Soldering Stainless to Stainless PAIN !

R

rashid11

Joined
Dec 8, 2005
Messages
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this's been discussed ad-noseum and I am well aware of all that's been
said so far. My question is: have there been any breakthroughs ?

It is just such a major PITA ! I had very little difficulty soldering 304 guards
to 1095 blades. However same 304 to ATS34 is a DISASTER :eek:

I use 4% silver/tin solder, "stainless flux" (weak hydrochloric acid with some additives) from McMaster and the darn solder just doesnt flow and definetely doesn want to wet the steel !

Do my darnest to clean the surfaces before the soldering.

I think I need a stronger flux, but I'd hate to use muriatric, as vapors
are so bad ?
 
It's very difficult soldering 300 series to SS blades. Back in 1984 I asked a couple of veteran makers how they did it and they said "easy, switch to 416", "easier to work and easy to solder". I've used it ever since.

It can be done but it has to be super clean and you MUST use stainless steel solder and matching flux. No homemade acid remedies. Eutectic solder works the best but it's expensive. There are now places that will sell smaller lots of it with matching flux. Just have to call around or maybe someone else here knows.

Why use that stuff(304) at all? 416 is easy to get, you can get the pinning rod or bolts in the same material to match colorwise, and the price is about the same and often cheaper. Engravers generally won't touch 300 series SS as it's so nasty to work.:confused:

There's just better alternatives out there.
 
Mike,

I've had 0 luck finding 416 in sizes I need and with the KM being just a hobby, I can not jusify doing larger buys.

I started off with a bar of 304 and have had no trouble getting it
soldered to 1095 - with the same McMaster stainless flux and silver
solder. But NOT the darn ATS34 :)

Loveless used muriatric (~60% by vol hydrochloric) on his knifes, at
least according to his book, along with eutectic silver solder and matching
flux. Problem is: muriatric acid's fumes are highly poisonous and very very corrosive to metals.
 
I don't do much stainless but, I quite soldering it and started using JB Weld on it...via the "Primos" method.

I solder all my HC and damascus blades/guards but, SS is just too much of a pain for me.
 
rashid11 said:
Mike,

I've had 0 luck finding 416 in sizes I need and with the KM being just a hobby, I can not jusify doing larger buys.


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Click to expand...
Any knifemakers supply house carries 416 in most sizes you'd want as well as bolts and pins. I've been buying it for 20+ years. If not, call Fry steel in California. They have it by the ton in all sizes as does Admiral Steel. You don't have to make monstrous purchases to get a bar of it from the knifemakers supply places. You're not dealing with General Motors there.

There's a lot of stuff in Lovelesses book that he doesn't do anymore and hasn't for years. He solders on a tack welding setup for auto body work that he has a control on to alter voltage and heat. Clamps it to either side of his guard till it reaches temp and runs the solder around. He may have something easier by now.
He also doesn't use the archaic photo exposure stencil stuff either. He uses electro etching like the rest of us. Don't forget that book was written 30+ years ago aprox. When it was published I have no idea but some of it bears no relation to the now.
 
I agree with Mike. Get the 416 stainless. It's about as easy to cut, mill and solder as brass.
Scott
 
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