Richard finch welder new mexiso3/6/2024 ![]() Pre heating the cleaned metal first then sprinkling a pinch of flux on it which will stick to the hot metal. Heating any larger thicker part of the joint first and the smaller piece WAY later so when the joint is ready to accept the rod it wets readily to both edges which are then at the same temperature. Temperature control.Because the zinc contained in the alloy melts at a lower temperature than the rest of the metals contained in the remainder,you must work in a very narrow temperature window, ranging between just molten and just under too hot when the zinc boils and flashes off as a gas. The molten metal flows in to the metals microscopic voids and bonds with the metal together as glue would when dry. In my humble opinion, brazing is more akin to mechanical bonding, or gluing rather than welding. Motorcycles & airframes were often brazed for years before TIG came along.įor those recently new to, or just about to attempt to the process, perhaps some ideas, insights or how to's from those of us that are experienced. You need some overlap so I always had to use gussets or fish plates for load-bearing butts. Brazed joints are hell for stout except for butt joints in thin stock, at least in my experience. I had used old bicycle handlebars for the frame the pipe twisted & the only brass that gave was two of the 1" x 1/8th" straps that formed the platform of the rack. On the 12th day I got rear-ended by a Mexican Greyhound bus in a mudhole detour the rack collapsed sideways from 16 inchs to about 8 inches but the joints held & the rack finished the trip that way. At the time I had maybe 2 hours of practice with the process and I was a little worried about leaving on a 2 week trip with my home made rack but I needed the extra space. I have posted this before but the best example I ever had of the strength of brazed work was a luggage rack I built for a motorcycle trip across Mexico in 1972. All done in hot-formed 1/4 inch rod.įor many years a torch was all I had or thought I would ever have. I probably should have taken a picture, it came out pretty neat. Last weekend was making a 6-pack bottle rack for Dad's carry O2 bottles. Use a cobalt lens if you can find one and TIG rod with the pink powdered flux. When you get that down, try gas welding aluminum. ![]() (By the time you get part-way done the brass is falling off in other areas.) That exercise in itself will teach you more about heat control than you can imagine. If you succeed, try it in 1/8 inch and 16ga. Take a piece of 1/4 inch steel 3 inches wide by 6 inches long and coat it in brass. If you don't believe it will make you a better welder. I learned how to braze once, and that was the last time I did it.īrazing, silver soldering, hard-silver soldering, braze welding, aluminum soldering and aluminum brazing are just more skills that make you a little bit better weldor and can be the answer to some problems like dissimilar metals and lower temperature bonding to avoid damaging something else or destroying temper. Am I really missing out on brazing? I don't often find myself in a predicament that stick, mig, or tig won't solve.
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