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[david48]

Well I needed to make up two short lengths of rail for Fairmount Alpine,so I bought the gear to do the silver soldering, paste solder.pencil torch ,so far so good .I set the rail in the jig applied the paste solder to the joint applied heat nothing happened the 0.05 wire distorted the stanchion was hot but the solder would not run. I am aware not to heat the small amount paste solder as it will burn rather than melt ,and just let the heat transfer through the metal . The brass I am using is 0.05 wire and 0.05 stanchions I had photo etched.
I have silver soldered before but it was 2" copper pipe so too much heat did not do any damage.
 Any help in resolving this small matter would be good please
David

[Mark T]

Hi David - If you have low temperature silver solder paste then this already contains flux
It sounds like you may have grease or contamination on the parts that you are trying to solder together
Try de-greasing the parts and try again  - Hope this helps 

[derekwarner]

David.....cupalloys.uk have some great video tutorials on silver soldering  ........they would have to be the largest manufacturer/supplier of these material's

Having said this.....conventional soft solder [tin/lead] + flux may be far more user friendly on 0.5 diameter wire to 0.5 diameter stanchions

Either way.....as Mark has noted.....cleanliness is next to godliness when any type of soldering process is attempted    .....Derek

[BrianB6]

....conventional soft solder [tin/lead] + flux may be far more user friendly on 0.5 diameter wire to 0.5 diameter stanchions

Either way.....as Mark has noted.....cleanliness is next to godliness when any type of soldering process is attempted    .....Derek

From experience, the temperature needed for silver soldering is much too high for such small sections.   Distortion at least and a blob of brass at the worst.   
I used electricians solder for the ends of the rails on Ararat with super glue where needed in between.

[david48]

Thank you all for the reply . You are all right that is what I discovered ,there must be a film on the stanchions  I just thought  thy would be clean after the etching process .I will try again on Friday and see what happens
Thanks again David

[derekwarner]

David....back to cleanliness......you can clean the components.....but even the natural oil from your skin/fingers is sufficient contaminate the joint

Once the component is clean....a little drop of Bakers liquid flux [applied with a cotton bud or small paint brush] will assist maintaining that cleanliness until the joint is soldered
Remember too.....you cannot clean/polish a 0.5 diameter wire with 1200 wet & dry paper today & expect it to be OK tomorrow.......... the moisture in air is sufficient to cause oxidation overnight

If I could suggest...even with conventional low temperature soft solder [tin/lead] + flux ....stick with your gas pencil torch......I find them invaluable  for fine component soldering....

There is a MBM member George G from Canada.....try & find some of his postings.......he is a real artisan of soft soldering ..........Derek

[Seaspray]

Try a soldering iron with ordinary solder and a clean up of the parts. Try and get as much as you can off of the old solder I use the on / off system of soldering. That is put some solder on the tip of the bolt, flux the job touch the job with the tip and the solder should jump to the flux/job. Too much solder on job its a dry tip on bolt put flux on the job touch the job and the solder should jump back to the bolt tip. See some of my soldering on the latter part of the Meteor build under Working Vessels. It was .5mm piano wire I used with flat brass stanchions and brass flat as a  base FRY Powerflux paste from B & Q was used. The magic of the job is finding the right heat setting for the job.

[david48]

Thanks again Gentelmen. I will try the soft solder never had a problem with that . After seen some silver soldering I thought it would make a neater job . I will just have to make a good job of the soft solder and try to move the silver solder into the jewelry part of the family , that will be my good wife .
Thanks All
David