Let no one in this group say I will not eat crow. Not tasty, but necessary sometimes.
I picked up some lead-free silver bearing 95/5 solder and some 'general purpose paste flux'. I tried Ace, Home Depot, and Lowe's and could not find any of the recommended solders or fluxes.
Anyhooo, I got out 2 nails - 16p framing to be sure they were not coated or plated. Using my Weller WTCP iron which was not really enough heat even using an 800deg tip, I tinned the nails after thorough cleaning with Scotch-brite and fluxing while heating them. Using the silver bearing solder, I joined the 2 nails in a cross fashion - the joint was not pretty since I lacked the proper heat. After letting them cool to where I could handle them bare fingered, I applied scissor force to the joint. It took 15-20 lbs of force to break the joint. There was nice evidence of good tinning on the nail that lost all of the joint.
So now all you roosters can stand up and crow " I was right !".
David