Tinning copper bar

Unless you need to use lead free solder, I would use traditional lead-tin solder. The general consensus seems to be that lead free solder is less satisfactory and more difficult to work with.

Best wishes,

Chris

What Chris said. Leaded is better. Plus, if you are generous with CLEANING and FLUX and heat before applying solder, you will be rewarded with a nice, shiny finish.

Remember to wash your hands after working with any leaded metal. Please keep your face out of the smoke.

--Winston

I, too would go with the lead/tin solder. You will be using an appropriate flux, I assume. You wil also be "shining" the parts up just before fluzing so the flux won't have so much work to do, right?

You didn't say how big your sample was or how big your torch was. Just remember that a small sample won't take nearly as much heat as your part may take. Also, if you are using "electronic" solder, it may be a lower melting point alloy than what you get when buying a "solder bar". The solder bar ( maybe 95/5) could well melt at a couple hundred degrees higher than 63/37. If you've got enough "solder wire", just go with that.

Pete Stanaitis

CS wrote:

"CS" wrote: (clip) My question is

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ I believe lead is used on top of storage batteries because it resists corrosion by the sulfuric acid fumes. Using solder, I would worry that the acid would leach out the tin, and leave you with a porous layer which would then allow the acid to attack the copper. I would try tinning with solder, and then cover that with lead. I'm pretty sure you could get the lead to wet the solder easier than trying to get it to wet the copper. (Have never tried it, though.)

Hi. You have gotten some good suggestions from the group. All seem to assume you are going to put the bars back on the batteries, but you never stated that, or what you were going to do with the bars.

Since the cells are 2 volt, we can assume they are lead-sulfuric acid. Other chemistry will give different voltages.

If you are replacing the bars on the cells, spray them with clear polyurethane for protection. Even if you tin them or plate them, still protect them with something. All plating/tinning will have some porosity an allow the acid vapor to begin electrolysis of the plating and the copper. This is why your chrome trim on vehicles needs wax to seal it. Polyurethane will completely seal the surface and will not detract from the color of the plating.

Give us some more information!

best regards, Paul

=2E =EF=BF=BDI wish to tin them and can

Several have addressed the type of plating.

My suggestion involves the heating. If Mama will allow preheat them in the oven. Perhaps this will be hot enough for all the heating they need. If not get a hotplate for the final heating before simply wiping/ tinning the bars with the solder of your choice.

Not sure what the number of the bars is but a larger solder pot would allow the tinning to be done by immersion.

As another said watch out for the fumes.

Bob AZ

Why do you want to tin them? You may get better suggestions for how to proceed if you state the result you seek.

Eutectic solder melts at 361 F. The oven will do fine.

I retinned all the mates copper pots a few years back using bar tin and flux but Johnson's E-127 is a lot easier.

I have tinned all the bare copper busses going to the T fuse blocks on Rutu. Used Johnson's E-127 Flux N Solder paste. Pure tin powder in a flux. Scrubbed the copper clean, dipped it in some fresh degreaser and handled it with cotton gloves. Spread the E-127 on all surfaces and laid it on an asbestos shingle. Gradually heated it with a propane torch until the tin melted and brushed it lightly with some bronze wool. Came out looking better than a professionally tinned buss bar.

Great tip - I'll use 100% tin solder paint and pop them in the oven at

250C. Much easier than faffing about with a blow torch and solder stick.

There are no fumes at or near room temperature, For fumes you boil out

all the water at a relatively high temperature, ane then boil pure acid.

Casady

Then how come my battery box got all rusty? Bruce-in-Bangkok (correct email address for reply)

preparation is the key.

do all your machining and mechanical work first

clean copper that has been cleansed of all oil or surface tension debris is critical to your end product

naptha removes nearly all hydrocarbon type surface contaminants

to etch and open the atom structure, i use plain old toilet cleaner with acid content (Hydrochloric) , even the smelly stuff works.

complete rinse in clear pure water until bright and shiny

then immediately into the solder bath or pot if you can afford it.

blowtorch heat will only cause instant creation of copper oxides, thus causing troubel, that why we use solder pots

flux is cheap, use it freely

60/40 solderworks fine, lead free worksfine, lead alone will oxidize eventually

use ventilation to draw fumes AWAY from the operators/personell supply masks if needed.