Silver solder is made up of zinc, copper and silver. The flow temperature for silver solder is between 1200 and 1400 degrees Fahrenheit. Silver solder is used on instruments where pieces are not meant to come apart. This includes valve casing assemblies and brace assemblies.
Porting Tool
The first silver solder I did in class was soldering a 1/16" piece of drill rod to a 1/8" 12L14 steel rod while making my porting too. Greg and Jon (my teachers) were there to help me with my first solder and helped me set up the fixture. Below is a picture of the finished solder joint.
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| The drill rod has been silver soldered and buffed |
'E' Project
The 'E' Project was my second attempt at silver soldering. This project was a great learning tool for my future of silver soldering. I had to prepare the 1/8" pieces of brass rod. One piece was 2" long and the two arms of the E were 1". The middle arm of the E was made of nickel silver and was 1/2" long. The purpose of using the two different metals was so that I could learn how the different metals react when silver soldered. They produce a different color when heated because of their properties. First I had to face all of the rods and bevel the ends to remove flashing. Then I rounded the side of the arms that were going to be placed on the main shaft of the E. I rounded the ends with my jewelers files. Once the arms were prepared I was ready to solder them together. I had to set up the rods in the fixture so that they would be stabilized while soldering. I will put up another picture of the finished product soon. It is filed, sanded and buffed!
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| The rods are faced and ready to be rounded |
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| The top joint was my first and the best of the three. The middle arm is nickel silver |
Soft Solder
Soft solder is usually made up of a tin and lead mixture. The common types are 50/50, 63/37, and 70/30. In class we use the 63/37 type soft solder. Soft solder needs to be heated between 350 and 500 degrees Fahrenheit. Soft solder is used so that repair technicians are able to repair broken pieces and change or modify parts. When soft soldering it is important to use flux. Flux for soft soldering is usually made of zinc chloride. It's job is to block oxides which allows the solder to get in the pores of the brass or metal. This allows solder to act like metal 'glue.'
Trumpet Brace
The first soft soldering I did in class was soldering a brace to a trumpet bell. This is my project bell that I have used to practice dent removal. The first step was making sure the brass rod was fit to the bell stem and tail. When soldering it is important to have a nice fit so that the solder doesn't have to act as a space filler. Also, both pieces that are being soldered need to be clean in order for the solder to be effective.
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| Getting the brace ready for soldering |
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| Marking the rod so that I know where to file |
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| Checking the fit of the parts |
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| At the soldering bench |
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| Soft soldered brace |
Trumpet Patches
This exercise was to practice soft soldering and buffing around added patches. Again, the first step is to fit the parts. I used my rawhide mallet and fit them around a universal trumpet mandrel and then fine tuned them to fit the trumpet bell. I ran into a little bit of trouble because I bell got a little too warm for soft soldering, but I have learned that I need to take my time and let the parts cool before getting too excited.
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| The fitted patches are held on with solder clips |
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| At the solder bench |
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| First patch was successful but there was too much solder on top of the patch |
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| Second patch was probably the best. There is very little solder on top of the patch and is evenly distributed around the patch |
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| The third patch was terrible. The trumpet was too warm and that is why the solder flowed everywhere. Lots of clean up to follow |
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| After the patches where buffed. It turned out nice but some of the corners were distorted by the buffing wheel. It was not as crisp as I would have like it |
