A discussion developed on the Old Tools List concerning a problem one of the guys had.

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From: Rstrainsr@aol.com

The items to be soldered are copper sheet and brass rod.
How does one solder without melting the adjacent seams?
Is a heat sink in order, if so, is there one that doesn't require  clamping?
Is using conventional supplies such as lead free solder and flux,
handiman propane torch typically used to sweat copper  acceptable?
If anyone can help maintain my status, I know its you folks.
Bowing and scraping in advance...
Bob in Ohio
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James Thompson

A bare soldering iron doesn't transfer heat well. It needs liquid solder on it, and the liquid solder is what transfers the heat. The solder will flow easily onto a closed joint if the joint is clean and fluxed. Open joints require  you to add a little solder, wait for the heat to dissipate, then apply more solder, repeat, etc. Dress off any lumps later with a file or other abrasive.

And if you are making a continuous joint, do not lift the iron up off the joint when you are done with that joint. Move the iron back a short distance and drag it sideways out of the puddle. Sounds strange, but believe me, it is the right way to terminate a solder joint.
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Troy Livingston
You might try Tix solder, almost the same strength as soft solder but
with a much lower melting temperature.
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Taking a bit from both James Thompsons and Troy Livingston posts I have been in a similar situation in manufacturing and hobby work.


I used to work for Borg Warner at their Coldwater, Michigan plant. We made radiators and heat exchangers. Most of the work was short run and or prototype so the plant was equipped to build every part of a radiator, tubes, fins, header, frame, everything.


The tubes were soldered with higher temperature 40/60 solder. In other words, more lead in the mix. To keep from causing leaks in the tubes the headers were soldered to the tubes with 50/50 solder with a slightly higher tin content, and a lower melting point.  If there were repairs needed they were done with 60/40 a mix with even higher tin content.

Finding lead solder is difficult anymore. To prevent lead contamination, plumbing solder is now made from tin and silver 95/5. It has most of the desirable properties of the old 60/40 without lead.

The website below lists different non-lead alloys and their melting points.
http://www.logwell.com/tech/servtips/solder.html

Home experience has involved repairing a little galvanized bird house that SWMBO had purchased at a garden supply store. As always she had a plan for how the arrangement was to work and when the bottom broke free from one of them the plan was disrupted. With parts in hand she came out to the shop and asked if there was anything I could do. The bird house was 3” square and strictly ornamental. Using a large dual range electric soldering gun on low, I was able to heat the joints just enough to fuse the existing solder back together without heating adjacent joints to failure.  A quick overlay of 60/40 solder from my stash and SWMBO was ready to complete her plan.

37 years of marriage and now you know why. Happy wife, happy life. 

PS. When I go through smaller towns I always shop at the local hardware store. I occasionally find caches of lead solder because everyone is using the plastic and hose clamp crap now. My shop is a haven for out of date supplies and materials.

Dave N.
aka Old Sneelock

Building A Woodworking Bench Step 1 - A Video Tutorial by Old Sneelock's...

Step one in building a wood working bench and another step on the path to having the blacksmith shop ready to use this winter.
http://www.youtube.com/v/1xKXSxMDY6g?version=3&autohide=1&autoplay=1&showinfo=1&attribution_tag=73NLmXa4itfsCngpsa92Ww&autohide=1&feature=share

Video Tutorial on mounting a blacksmith anvil by Old Sneelock's Workshop

I needed to mount my anvil so I created/rediscovered a secure method for mounting myTrenton Wrought Iron anvil to this massive log for use in my blacksmith shop.

I picked up the log at a farm auction near my home in Union City. I had arrived at the auction late because I was on my way home from work. The auctioneer had gone through most of the stuff and, as they usually did to clean up, was down to selling lots. By the time he got to the shed where the log was there was only the auctioneer, myself and two other guys left. With the intent of purchasing the small vise mounted on the log, I bid $10.00. I was the only bidder and bought the contents for $10.00.

I loaded the huge 4 foot tall, 33" diameter log by rolling it up a ramp made from some very heavy planks that were also in the shed. I also loaded up some glass gallon jugs, two  8" x  1" x 8' long boards that were shelves on the walls, and some boxes of miscellaneous junk.

Ryan and Lydia always liked to go through the stuff I brought home from the auctions. Ryan because he could get some cool toys or components for the latest thing he was building in his laboratory. Lydia because some of the stuff was cool and also I think a little to keep an eye on what I was dragging home.

While they were going through the boxes I unloaded the log using the ramp again.

I removed the vise that was lag screwed to the top of the log and gave it to Ryan. As I was pulling the screws I noticed the unmistakable odor of walnut. Turns out the log was black walnut, along with the shelf boards and the heavy planks. No telling how long ago the tree had been cut down but I'm guessing more than 50 years from the day I bought it.

The shelf boards became library shelves that I had the good sense to not mount permanently. When we moved they came with us.

When I brought home the Trenton anvil it wouldn't fit on the 12" diameter walnut log that I used to hold the 50 lb anvil shaped object (ASO) I had been using. To cure that problem, Lydia and I used my two man (1 man, 1 woman) crosscut saw to shorten the log and square up the end so I could mount the anvil on it.

That was over 16 years ago and the anvil and stump have supported a lot of forging over the years. With the new blacksmith shop coming together I hope to soon be forging more.

Dave N.
aka Old Sneelock

One-of-a-Kind 1980 Woodworkers Toolbox

The full extension drawer slides are fascinating. A stunning first project.

Woody Guthrie-This Land Is Your Land

Compromise is settling for what works.

Between the mallets, sledgehammers, ballpeen and claw hammers, tack hammers, body panel hammers, and HSO’s I have most of the hammers I need.
One that I don’t have is a design that my father made 30 some years ago.
Dad was a maintenance man at the Midwest Foundry in Coldwater, Michigan.
With the building covering a city block and having spaces 80 feet up and 20 feet down from ground level, walking back to the tool box was avoided if possible. All the guys, I was one of them for 3 years, carried tool pouches. A large and medium straight bit screwdriver, a Phillips, and Quick Wedge rounded out the turning an prying tools, 420 Channelocks, 3 box end ratchet wrenches, a 12” Crescent adjustable wrench and for me a 5” knife made from a 10” mill bastard file with a glued on scale handle and one sharpened edge filled out the 12 pounds of load I carried every day.
You’ll notice there isn’t a hammer in the mix. That was a function of the 12” Crescent wrench. For really big jobs there were up to 20 lb persuaders both purchased and made. But for the day in day out tapping and occasional smacking around of various items the big wrench was the compromise between weight and function.
Many years after I left Dad was offered the position of supervisor and at the urging of family and friends he accepted.

Dad hated the idea of wrecking a tool unnecessarily. One day after replacing one more wrench with the jaw mushroomed into a rivet, Dad cut the face off of a 16 oz hammer and welded it to the back of the last wrench turned in. The next guy to turn in a smashed Cresent got the modified hammer and a lecture from Dad.

By the end of the day everyone of the 12 maintenance men had made one for themselves.

 

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You know you're a Galoot when:  you have a favorite hammer.

You're possibly a Galoot when:  you own more than one claw hammer.


GGs,
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“Sometimes you just turn your boat around and row downstream. “
Bob Temples - 1985

Shipping Supervisor at United Technologies, Coldwater, MI

Coming Home to Old Sneelock's New Blacksmith Shop