Here's an easy question -

R

rlinger

Joined
Mar 29, 2002
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What type store do I go to to purchase silver solder?

I've soldered all my life but only with rosin core solder and never looked for any silver solder.

Thanks; Roger
 
What % silver?
I use silver solder in refrigeration work.
Most of what I use is 35-45% silver.
Anyone that does refrigeration and heating should be able to get you some.

How much do you need?
 
I'd try a crafts store since silver solder may be used (I think?) on jewelry making kits, electronic kits. Try Radio Shack also. Let us know where you did find it, please!
 
I don't know what percentage of alloy composition I want. I need it to solder a guard to a bowie. I have not done this before.

Roger
 
all the knife supply places sell it, I buy it here locally at Ace Hardware.....any hardware, auto parts, or lumber supply will have it...
 
Thanks guys. I figured it would be somewhere close to walking distance if I just knew which door to go through.

That was a good question by one of you: What percentage composition should I use??

Thanks; Roger
 
I went to a Miller Welding Supply outlet store and got some free samples.:D Check the yellow pages for welding supply places if your local hardware stores don't have it.

There is always McMaster Carr, Grainger, MSC, etc. They all have websites.
 
Originally posted by Laredo7mm
I went to a Miller Welding Supply outlet store and got some free samples.:D Check the yellow pages for welding supply places if your local hardware stores don't have it.

There is always McMaster Carr, Grainger, MSC, etc. They all have websites.
Click to expand...


Free, wow.
It must be a low % of silver.
The silver solder I use is not cheap. It's sold by the troy ounce.
 
Welding supply stores is where to get the 45% silver
solder used to attach threaded collars to pommels and
all threat to tangs. One of the names for it is Stay-
Silv made by Harris, other people make a smiler
product. It is used to attach carbide cutters to the
cutters used on milling machines, this is strong stuff
very handy, you can solder two pieces of brass together
and you can't find the joint. The best thing is it is
not expensive, where I bye it less than $10 a oz and it
goes a long way. There are some tricks to using it so
send me a email or post it here and I will try to help.
Gib
 
Originally posted by Gib Guignard
The best thing is it is
not expensive, where I bye it less than $10 a oz and it
goes a long way.
Click to expand...

Guess its cheap if you don't use much :)

We get it in 9 oz coils, and it never seems to last long.
It probly last longer using it for knive making.

I use it for steel to steel and coper to steel refrigeration lines.

Very strong solder
 
To make it more clear: I want it to solder a bowie guard to the knife as per Bruce Evens' instructions on his web site.

Thanks again; Roger
 
The guy at Miller said their stuff was $15 for a T.O. He gave me about 4 inches of it to try along with some 1/16 rod of what he called Phoscopper (no silver). He said the phoscopper stuff would be the way to go for me because i was just using it to solder the farrels together for my handle, which are made out of copper, and i would not have to use flux. The phoscopper stuff is only $9 dollars a pound. It worked pretty good. You can just see the solder ling in the farrel next to the gaurd.

handle.jpg


I don't know if the phoscopper stuff will work on anything else but a copper to copper joint. :confused:
 
For that type of work, Bowie guard, I would use Eutectic (from Koval Knives)...it is the best silver solder I have found.

I also use TIX brand soft solder from Brownell's for other work.
 
Will the silver solder actually bond with the steel bowie?? I wouldn't have thunk that but Bruce shows it in his online tutorial. All I know about the steel is it is not stainless and it throws forked sparks at about four inches away.

The guard is nickel silver.

Roger
 
Steve,

I can't get JB Weld to bond with nickel silver. It looks like it bonds but it does not. Drop a piece on the floor or let the grinder put it in a bind and it all flys apart. For n/s parts I have been pinning and dove tailing, using JB Weld to fill in the dove tail vacancies and on pins and other handle material.

If there is something I don't know about using JB Weld with N/S I hope someone corrects me quick because I do like the stuff.

Roger
 
For guard to blade soldering I use Stay Bright solder
it melts at 430 deg. it requires Stay Bright flux to
work I use it on carbon steel and stainless steel on
brass and nickle silver, I haven't used it on copper
but it should work. All the knife supply stores have
it. One tip is don't get things to HOT. If you don't
have a VERY VERY VERY small tip don't even think
about using a oxy/acet torch, use propane or a heat
gun. Cost is about $4 a oz.
 
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