Soldering, Brazing and Welding

EDITED BY BERNARD E. JONES Editor of “Work”
With 78 Illustrations
FUNK & WAGNALLS COMPANY NEW YORK and LONDON 1917
This handbook, which explains in detail a variety of processes common to general metalworking, has been written by a number of thoroughly practical men, by whom it was contributed in another form to “Work,” the illustrated weekly journal of handicrafts and mechanics. Its appeal is to everybody who makes any attempt at working in metals, inasmuch as at least one of the processes—soldering, brazing or welding—will be met at a very early stage in the beginner’s experience. This handbook will be found a complete workshop guide to the usual methods of soldering and brazing, and will form an excellent introduction to the modern electrical and oxy-acetylene welding processes, to do complete justice to which, however, a separate handbook would, of course, be necessary. If readers encounter difficulty in any of the matters treated in this book, they have only to write to “Work,” in whose columns (but not by post) help will be willingly afforded.
B. E. J.
SOLDERING, BRAZING AND WELDING
Apart from the use of rivets, screws, etc., metal is commonly joined by soldering, brazing, or welding, three groups of processes that have one thing in common—the use of heat to fuse either the metals themselves or an alloy which is interposed to consolidate the joint. The word “solder” is derived through the French from a Latin word meaning “solid.”
Soldering may be “soft” or “hard.” Soft-soldering uses lead-tin alloys which are easily melted in a bunsen gas flame or with a hot iron or bit; while hard-soldering employs a silver-copper alloy, to melt which a mouth blowpipe at least is necessary. Brazing is hard-soldering with spelter (brass), and a forge or a heavy blowlamp or a powerful blowpipe must be employed to provide the heat.
Soft-soldering is an operation that the beginner will not find nearly so difficult as hard-soldering or brazing, and although the strength of joints made by it is not nearly equal to that produced by the methods named, it fills a useful place within its scope. It is purely a surface union—that is, the solder adheres to the faces in contact in much the same manner as an adhesive sticks to metal; but with the assistance of fluxes, the contact is made so intimate that some force is necessary to break the joint. Soft-soldering is also of use where brazing would simply mean the ruin or destruction of the metals, as in the cases of lead, poor-quality brass, pewter, tin, zinc, and in tinplate and galvanised iron.