Silver Solder Torch Selection

Steamchick said:

Is T-cut just Rouge? - Will that work as a solder anti-flux?

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GreenTwin said:

From my limited experience with silver soldering steel parts together with high-temperature silver solder, there is a bit of an art to getting the two (or more) pieces hot enough to flow the silver solder, without overheating the flux at the joint line.
The thing that really needs to happen (in my opinion) is that the pieces (complete pieces, not just edges of the pieces) need to get to the right temperature to completely flow the silver solder all the way through the joint.
It is very easy to make a good looking superficial silver solder joint, but a few whacks with a hammer on a test piece will tell the tale.
For a high-strength connection, you need a very thin joint, and a completely flowed joint.

As I mentioned, I use any oxy-acetylene torch, and while that may be overkill for hobby work, it should be noted that there are a wide variety of tips available with an oxy-act torch, to provide anywhere from pinpoint heat, to very wide flames.
You can also use various sized tips, for large or small projects.
And by adjusting the regulators, you can dial in the heat you need for the particular application.
There is no downside in my opinion to having excess heating capablilty, since it is like the accelerator pedal in your car; nobody says you have push the pedal completely down when you use a car, and controlling the excess power is easy.

From a cost standpoint, the least expensive equipment that will do the job at hand makes sense.
If you have an overlap of other repair types in your shop, then the least expensive option is the one that will do all the types of repair you want to do, not just model work.

A very hot flame that is too localized/pinpointed will just burn hot spots on the metal pieces without getting the overall pieces hot enough for a complete flow.
The approach for silver soldering is the opposite of gas welding.
With gas welding, you want a narrow tip that concentrates all of the heat into a very small area, where you create a puddle and sort of pull/walk it along around the joint. The joint should be V-cut so that you are assured of complete and full weld penetration.

For silver soldering, you are trying to bring up the temperature of all of the pieces to a uniform temperature that is hot enough to get complete joint flow, but cool enough to not burn off the flux.
The joint is typically two flat surfaces that are separated by a very small distance, with the separation often obtained by using slight punch marks across the faces of the joint.
The brown flux helps with avoiding flux burnoff, since it has a higher temperature rating.

You don't want to pinpoint high concentrations of heat or temperature into a small spot when trying to silver solder.
Focusing high temperatures on the joint itself just burns off the flux and ruins the connection.

Try some test pieces, break/cut them apart to verify full penetration, and I think you will get the hang of it quickly.
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