Please help- I have a solder question!

Crayola

Crayola

Joined
Sep 23, 1999
Messages
3,831
I am going to learn how to solder guards soon, and I have a question about solder. I can get a StayBrite (if thats how it is spelled) silver solder kit for $20 Canadian. But, I'd have to get it from a city 2 hours away. I was in the Canadian Tire yesterday (George probably knows what I'm talking about!) and I saw some lead free, silver-based solder in a kit for $8 Canadian. The melting temp of that stuff is 237 degrees C, so thats 459 degrees F. Will this stuff do, or should I just get the $20 stuff?

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"Come What May..."
 
Well, your solder joints will only be as good as the solder you use. The lead-free ones are a pretty "cheap" variety in my experience. One of the biggest problems with these is their tendency to show "pores" once the job is done, and they also tarnish very badly.
Eutectic is the best solder I have ever used, but it's up around the $40 per oz. range, and as a compromise, I have used the Stay-Brite for a number of years with excellent results. I personally like liquid flux, as it creates less of a clean up chore. Good luck, and let us know how it goes!


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Ed Caffrey
"The Montana Bladesmith"
www.caffreyknives.com
 
I use stay brite 8....buy it in the big rolls, about $30....make sure you get stay clean flux....its the best in my opinion... the key to soldering is three fold....first, a nice fit is essential.....otherwise it gets hot and runs thru...after youve done it for a while you can fill gaps, but i would advise a nice snug fit at first...second, the joint, blade and guard MUST be free of all grease and oil, including the oil from your hands....and lastly, the trickiest thing about soldering is the heat factor. the flux follows the heat...the hardest thing is not soldering the guard on but getting all the air out of the solder joint, it takes a lot of practice...just like everything....old english proverb...the life so short, the craft so long to learn.

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http://www.mayoknives.com


 
WOW! The first two tips from Ed and Tom!! Anyways, thanks for the advice. I'll go with the Stay Brite stuff then when Crayolamade knives sell for big $$$$ I'll get the eucetic stuff I guess! Thanks for the tips- I really appreciate them. I am apprehensive about learning to solder a guard. But, as my signature says,

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"Come What May..."
 
Hi
here is a tip,when you get the soilder hot at the melting point when it starts to flow
the exta stuff can be wiped up with steel wool on the end of a matchstick a nice smooth joint,with out any clumping up in
one spot the soilder will only go where the heat is.
 
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