Member postings for Keith Hale

Hi Brian,

If it makes you feel better, then clean it, but it's not really necessary. The tarnish is only a film of oxide that the flux will remove.

When doing a brazing demo, I might have cleaned the rod purely for a esthetic reasons.

I would use a piece of newspaper. If the silver solder contained more than than 40% silver I would use a broadsheet, if it was less, I found a tabloid satisfactory!

Regards

Keith

Hi Mike,

You and David are on the right track.

When heating the iron initially, use the part of the flame beyond the blue zone. That is the oxidizing part of the flame and will burn off the carbon.

Heating time - 1 minute?

Allow to cool down to room temperature.

Stiff wire brush to clean the pieces.

Then braze normally using that part of the flame just outside the blue zone where it is hottest. When the flux melts concentrate the heat on the area to where you want the alloy to flow and apply the alloy on the opposite side.

Iron requires more heat than copper and you might find that the flux becomes exhausted. In which case, simply change it for one with a longer life.

A bit of practice, then do it. You will be successful.

Keith

I've got no idea about how they made a samurai sword.

I was simply asked about making silver solder that was to be used to make a sword! Having borrowed a lot of money to create a factory to make it, I thought that I had some experience that I could share with him. Similarly, I share my 51 years of experience in the brazing business with model engineers.

Apologies to Mark for an unguarded aside that has apparently led to his thread being hijacked with unrelated content.

Hi Mark,

See personal message.

If making your own paste, you will need alloy powder in a suitable mesh size readily available in 10kg lots. Contact any specialist supplier of silver solder.

You will need a binder that doesn't dry out. Water is not an option.

£22 sorts it. But why try to reinvent the wheel!

I am reminded of the occasion when a model engineer told me that he insisted on making his own special alloys (3!) to make a truly authentic samurai sword. My response of £1m was not what he wanted to hear!

Months later, he bought silver solder foil. He saved £999,985.

Keith

Hi Mark,

This is probably the hardest question to solve. For example,

What colour is your brass?

What level of finish will you be aiming for?

The simple answer is to use a low silver content (20 - 24% silver) alloy. It has the colour of some brasses - even perhaps yours!

Best results will be obtained by using the correct brazing technique.

Check my personal profile.

Then see the personal message. It will,at least, point you in the right direction and keep the thread relevant.

I will be in touch.

Regards

Keith

A man has died in Nigeria. The authorities found £35m pounds in cash in his apartment.

Apparently, he had been trying to give it away for the last 15 years but no-one would return his emails.

Despite all this unrelated content

it is still illegal to place cadmium bearing silver solder into the UK market.

Forget the red herrings about bolts, what somebody did in the war, the product and cons of lead, chromic acid.

A Chinese, American, Norwegian, or misguided company in Kent can still be prosecuted for supplying a banned substance.

Let those who disagree set up a war chest of say £10m to fight their case. Count me out.

Keith

Hi Nick

Contact a precious metal refiner.

Tell them the weight, anticipated silver content and the presence of cadmium.

Historically they would offer 90% of the silver value less a refining fee. Payment would be within 48 hours of analysis.

Google "Metal Refiners UK"

Keith

Following a phone call to the supplier concerned in the Northants area, yes it's right.

42% silver cadmium bearing silver solder rod, as of 11.00am, was available.

A rod 0.7mm dia x 600 was £9.99 per rod.

Why put yourself at risk, when you can braze safely using a 55% silver, cadmium free alloy that costs £4 ish for a 1 metre length of wire or £15 for 5 rods 500mm long?

Can't see the point of telling you where to get this bargain. I suspect that it might not be available for long.

Edited By Keith Hale on 23/07/2021 12:21:06

Hi Stueeee

Probably every model engineer in the country would like to be able to buy some cadmium bearing silver solder.

I've been unsuccessful when trying to find your source with a simple google search. What do you type into google?

Why doesn't your supplier advertise it? It's a shoe-in that he will shift his stock very quickly. In the last 2 weeks before its sale was banned, I sold 40 kg - 4800 rods. Average monthly sales to the model engineer was 10 kg

I would like a quotation for all his stock because there is not a manufacturer in Europe. Johnson Matthey "the Easi-flo people" have, in the past, been very jealous of their trade name. Want to see the file? I believe they have relinquished their trade name

Assuming there is provenance, he provides an invoice and bank details, I am prepared to buy all his stock NOW.

Don't be coy. Send me a personal message. I don't want the rest of the world, including HSE and Trading Standards, to know.

