[Noisebridge-discuss] soldering copper sheet metal

[Winston Wolff]

How about finding different copper sheet? I can only think of not enough heat or some contaminant in the copper.

—Winston

Winston Wolff
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> On Oct 29, 2015, at 1:43 PM, jim <jim at well.com> wrote:
> 
> 
> Thanks, Musti, 
>     What the hey! I'll try it. 
> 
> 
> 
> On 10/29/2015 08:26 PM, Musti wrote:
>> Hi Jim,
>> 
>> depends on what you are trying to do, but maybe just use spot welding?
>> 
>> You might as well try Aluminum soldering flux, which enables to solder
>> it like a charm, if you ahve the right thin it will . This flux smells
>> really really bad.
>> 
>> Kind regards,
>> Musti
>> 
>> On 29.10.2015 21:18, jim wrote:
>> 
>>> 
>>>     Nothing's working. I talked to two different
>>> experts, one a plumber the other a bike mechanic.
>>> both are surprised and both guess that the copper
>>> sheets (12" wide copper rolls I bought from R. H.
>>> Leahy in SF) must have a tiny amount of oil that's
>>> embedded a couple or atom's distance into the
>>> surface of the copper.
>>>     I've tried various fluxes, washed 'em with
>>> borax, lye, sodium carbonate (all high base), and
>>> with alcohol, paint thinner, acetone, and muriatic
>>> acid. I've scoured 'em with fine and with coarse
>>> sand paper, by hand and with an electric hand
>>> sander.
>>>     My heat sources have been a propane torch and
>>> also a 950 degree soldering iron. I've used tin-
>>> lead and also silver solder.
>>> 
>>>     The result is that the solder burns and
>>> browns with what seems like little disks from
>>> popped bubbles and all solders bead up and roll
>>> off.
>>> 
>>>     Somebodies know how to work with sheet copper
>>> to make rain gutters, art, etc.
>>>     I've looked into copper glues, and reviewers
>>> warn that some products are of poor quality, other
>>> products work but cannot withstand mechanical
>>> stress....
>>>     I'm gonna try adhesive copper tape, maybe
>>> double it up if I need the strength.
>>> 
>>> 
>>> 
>>> On 10/25/2015 11:58 PM, Cere Mona Davis wrote:
>>> 
>>>> There is a special kind of flux for solding to copper. . Seen it at
>>>> ace hardware.  Alternately, you can possibly try borax with a little
>>>> water.
>>>> 
>>>> On Oct 25, 2015 4:37 PM, "jim" <
>>>> <mailto:jim at well.com>jim at well.com
>>>> > wrote:
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>>         I've soldered electronics and plumbing and
>>>>     am stuck trying to solder copper sheet metal.
>>>>     I've used a soldering iron and a propane torch.
>>>>     I've used alcohol, acetone, and paint thinner
>>>>     to clean the copper as well as fine and coarse
>>>>     sandpaper to clean the surfaces. I'm using
>>>>     electronic flux (haven't yet tried plumbing
>>>>     flux).
>>>>         The soldering is not working: solder does
>>>>     not flow or adhere to the copper, and there's
>>>>     a brown residue that appears after heating.
>>>>     Using a torch for forty or fifty seconds
>>>>     results in flame that does not immediately
>>>>     expire.
>>>> 
>>>>         Anybody got tips?
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>> 
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>>> 
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