a lead-free solder as it is a drinking vessel. I presume I will need a torch rather than an electric iron as it will soak up heat.

There is a good groove at the joint that will help solder flow. There is a bit of scale in in from the leak that I expect I can clean off with an acid descaler.

Is it likely to be worth trying?

What flux and solder should I use?

 

[114dmu]

Try here:

http://www.finescale.org.uk/index.php

They sell a variety of solders and appropriate flux in small amounts for the modelling industry, worth contacting them direct and asking they have been very useful in the past!

Cheers

 

[oilman]

I would use silver solder and Easyflow SS flux. You may be able to get someone to tig weld it.

 

[Hitachimad]

If its very thin SS silver solder would probably be a good bet, but not sure how safe it is for drinking water....?
Failing soldering, get it tig'ed up.

 

[oilman]

Even lead pipe was safe enough for drinking water, as long as the water did not sit in it for too long. However, silver solder with cadmium doesn't sound like a good idea. There are cadmium free solders available.

 

[JohnD]

I was thinking there must be something easy the Plumbing folk use on stainless bathroom pipes

 

[Jasonb]

I was thinking there must be something easy the Plumbing folk use on stainless bathroom pipes

They are called compression fittings


Silverflo 24 is a cadmium free silver solder, use it with Tenacity No5 Flux on stainless.

Your biggest problem will be getting the joint spotlessly clean, will mean having to remove the spout.

Silversoldering can be done with propane but small areas may be better with oxy as the rest of the urn may act as a heatsink. You will need to get temp upto about 800degrees.

You can buy single sticks of solder & the flux fromChronos

Jason[/quote]

 

[oilman]

You could use a propane torch if you fill the urn with charcoal, and lay it on a charcoal forge. This will provide heat so the torch can handle the soldering.

 

[Jasonb]

You could use a propane torch if you fill the urn with charcoal, and lay it on a charcoal forge. This will provide heat so the torch can handle the soldering.

If you don't have a forge I have resorted to using a gas barbeque in the same way.

Jason