I've got a 15mm SS nut and I want to braze a (SS?) hex wrench to it so I'll have a hand-friendly mega-wing nut.
But I don't weld. All I've got is one of those itty-bitty MAPP gas torches, some bronze and silver brazing rods, and some brazing flux for each.
Is there any hope of getting a decent bond that way?
Intended use is on the water - so I'd rather not determine whether it will drop off or not experimentally.... -)
I'll crosspost this to a home repair group. There might be someone who can answer that there. I do a little welding but not professionally.
I'm no welder, but I've done some welding and brazing over the years. I've never heard of brazing stainless steel. It could be possible, but I have my doubts. If all you want to do is hold the nut in the wrench, I'd just JB Weld it in there. If you want to be 100% sure it dont come loose, take it to a professional welder. They have special equipment for SS. Even if they charge $50 an hour, it will probably take no more than 10 minutes to put a little weld on it, so I doubt it would cost more than $10. Another thing would be to get a piece of SS about 1/4 thick or more, drill and tap threads in it. You'd probably need to make a bend toward the bottom end. But that would probably take more work and cost more.
Whenever I have to weld anything other than steel, I just let the welding shop do it. They have the equipment for SS, cast iron, aluminum, etc.
I have a buddy who owns are general fab shop; SS & carbon steel welding, sheet metal work & some machining.
He silver soldered two SS parts together for me....not as strong as welding but the decent method to attach two slip fit parts.
Based on my limited observation of the process.....gotta get the parts HOT! :)
Here are some potential alternatives
cheers Bob
Should be, if you can get things hot enough.
On the other hand, you might be able to have this done at an auto repair shop. My mechanic does a couple types of welding, and has repaired an office chair for me. And, a couple of other metal welds.
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I'll crosspost this to a home repair group. There might be someone who can answer that there. I do a little welding but not professionally.
I silver brazed stainless steel pieces together last weekend using MAPP gas. Takes a while to get the pieces hot enough, but worked fine. Go for it!
Paul
Dean Hoffman wrote in news:jjji45$k39$ snipped-for-privacy@speranza.aioe.org:
I brazed a SS handle nut to my SS 3 qt.cookpot with a Bernz-o-Matic Oxy- MAPP torch. it worked great. I used the flux-coated rod that came in the torch kit,the brass-looking rod with the white coating. you can buy the rods separately at Home Depot. the torch kit came with a chart to select the proper rod for the material being brazed.
I don't think you can(or should) braze it with MAPP alone. also,the Hex wrench is not going to be stainless,it will be high carbon tool steel.
True silver solder typically has a silver content of approx 60% silver or more and will work on pretty much any metal. It's often called "hard" soldering as opposed to "soft" soldering, which applies to lead based solder commonly used for simple plumbing joints and electronics. My only reservation to hard soldering a nut to a wrench would be the fit clearance. If there's too large a gap between the nut and the wrench, you may have problems getting the solder to remain in place by capillary action. Perhaps slip some brass shims in there. MAPP gas MIGHT work if the parts are small enough, but 15mm is a pretty big nut and wrench. I can't see it working w/o oxygen.
nb
If it's the correct size wrench and nut it should be a pretty tight fit. I agree the wrench is not SS. It's probably chromed steel. Also, a wrench that large will take a lot of heat to get hot enough and I think the chrome will cause problems. I still say take it to a professional welder, spend $10 and be done with it. That's what I would do. By the time you buy the silver brazing rods, burn up all the costly mapp gas, etc. you wont be ahead.
On the other hand, do you really need SS? Take a standard nut and weld it with a regular wire welder to a piece of steel with a hole drilled in it. Or braze that with brass rods. That way you can save your wrench too. Paint it when done to prevent rust.
Curious, what is this thing to be used for?
....or even cosmetic chrome plate like Snap-On.
I totally agree. I jes jumped in cuz I usta do a LOT of silver soldering. Given my current collection of tools and welding supplies, definite cheaper to pay a neighbor with a wire welder to do it up quick n' dirty. More than likely you'd get off fer a couple o' six-packs that you'd probably also get to help drink! ;)
nb
Per Paul Drahn:
Just MAPP, no oxygen - right?
Per WW:
Just MAPP? Or MAPP + Oxygen?
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