[Noisebridge-discuss] soldering copper sheet metal

[Musti]

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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