soldering wire to brass

[MikeB4]

I'm currently working on the Phantom which is 1:96 scale which makes everything very small and difficult to handle. I've made several attempts to solder the legs onto the traveler but even when I manage to get them set in place the solder doesn't hold.Does anyone have any advice on soldering? Especially small parts this is very frustrating at this point because I can't move forward with this build until I can solve this.

[Keith_W]

Yes. Go http://modelshipworldforum.com/ship-model-materials-and-tools.php'>here and read Russell Barnes' tutorial on silver soldering. Note that he uses silver solder paste. Apply the paste to your joint, then hit it with a blowtorch. 

 

(edit) the link didn't work, so here it is again: http://modelshipworldforum.com/ship-model-materials-and-tools.php

Edited January 14, 2014 by Amfibius

[MikeB4]

Yes. Go here and read Russell Barnes' tutorial on silver soldering. Note that he uses silver solder paste. Apply the paste to your joint, then hit it with a blowtorch. 

 

(edit) the link didn't work, so here it is again: http://modelshipworldforum.com/ship-model-materials-and-tools.php

Thanks

[Decoyman]

Soft solder at the scales we work in will work as well as silver soldering and, I suspect is easier to do. The key is to ensure all surfaces to be soldered are spotlessly clean. I scrub mine with a fibreglass pencil. Then I use a liquid flux touched in on a brush at the point where the joint is to be made. Since we are only making small joints I find it easiest to carry the solder to the joint on the tip of the iron. Hold the iron in place while the flux boils away and make sure all the parts of the joint are heated through. Once this has happened remove the iron and continue to hold the components in place until the solder solidifies. You should find you have made a good solid joint.

 

The excess solder can be removed using a scalpel and needle files. Another scrub with the fibreglass pencil will polish away the last bits of spare solder leaving a neat job.

 

Afterwards you must make sure you wash whatever you have been soldering in clean water to remove any traces of flux. If you don't do this the surfaces will become corroded over time.

 

The hardest part of the whole process is growing the extra hands with the asbestos fingers so that you can hold everything in place at the same time.

[Modeler12]

You might want to take a look at the last part of this earlier thread

http://modelshipworld.com/index.php?/topic/1888-silver-soldering-tools/page-2

 

 

The little torch, bottle of fuel and the tube of solder/flux would cost about twenty to thirty dollars.

 

 

 

Also see this video

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RuMoGam-Mww