Silver solder 12L14?

Dec 10, 2013 2 Replies

I have a 5 hp leaf blower that has an aluminum hub for the fan/impeller. It has wallowed out, both in the keyway and bore, so I decided to make a new one from steel. I had a piece of 12L14 that was just-right and I turned, bored, and reamed it for a perfect fit. The hub needs a cross piece for bolting on the fan and I made it from a piece of 1/4 x 1-1/2 mystery steel.



It all fit up real nice and I was all ready weld them together when I had an "Oh, crap" moment: one can't weld 12L14. (Or so I've heard - the weld is supposedly real crappy from the lead.)



Assuming that welding is a bad idea, can I silver solder them? The cross piece sits on a shoulder on the hub, with a matching surface that's 3/16 wide & 1-1/2" diameter and a cylindrical contact of 1/4 x



1-1/8 diameter. Nearly 2 square inches of contact.

The basic question is: will the lead affect the solder? Having the fan come off at 3000 rpm is not the kind of excitement that I need.



Bob


Is that a piece that I sold you?

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Why? Are you in the "mystery steel" business?

Thanks. I skipped Googling it, thinking that the question was too far out in left field. I should have known that you can find anything with Google.

Bob

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