Who is the supplier?

You will be doing him an enormous favour.

Who knows, there might be a nice little earner in it for you.

Keith

PS Sadly I do not expect any response, a feeling, I'm sure, that will be shared by the aforementioned bodies because when I know, they will.

PPS SELLING THE STUFF IS ILLEGAL

Is that all it does?

My wife has got one made in the mid+40's and she reckons that her's is far more versatile. It cuts grass, trims hedges, makes tea, and carries shopping. The list is endless!

Like Duncan, haven't got space for another one!

Hi Rik

Considering your experience, I believe you have a silver solder.

The big clue to me is the yellow tip, only one that I know colour coded the tip of their rods. They only sold it in two sizes, 1/16 and 3/32 inch.

It identifies the probable supplier (and to me the manufacturer - UK) and also the alloy.

I would suggest that you are wasting your time involving a " jeweller who buys gold and silver". Why anyone would is beyond me - talk to a bullion dealer. You will get a much better price. Typically,a bullion dealer will give you 90% of the silver value less the cost of refining your package.

But I believe that you can use it successfully.

Regards

Keith

In my days when I was selling the stuff, would I have bought it from you? No.

A spout is in danger of becoming detached from a kettle.

So far this leads to two options.

1) lobbying an MP. Cost of a minority community centre?

2) talk of legal action. Cost of securing proof of defective goods and then legal fees?

😂 😂

Cheaper to set up your own factory to make kettles with a life time guarantee!

Good luck.

Keith

(like most folks - absolutely no political or legal qualifications!)

If the body of the kettle and the spout are stainless steel - where is the differential expansion?

Clean off the joint area on both components. Remove the jointing compound (you suggest that it's an epoxy.)

Solder the components back together with a silver-tin alloy wire. It can be flux cored or use separate liquid flux

Just ensure that the flux will work on stainless.

All products are readily available and will produce strong, reliable, neat and attractive joints.

Well, this was how it was done in the early 70's when kettles lasted until the element failed! Took forever!

Kettle repaired for about a fiver.

Keith

Edited By Keith Hale on 26/05/2021 09:12:38

Hi Colin

Thank you for your comments. I am pleased that I was able to help. Any time 😀

Keith

Hi "Hillclimber"

" Inside job?"

Please elaborate.

Delighted (?) that you were able to find the answer to your situation.

Keith

Challenge the authority of HMRC at the airport when they politely ask to search your suitcase. Refuse and send your taxi away.

Tell the VAT inspector to come back later if he wants to see your bank account.

Good luck with those 😂

I have absolutely no legal qualifications whatsoever just a gut feeling as to the realities of life. I am reminded of all the posturing and legal advice relating to the supply of cadmium bearing silver solder. I opened a war chest for all the financial contributions to fight Brussels. It remains empty.

Over to the amateur lawyers.

Do keep us posted on the developments.

Hi Colin

Jason is on the right track.

You can avoid the "killer delivery costs" by buying their stainless steel soft solder 2207 with a suitable flux core. Buy as much or as little as you need. The product can be sent through the post. Normal postal charges apply.

You also get an excellent colour match to the steel.

Why is it called 2207? One of my daughters was born 22nd July 😄

Keith

If you want to make your silver brazing alloy (hard solder) more "silvery" add more silver. See ISO 17672.

In the general scheme of things, the use of nickel bearing silver brazing alloys is not very common. It is used to join ferritic stainless steel components that are subject to crevice corrosion. It is cheaper and more convenient to use austenitic stainless steel.

Under certain circumstances the nickel can improve the "wettability" of the carbide, at the expense of fluidity. The resultant larger fillets / joint thickness may be advantageous with regard to joint strength dependent on the joint design. See also JMM data sheets 1100:122 published June 1973 and 1100:185 published Feb 1976. Other sources are available!

Regards

Keith

There are three different alloys containing 45% silver.

There is a quaternary alloy with copper, zinc and cadmium. Banned in the EU because of a perceived danger caused by licking or sucking jewellery. But banned all the same.

Another quaternary alloy sees the cadmium replaced with a small %ge of tin

Then there is a ternary alloy where the cadmium is simply removed.

Which one are you using? Check your supplier's data sheet.

Personally (and with no medical qualifications whatsoever) I believe that you would come to no harm no matter which one you used.

Of more concern is the ugly and appalling colour match of these alloys on copper. Make it less obvious by the application of a heavy hammer to the thumb 👍

Or use a glue.

Then spray the bracelet with copper paint

Keith