[TheForge] Working copper

[Grover Richardson]

At 09:52 AM 3/12/2002 -0600, you wrote:
>At 08:31 03/12/02 -0500, Don Plummer wrote:
>>All I have around is some Stay-Clean flux and some Canfield no lead 
>>solder. But I am beginning to suspect that some lead solder might be better.
>
>The Stay-Clean and no-lead solder should work, but generally takes more 
>heat to get the solder to flow well.  Since this caldron won't be used for 
>food, I think you will find that 50-50 tin/lead solder is easier to work 
>with.  The Stay-Clean or even No-Korode will work.  If you wanted more 
>authenticity to the fluxing, then pine rosin would be my flux of 
>choice.  It's surprising how well this works and in my tin work I prefer 
>it to any of the paste fluxes.  But choice of flux probably doesn't matter 
>in the long run, so use what you have.

Use vice grips or other items to hold the pieces together.  I soldered 
together some large wave guide horns out of copper, and copper conducts 
heat so well, that when I got it hot enough to solder, it fell apart 8" 
away where I had already finished soldering.  A damp rag on the finished 
area would be good also.


>You might also want to consider tinning the tabs before final fitting and 
>jointing.

I also tin before soldering many times.