need help with soldering

[hhughh]

Am building a NSW trade gun. This is the second gun I've done that needed soldering for lugs/sights. The first gun, I had lots of trouble getting the lugs to "take", then, suddenly, one would stick. Now I'm trying the same thing with this gun, but I never did understand the magic formula of now it won't, now it will. I'm following the directions with the solder, but all it says is "heat the parts". Can it be that I am not heating my barrel enough? Has anyone done a tutorial on this? The lugs themselves seem to "tin" much better than the barrel. The solder on the barrel basically turns into a ball and rolls off. Help, please?

Thanks,
Hugh

 

[saber]

Not sure what you are useing? I get my silver soldier from Brownells and it works very well jest need to get it to the right temp amd it holds

 

[4570tc]

I use Stay Brite from TOW, To me it sounds like the barrel isn't clean enough, or needs some more flux.

 

[wmaser]

I can only think of three things that could cause your problem... The barrel must be insufficiently cleaned, fluxed or heated.

 

[Black Hand]

Having been in the same situation, it sounds like the barrel isn't warm enough for the solder to "take".

I find that if I tin the lugs well, it isn't really necessary to add any additional solder to the barrel when attaching the two. Just make sure the barrel is clean. To test for firm attachment, each lug gets a sharp "rap" from a ballpeen hammer....

 

[JMinnerath]

Pretty much it.
If everything is clean, including the solder, and your flux is good; you're not hot enough.
You need the get the heaviest part hot enough so the solder applied to it will melt and flow.

 

[justafeedboy]

I've never had ploblems, I think yours is coming from not enough heat. I'm using mapp gas heating on one side, applying sotter to the other side, When the lug/barrel or sight is hot enough it melts and is drawn to the heat and is soldered. Just when the solder starts to ball is just under where it needs to be heated a little more. Practice makes perfect, cleanlyness makes all the difference in the world as well, before starting all pieces are lightly buffed with steel wool, I wear rubber gloves so as not to get oil from my skin on any part, I then apply flux using a clean brush or a new one for each project, I can never find them when I need a clean one. I hpoe this helps I seem to be anal about the soldering but have never had a problem

 

[Kootenai]

The reason the solder is balling up and falling off is too much direct heat to the solder. If you are using bottle propane it takes a while to get the barrell to the right temp. Take your time and try to evenly heat the area around where you want the lug and sight. The soldering paste should get runny first, then go to a dry grey, then with time go to a yellow bronze. After this the solder should melt. Wipe this off with a rag where you are leaving only a thin coat of "tinning" on both the barrel and the lug, etc. Now put a small spot of solder on the lug. Put in place and heat it up again. You should be able to see the flux liquify rather quickly, then the solder will turn a bright silver. After this let it cool and you are good to go.

Kootenai

 

[mazo kid]

I can only think of three things that could cause your problem... The barrel must be insufficiently cleaned, fluxed or heated.

You got it! And DON'T clean with steel wool, it has oil on it to prevent rusting. If you do polish with steel wool, make sure to use a solvent to clean the area when you are done. Heat the largest mass (barrel) with the sight/lug in place. Heat the area gently, trying the solder from time to time. The solder should melt from the heat of the barrel, not the flame. It might help if you tin the bottom of the sight/lug first and then apply heat to the barrel.

 

[Vaino]

Sandpaper both the bbl area and lug or sight, wipe w/ alcohol, let dry, lightly apply Swif 95 solder paste to both parts, lightly clamp and heat w/ a Mapp Gas torch.....mainly the bbl. No tinning and excellent results.....Fred

 

[allanbrooks]

i feel your pain , building my first kit pedersoli brown bess trade gun, lugs where already installed one broke off took me two days of failure to finaly get it soldered back on right :cursing:

 

[jerrywh]

Always apply the heat to the heviest part. the heat will travel to the smaller parts by itself.
Clean and flux both parts. I recomend stay bright solder or Swiff 95. Do not use high temp silver brazing solder on a barrel.

 

[hoochiepapa]

Not to derail this thread, but how about silfos?
I used it in my job and had much success.

 

[B.Habermehl]

Here's how I do it. Lightly file or sand the mating surface of the lug to bright metal. Do not touch or wipe. Flux right away. Heat and spread solder "tinning" the part, shake off excess. Now sand or lightly file the area of the barrel the lug will fit to, Flux right away. Clamp the parts together, heat the barrel not the lug. When you see the flux start to boil you will soon see the solder tinning liquify. Add a bit more solder from the oposite side from where the heat is applied. The solder will draw twards the heat. You will see solder weeping out of the joint all the way around. Propane is more forgiving than Mapp, You can overheat and burn the flux causing problems too.

 

[Bill Hall]

Mike, sil-fos uses temps right up there with silver solder, so over heating could be an issue. But sil-fos is much easier to get to flow than silver solder, hard to make a bad sil-fos joint :grin: . Even though it's much stronger than soft solder, I personally think it's overkill for most muzzleloader applications, especially with all the extra heat needed to make it work.

I love using sil-fos when I think it's really needed, and if you're good at using it without eating up, or over heating the steel, by all means use it. I think it's probably best to learn soft solder first, then work your way up to sil-fos and silver solder. Bill

 

[jerrywh]

If you get a barrel hot enough to use silfos it will warp the barrel. Even if you heat it all the way around if will cause a choke in it.