Soldering stainless steel pipe

[YAPH]

I recently had a job in a place that had a lot of stainless steel pipe in its plumbing systems. I think it must have dated from the copper shortages of the 1970s(?) (connected with the Rhodesia crisis?). What surprised me was that many of the joints were soldered, with regular-looking Yorkshire (solder-ring) fittings. I tried tinning a bit of stainless pipe but couldn't get the solder to wet the pipe. How does one do it - presumably some special sort of flux?

[Tim S]

YAPH coughed up some electrons that declared:

Baker's fluid?

I've used that to solder stainless, but small stuff, not pipes.

I was a bugger to do IIRC. There's probably a better flux for the job, but that's all I had to hand and it sort of worked...

Cheers

Tim

[dave batter]

AIR active flux worked for me but more heat was needed

dave batter kitchenman

[nightjar]

I always mixed my own, 50% Baker's Fluid No1, 25% water, then slowly add 25% concentrated hydrochloric acid. I'm not sure whether it would work with lead-free solder though.

Colin Bignell