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Solder for hot or cold rolled steel?

I've got an application where I need strength approaching weld for a complex joint, but sealing the crack is a little more important than high strength. The application will be a medium volume production effort, and it will be ongoing. I've got a JPEG of the kind of joint at the following link on my Web site:

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The joint is highlighted as a green line. I think anyone could see that welding would be extremely time, energy and money consuming because of the complexity of the joint, especially as what is shown is only a small portion of the total for each assembly to be made, and these assemblies will be made over and over and over. The length of each straight section in the joint is somewhere between 3/4" and 1" and the length of the entire joint can easily be a couple of feet or more . . . the application will probably entail several varieties of different lengths.

My question: is there a material like some type of solder paste available that could be squeezed onto the joint line kind of like caulk, and then melted in an oven to form a tight joint? And if so, would such a material provide some modicum of strength when used with hot rolled or cold rolled steel? As I said, it doesn't need to be just terribly strong. Maybe strong enough to withstand an impact like getting dropped or banged medium hard, but wouldn't need to bear much weight.

Anybody had any experience with such as this?

Thanks, Mark 'Sporky' Stapleton Watermark Design, LLC Charlotte, NC

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Reply to
Sporkman
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No experience, but it would seem to me that epoxy would be what you are looking for. i.e JB Weld or the like. Doug

Reply to
Douglas R. Probst

OH-KAY, so . . . I've found references to silver soldering and brazing. Some pretty good references actually. Doesn't look all THAT easy for fair quantities. At least, doesn't look all that safe for long term exposure, considering typically there's cadmium in the solder mix and so lots of ventilation would be necessary. Also there's the problem of hazardous materials disposal for a business. Anybody have any better or more complete information than what's available at the following link?

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Reply to
Sporkman

Dozens of them. Look at silver solders. Work beautifully if you clean it nicely before hand, then pop it in an oven.

You might even look up bike frame manufacture, and the old days of "lugged" frames. Nice low-tech, low-skill process (low skill compared to bronze welding). Solder costs a bit and the old ones are full of cadmium, but them's the lumps.

Reply to
Andy Dingley

For good info on silver brazing try :

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Your example is not too clear. The joint looks Ok but how deep is it? You certainly have more than enough surface area on contact. Randy

Reply to
Randy Zimmerman

Reply to
RoyJ

Dear Sporkman:

You got it correctly. The piece you are bonding to the main corrugated part, could be formed from the same sheet. Or at least enough of it that simple spot welding can provide the bonding to a more "formal" channel.

Think chemistry. Poly-mer. Many mers, or units of similar construction.

Good luck!

David A. Smith

Reply to
N:dlzc D:aol T:com (dlzc)

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