Cast Metal and Brass

[Flyfisher]

Has anyone ever had any luck soldering brass to cast metal parts?  I’m at the point on the Beagle where about seven pieces of brass and cast metal must be assembled. I just spent all day trying to find a way to solder them together. No luck. Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks. Jim

[Gregory]

A little more context might help.

 

Is this a kit?  Which one?

 

Which parts?

 

I've never seen a typical kit that suggested any soldering at all.

[vossy]

Use glue.

 

[Flyfisher]

Alas,that’s what I’m doing now (gluing.)I’m building the Occre Beagle and this is some part that fits on the bow. I had a wild hair to solder the pieces because my glue jobs are sloppy. Hate to offend anyone, but I’m just experimenting 

[Dr PR]

I seem to recall a caution someone posted in another thread about trying to solder to cast metal parts. Some are made of low melting temperature alloys. You can buy this stuff for making castings at home. If you try to solder to them they melt.

 

The fellow had a broken anchor from a kit and tried to solder the pieces together. The entire anchor melted.

 

Lead and tin/lead (pewter) parts will melt at low temperature.

 

Cast brass or bronze can be soldered to. A resistance soldering unit is best for this because it concentrates the heat quickly in the solder joint without heating the entire cast part (which could take quite a while for a large piece).

[Flyfisher]

Thanks. Sounds like glue is the most effective solution 

 

[wefalck]

Soldering is joining two metal parts with another metal that has a lower melting point than the parts to be joined.

 

There are some low-temperature solders with a melting temperature less than white-metal (which I assume are your parts). Some railway modellers solder their white-metal kits and there are some hints on the Internet concerning fluxes and solders. You also need a temperature-controlled soldering iron to make sure you stay below the melting point of white-metal.

 

Given the risks involved when trying to solder these kits, it seems that railway modellers in general prefer epoxy cement. CA does not have sufficient gap-filling capabilities.