I need to join a 316 stainless steel tube to a copper plated fibreglass circuit
board which can only withstand lead tin soldering temperatures (180 C).
..
If I 'tin' the stainless using silver solder (Weldcote Metals 50 N) will I be
then be able to use 60/40 tin/lead solder to join it to the copper?

If that isn't going to work then I'll have to silver solder a copper ring around
the tube then solder to that.

Mike

Mike B wrote:
I need to join a 316 stainless steel tube to a copper plated fibreglass circuit
board which can only withstand lead tin soldering temperatures (180 C).
.
If I 'tin' the stainless using silver solder (Weldcote Metals 50 N) will I be
then be able to use 60/40 tin/lead solder to join it to the copper?

If that isn't going to work then I'll have to silver solder a copper ring around
the tube then solder to that.

Mike

Why? Take the stainless tube. Clean it VERY well on the end. Use a
stainless wire brush and while you brush the stainless use regular
solder to tin the stainless. Then solder as normal.

--
Steve W.

On Sun, 14 Oct 2012 08:54:28 -0400, "Steve W." wrote:

Mike B wrote:
I need to join a 316 stainless steel tube to a copper plated fibreglass circuit
board which can only withstand lead tin soldering temperatures (180 C).
.
If I 'tin' the stainless using silver solder (Weldcote Metals 50 N) will I be
then be able to use 60/40 tin/lead solder to join it to the copper?

If that isn't going to work then I'll have to silver solder a copper ring around
the tube then solder to that.

Mike

Why? Take the stainless tube. Clean it VERY well on the end. Use a
stainless wire brush and while you brush the stainless use regular
solder to tin the stainless. Then solder as normal.

I've had zero luck soft soldering stainless with 60/40. Years ago I tried a
silver based soft solder and that didn't work either.


Mike

Mike B someone@noplace wrote in
:

On Sun, 14 Oct 2012 08:54:28 -0400, "Steve W."
wrote:

Mike B wrote:
I need to join a 316 stainless steel tube to a copper plated
fibreglass circuit board which can only withstand lead tin soldering
temperatures (180 C). .
If I 'tin' the stainless using silver solder (Weldcote Metals 50 N)
will I be then be able to use 60/40 tin/lead solder to join it to
the copper?

If that isn't going to work then I'll have to silver solder a copper
ring around the tube then solder to that.

Mike

Why? Take the stainless tube. Clean it VERY well on the end. Use a
stainless wire brush and while you brush the stainless use regular
solder to tin the stainless. Then solder as normal.

I've had zero luck soft soldering stainless with 60/40. Years ago I
tried a silver based soft solder and that didn't work either.

It works fine if you have the right flux. I used to solder to stainless
RF connectors all the time, using a small bottle of clear liquid flux.
Unfortunately, I don't remember the brand or name of the stuff. The
catch is that it is an acid, and it boils & spatters when you solder with
it. It eats soldering iron tips, and the spatter will corrode everything
in sight. It's best to have a separate iron & work in a well protected
or separate environment from whehre you do most of your work. And
definitely wear safety glasses!

I got tired of the hassle, and now only specify gold plated connectors,
which solder without any trouble.

Doug White

In article ,
Doug White wrote:

Mike B someone@noplace wrote in
:

On Sun, 14 Oct 2012 08:54:28 -0400, "Steve W."
wrote:

Mike B wrote:
I need to join a 316 stainless steel tube to a copper plated
fibreglass circuit board which can only withstand lead tin soldering
temperatures (180 C). .
If I 'tin' the stainless using silver solder (Weldcote Metals 50 N)
will I be then be able to use 60/40 tin/lead solder to join it to
the copper?

If that isn't going to work then I'll have to silver solder a copper
ring around the tube then solder to that.

Mike

Why? Take the stainless tube. Clean it VERY well on the end. Use a
stainless wire brush and while you brush the stainless use regular
solder to tin the stainless. Then solder as normal.

I've had zero luck soft soldering stainless with 60/40. Years ago I
tried a silver based soft solder and that didn't work either.

It works fine if you have the right flux. I used to solder to stainless
RF connectors all the time, using a small bottle of clear liquid flux.
Unfortunately, I don't remember the brand or name of the stuff. The
catch is that it is an acid, and it boils & spatters when you solder with
it. It eats soldering iron tips, and the spatter will corrode everything
in sight. It's best to have a separate iron & work in a well protected
or separate environment from whehre you do most of your work. And
definitely wear safety glasses!

It's called Tinners Flux, and is made and sold under many names, and
some kinds are specialized for use on stainless steel (usually because
the flux has some Phosphoric Acid in it), but I've used ordinary
hardware-store tinners flux on stainless without difficulty.

Careful mechanical cleaning of the steel to be soldered is always
helpful.

Joe Gwinn

On Sunday, October 14, 2012 7:14:47 AM UTC-7, Doug White wrote:
[ soft-solder to stainless steel]

It works fine if you have the right flux. I used to solder to stainless
RF connectors all the time, using a small bottle of clear liquid flux.
Unfortunately, I don't remember the brand or name of the stuff. The
catch is that it is an acid...

It takes an acid flux to solder nickel or nickel alloys, like stainless.
I use Nokorode liquid flux and it's acid and somewhat sticky, and one does NOT
want to keep it near the fine tools or next to delicate metal items.
There's fumes, I suspect; nearby objects corrode.

The acid flux also works well on brass, and it's how to make a good
solder connection to a battery (NiCd or the nickel-plated ends on a AA cell).

On 10/14/2012 10:07, Mike B wrote:
I need to join a 316 stainless steel tube to a copper plated fibreglass circuit
board which can only withstand lead tin soldering temperatures (180 C).
.
If I 'tin' the stainless using silver solder (Weldcote Metals 50 N) will I be
then be able to use 60/40 tin/lead solder to join it to the copper?

Yes, it will work ok.

Kristian Ukkonen.

On Oct 14, 1:09*am, Mike B someone@noplace wrote:
I need to join a 316 stainless steel tube to a copper plated fibreglass circuit
board which can only withstand lead tin soldering temperatures (180 C).
.
If I 'tin' the stainless using silver solder (Weldcote Metals 50 N) will I be
then be able to use *60/40 tin/lead solder to join it to the copper?

If that isn't going to work then I'll have to silver solder a copper ring around
the tube then solder to that.

Mike

Stainless has the same trouble as tinning aluminum, it has an oxide
coating. So the same answer exists to tin it. Heat it up, submerge
it in molten solder and scrub the surface under the solder with a
stainless brush until satisfied that it's well tinned. Wipe off excess
and sweat to your other piece. You'd have the same trouble using
silver braze except that fluxes intended for stainless will remove the
oxide layer for you so the brazing filler can wet the surface. As far
as sticking lead/tin solders to brazing filler, I'd have no idea. I
imagine it would work, depending on the filler. High copper-content
fillers would probably work best.

Stan