Silver solder nickel?

[Jeb Stonewall]

I need to silver solder a front sight on a nickel plated barrel.
It's just a blade front sight and there is a groove in the barrel.
What I need to know is will the heat on the barrel it takes to silver solder destroy the nickel plate?

 

[Jeb Stonewall]

I need to silver solder a front sight on a nickel plated barrel.
It's just a blade front sight and there is a groove in the barrel.
What I need to know is will the heat on the barrel it takes to silver solder destroy the nickel plate?

 

[john traveler]

It depends on which silver solder you use.

For most silver solders (brazing alloys) the required heat is over 1,000 degrees F, and will lift the nickel plating.

Brownell's haas a Force 44 or Fusion solder that melts at a much lower temperature, less than 500 degrees F, I believe, and it is better suited. Still, risk lifting that nicle plating or at least, blistering it.

It would be much safer to use "eutectic" 63% tin/37% lead electronic solder to do the job. Use rosin flux, and prepare the joining surfaces by scraping and filing until they are bright, raw, steel. The 63/37 solder melts at less than 300 degrees F, and the rosin flux will not attack the nickle or steel and leave after-rust. Correctly fitted and prepared, the soft solder joint will be plenty strong, with no risk to the nickle plating.

 

[Jeb Stonewall]

Thanks John.
I didn't know about the 63-37 solder.
You more than likely saved me alot of grief!
Thanks again

 

[bountyhunter]

There is low-temp silver solder available, I have some and it melts and flows using a standard soldering iron. Problem is you have to use acid flux with it and that stuff is nasty and hard to get completely off.

 

[dfariswheel]

The low-temp "silver solder" is NOT real silver solder, which is really silver BRAZE.
The true silver solder/brazes melt at temps over 1100 degrees.
This it the temp level at which the ATF considers to be real silver solder for the purposes of attaching muzzle devices.

The low temp "silver solder" is really just an ordinary soft solder to which about 3% silver has been added to strengthen the solder, and to prevent it from tarnishing.