Well, I got two connectors today for some 1/4" coppertubing. Used mapp gas. Used Alum oxide sandpaper to clean. Used flux. Used silver solder, no lead.
Heated it up, and could not get the solder to flow. Ended up burning up the connectors.
What am I missing? I had three tries, and I blew them all. I've sweated copper, and watched it done, but today was a real flop.
Steve
Check your flux. Some of the 'white stuff' won't tolerate 'silver solder' temperatures, esp. the solder with considerable amounts of silver in the alloy.
There is a 'black flux' that is rumored to work in that temperature range.
--Winston
Wrong flux. Proper flux makes it flow and wick more aggressively than tin/lead.
There is lead free solder that some people call silver solder because it has about 5% silver in it. It is something like 95% tin. And there is silver solder that contains about 50 % silver and most of the remaining is copper. The melting temperatures are very different so they require fluxes that are different.
=20 Dan
I had a 3/8 to 3/8 straight compression fitting, so made alterations in the tubing so I could get them to come together in a straight line. It's done, but I'll look into the flux. What I have is in a green can. Don't know the name as I am in the house now, not the shop. What SHOULD I have been using?
Steve
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