I Can't Solder! Dang!

I have tried that high priced stuff, It works OK but the only solder and flux I use is Stay Bright for ALL soldering Stainless and Carbon steel blades. The answer is technique, technique, technique. I have been soldering over 50 years and my technique is very smiler to Bill Buxton. I use a piece of solder the length of the width of the tang, lay it on the guard tang joint on the tang side when it melts you are in business. follow through with the rest of the tips to complete the process.
The key to a good solder job is clean, clean, clean and heat management, just right and it comes up great, too hot and start over, too cold more Patience.
Now after all that are all my solder joints always work great, NO sometimes no mater what I do sometimes it just won't work. then I just stop and start over.
Soldering is really simple, we make it hard work sometimes even Me. Gib
 
Dave,
On soap, try to use one with no fragrances, such as Ivory - bar or flake. It really has nothing but soap in it, and rinses really clean.
Tinning the parts before assembly will get the small surface nnoks an crannies filled.
Just remove most of the tinning until you get a real precision fit and it will go a lot easier.
 
Dave, tinning is a very thin layer of solder or brass that is spread over the area to to be soldered and when the two pieces are put together it insures a good bond. This technique will not work if the fit is right. I only use it when using steel or iron guards.
Gib
 
Thanks Gib I think I'll give that a try. This is not a tight fit; it's not ugly but not what you'd write home about either.
 
I agree with alot of this thread but, I do a few things against it as well Dave.
I clean the guard/blade joint with acetone, then pound the "stay brite" solder into a thin ribbon (clean it with acetone before use). I put "stay brite" liqiud flux around the joint with a small rubber bulb and needle from an oiler kit I got in the mail but, had no need for. Then I scissor off small pieces of the solder "ribbon" (about 1/16" or so) and put them around the joint. Then I put a bit of flux on each piece of solder, just a drop on each and heat the guard slowly from the bottom. Once the pieces on the guard start to melt you can add a bit more if needed directly from the "ribbon" and chase it around with a sharpened probe/scribe (If you've got it beading up, the solder got too hot). After that is done I boil the joint in baking soda and water for about 15 min.

Just the way I do it. Hope it helps.
 
"Good" acetone leaves no residue; what we get in the cans from the paint department may have who knows what in it, I'm not sure. That said, acetone is a wonderful solvent, and there are enough additives in paper that if you wipe something down with paper towels and acetone there will definitely be a residue. (Methyl alcohol does it too. That's why washing windows with Windex and paper towels leaves streaks.)
Thus, if you wash with acetone, let it hang to dry. Or if you paper towel it, come behind it with residue-free soap like the Simple Green Higgy is always mentioning. Rinse well and dry with a clean CLOTH (no Downie).

Like has been mentioned by several people, I think "thin" solder works better than something like 1/16". I ribbon mine like J. does, too. Otherwise the solder provides it's own heat sink and takes longer to melt than it needs, thus we overheat.

My biggest problems with soldering came from mismatched solder and flux and overheating. I use Staybrite, too, and their flux. I went to using a small hand-held butane torch for heat, one of those little jobbies all the catalogs sell for $29. Keeping the heat localized gave me a lot better control and I didn't overheat near as much. The solder balling up suggests the flux has burned to me, too, Dave.

I still want to try the heat gun, it sounds like a great idea.

Just my .02
 
Dave I'll add a few more things

truth be known all the cleaning I do is with the Sand paper most of the time
fresh paper with none of your finger prints on it fresh out of the sleeve
I use the stabrite also but as I said I use the none paste and put it on and in
with a q-tip. (clean q-tip) I was using the store brand Map gas but mostly use the reg jobbies like mike is..

if you want to tin first you can tin it then use an air hose to blow out the
extra while its hot it will be pretty thin.. but if you sand it out with clean paper that should work for you OK

I heat slowly, to fast will over heat one of the parts for sure.
I don't use the strips because I don't use the Paste flux.
once I flux with the q-tip heat it slow,, you can tell when it's hot enough by touching
the solder to both parts it will leave a little dot but heat slow on one end ( the heaver end)
feathering the sides and touch check the other end,, once it starts,,
on that end the rest is heated just about right..if it's flowing but leaving holes quickly wipe it over with another flux soaked q-tip

if I get to much solder on the under side (point up) I use the air to blow it away (don't blow the blade out of your vice) :D
this will take
practice and safety glasses..or you can use the acid brush. if you got messy :)
Like Gib said you'll fine your own technique.. :)
 
Thanks, Gib, for the info. About all I've ever used a heat gun for is to heat Kydex and bend PVC.
 
However you do it, make sure you wear a respirator while soldering. Most flux has cadmium in it, and I guarantee, you don't want a buildup of that in your system.:eek: :barf:
 
Dave, when I started my pre apprenticeship in radio tv and ellectrical the first thing they got us to do was learn how to solder.

We made up a grid of 16 gauge wire and had to solder each joint. 9 lengths about 4 inches one way and 9 layed the other. By the time everybody in the class had finished we could all see what was working and what was not working. It was low temperature solder and not the same but the point is
there was no stress to get it right. Just a practice piece. It was all about clean and the correct heat transfer. There is no magic just clean and correct heat transfer for both pieces of metal.

Purhaps you could try soldering a couple of scraps together. Pretend they are going to be bolsters. No heat treating to worry about no consiquence for a bad job. Heart rate down to about 3 beats a minute, no stress. cool bannanas.
 
Acetone is ugly stuff. It is full of all kinds of junk. Wipe some on a pane of glass and let it dry.....you can see all the filmy garbage left behind.

Some brands of alchohol are the same way. Look at the absolute cheap stuff, and it shoudl be reasonably clean (they will not add anything that will cost them money to it).

Solder flows at around 650 to 700 degrees, but it only takes a second or two to get it where you want it. Flux will melt away at a lower temp and can be done a couple of times to make sure you get a clean surface. Flux is cheap....use it for what it is.
Lay a wire of small diameter solder around your gaurd with the ends butted up after you have fluxed the area a couple of times. Heat from the opposite side and watch the flow. It should leave the wire side fairly clean (little cleanup), and the backside with most of the mess. Knock off the mess and finish.

Good luck.

Doc

I did not read all the posts here so someone else may have already suggested all of this, and if so just disregard this and go for it.
 
you can get all the advice in the world but NOTHING will replace practice.


Until you have done something wrong 100 times you wont know how to do it right.

DO NOT USE TOO MUCH HEAT

GET THE ENTIRE AREA TO BE SOLDERED COMPLETELY CLEAN I use acetone and THEN wash it good with soap and water, the acetone gets any oil film off and the soap gets any acetone residue.

Use STAY CLEAN flux and an acid brush, and use PLENTY OF FLUX

when you get better, you will find that the brush and the flux are the primary vehicles in gettting a clean even solder job. Use lots at first, and reflux whenever the solder wont stick. It will make a mess, you have to learn how to clean it up nicely.


However you do it, make sure you wear a respirator while soldering. Most flux has cadmium in it, and I guarantee, you don't want a buildup of that in your system.


Yea that, once I got a lung full of vaporized flux and I felt like I had the flu for the next 24 hours!!! :(
 
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