Hello all. Over the years I've had occasional mounts that required steel over brass. Because I don't have any welding rigs and am only using acetylene for brazing, I've always just brazed the steel. I've noticed that it takes a lot more time for the joint to flow properly with steel. My question is, what's the limitations when brazing is no longer enough? Can stainless be brazed? I'm wondering if it's time to expand and get a welding set up. Any recommendations on welding equipment would be welcome as well!
Yours,
James
Stainless steel can be brazed / silver soldered . I really suggest TIG welding , I have worked as the senior metal worker within the museum industry for 16 plus years and have made object supports almost exclusively using stainless steel. I have welded down to 0.5mm for armatures using orthodontic wire to regular fabrication of armature mounts using 0.9, 1.6, 2.4, 3 ,4,6,8,12 mm dia rods and tubing from 8mm to 50 mm dia (1.2mm to1.6mm wall), and then into pipe ,Flat bar and machined shapes .Comparitively speaking TIG welding is clean and fast. I have silver soldered Stainless for some mounts but always preferred the TIG as an overall practice.
The Last really affordable TIG machine I used ( presently using a Kemppi 2500 which was from another section of the Australian War Memorial) was a Duralloy 201PFC AC/DC TIG which has pulse and is an inverter style machine . It was very affordable ,was easy to teach novices how to weld and has the advantage of being able to weld Aluminium also . As far as welding Helmets go I am a big fan of 9100 series speedglas brand by 3M,expensive but comfortable and a great visual field .Hope that helps Cheers
Hi James,
I've had good results using silver solder to join smaller pieces of steel and stainless. It's actually a great way to join brass to steel (if you need a stronger material in your mount design). One thing that I've noticed is that the silver solder joint is weaker than steel, so making adjustments after joining can be tricky. Pining your sections before soldering can help strengthen the joint. I always weld larger steel material and I think it would be worth looking into a oxy-acetylene, mig or big setup if you think you'll be working with larger material.
Hope this helps!
Best,
BJ