|
|
03-18-2017, 09:11 AM
|
|
US Veteran
|
|
|
Join Date: Aug 2004
Location: Birmingham,AL,USA
Posts: 1,378
Likes: 1,852
Liked 549 Times in 249 Posts
|
|
Re-Soldering a Front Sight ?
Can silver solder paste be used to silver solder a front sight back on a revolver?
|
03-18-2017, 10:41 AM
|
Member
|
|
|
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: Oklahoma
Posts: 8,160
Likes: 3,620
Liked 5,205 Times in 2,173 Posts
|
|
Silver soldering, also known as 'hard' soldering or silver brazing, is a process in which two or more parts are joined by melting and flowing filler metal into the joint. The melting point of the filler metal is above 420°C and flows into the joint by capillary action.
The basic steps in making a silver soldered joint are:- - Make it
- Clean it
- Flux it (paste)
- Apply heat and solder (brazing torch)
- Cool it
- Clean and inspect it
__________________
Science plus Art
Last edited by OKFC05; 03-18-2017 at 10:42 AM.
|
03-18-2017, 10:46 AM
|
|
US Veteran
|
|
|
Join Date: Aug 2004
Location: Birmingham,AL,USA
Posts: 1,378
Likes: 1,852
Liked 549 Times in 249 Posts
|
|
Thank you ! But can I use silver solder paste in the place of solid solder?
|
03-18-2017, 11:10 AM
|
Member
|
|
|
Join Date: Feb 2006
Posts: 3,422
Likes: 1,105
Liked 5,144 Times in 1,578 Posts
|
|
Quote:
Originally Posted by Milton
Thank you ! But can I use silver solder paste in the place of solid solder?
|
You didn't get an answer, but at least you learned something. LOL
|
The Following User Likes This Post:
|
|
03-18-2017, 11:20 AM
|
Member
|
|
|
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: Oklahoma
Posts: 8,160
Likes: 3,620
Liked 5,205 Times in 2,173 Posts
|
|
Quote:
Originally Posted by Milton
Thank you ! But can I use silver solder paste in the place of solid solder?
|
I don't do this for a living, but in the silver soldering I learned at a college, the only "paste" was the flux, and the actual "solder" used was in metallic form. The "solder" has to put in place before heating, and is usually set into the flux.
Silver soldering is actually a form of brazing, and the details of the technique differs from lead soldering, in addition to being done at higher temp.
I have put front sights on muzzleloading pistols with lead solder and copper sights, to duplicate actual period guns I have seen in museums, like the colt in the Gettysburg museum.
For any soldering or brazing, the secret to success is getting the material physically and chemically clean, using the right flux, and heating evenly.
__________________
Science plus Art
Last edited by OKFC05; 03-18-2017 at 11:25 AM.
|
03-18-2017, 12:03 PM
|
|
US Veteran
|
|
|
Join Date: Aug 2004
Location: Birmingham,AL,USA
Posts: 1,378
Likes: 1,852
Liked 549 Times in 249 Posts
|
|
Thank you! I am familiar with silver soldering using flux and a rod or ribbon of solder but I have found on the net a paste that apparently contains very fine grained solder mixed with flux that can be used for soldering small objects.I just was looking for someone who had experience with this stuff.
|
03-18-2017, 12:10 PM
|
Member
|
|
|
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: Oklahoma
Posts: 8,160
Likes: 3,620
Liked 5,205 Times in 2,173 Posts
|
|
Quote:
Originally Posted by Milton
Thank you! I am familiar with silver soldering using flux and a rod or ribbon of solder but I have found on the net a paste that apparently contains very fine grained solder mixed with flux that can be used for soldering small objects.I just was looking for someone who had experience with this stuff.
|
Now that I understand what you're asking, no I never used that product.
__________________
Science plus Art
|
03-18-2017, 12:56 PM
|
Member
|
|
|
Join Date: Mar 2009
Location: Hillsboro Beach, FL
Posts: 418
Likes: 20
Liked 237 Times in 114 Posts
|
|
We have used the 'silver solder paste' with great results.
The most important thing is to be sure that all surfaces are absolutely clean and free of oil and or other substances.
USE SPARINGLY, A LITTLE BIT GOES A LONG WAY.
DO NOT OVERHEAT !!!.
|
03-18-2017, 05:15 PM
|
|
US Veteran
|
|
|
Join Date: Aug 2004
Location: Birmingham,AL,USA
Posts: 1,378
Likes: 1,852
Liked 549 Times in 249 Posts
|
|
|
03-18-2017, 09:03 PM
|
Member
|
|
|
Join Date: May 2001
Posts: 1,421
Likes: 0
Liked 947 Times in 413 Posts
|
|
For jobs like re-mounting a front sight on a revolver, the silver solder in paste form works really well, actually better in my opinion.
With the paste you can pack it into a barrel slot or coat the underside of a ramped type sight and get an excellent bond.
Couple of things:
We're talking about real silver solder (braze) that melts at temps above 1100 degrees, NOT the soft solder that has about 3% silver and melts around 450 degrees.
The soft solder will seldom hold any type of pistol sight.
Be aware that the high temps will destroy the finish so the gun will need to be totally re-blued.
You need to be careful about the bore scaling from too much heat.
|
03-19-2017, 11:30 AM
|
|
US Veteran
|
|
|
Join Date: Oct 2013
Location: Central Montana
Posts: 13,697
Likes: 12,845
Liked 39,406 Times in 10,030 Posts
|
|
Wait there is silver SOLDERING and silver BRAZING.
Silver Solder is a silver bearing solder that melts around 450f
Silver Braze has a lot more silver and some brass and melts over 1200f.
Braze is stronger than solder, butt, solder is strong enough for sights etc as long as you don't use the barrel for a pry bar. Braze is often used to attach things like carbide to the end of a tool. If you silver braze on a barrel the heat can cause problems and you had better but a protective coating on rifleing. Anything tempered will lose its temper if you silver solder on it. Be better off tig welding. Temp is higher, but more localized because you can heat sink the piece and the tig torch gives instant very localized heat, where any kind of gas torch heats up the part slower and the heat has time to travel farther.
Soft silver solder is fine for sights, every thing must fit tight, no gaps, Plus, it helps immensely to increase strength. Something like just a flat bottomed blade on top of a ramp has little strength soldered. Fitted into a groove and properly soldered you would probably bent the blade before it came out. Even a curved bottom ramp that fits the curve of the top of a barrel will be pretty strong properly silver soldered. When I solder a ramp I fit it to a double groove first a wide shallow groove then a narrow slightly deeper one. Make ramp base to fit. Kind of like tongue and groove. The fit needs to be very tight. NO GAPS. Then, flux and tin (heat up and give them a thin coat of solder) both pieces. Then position parts, heat back up press into place firmly, let cool. Very small amounts of solder should come out of joint. This can be removed using sharp brass scrapers. But, if you coat an area with graphite from say a lead pencil, the flux won't remove it, solder will not stick to it.
Last edited by steelslaver; 03-19-2017 at 11:40 AM.
|
|
Thread Tools |
|
Display Modes |
Linear Mode
|
Posting Rules
|
|
|
|
|