Joining 2 Copper Together

How do I join them with a torch...
I remember the techies in our school use some metal.... What is that metal..?
Also, where in earth can I RENT a torch and a drill?

Hey Tio.
To join two pieces of copper together, I just place them on the cooking burner of my stove. Electric or gas doesn't matter.

The metal they use to join them is solder. This usually comes on a spool and looks like a thick wire. It's soft and flexible though. You'll also need to buy flux. It's a cleaner used for soldering, and makes the solder flow down into a crack when it's liquified.

Coat both surfaces to be joined with flux.
Place the two pieces together on the stove, the way you want them when finished. Turn on the burner.
When the copper starts turning dark, it's hot enough. Feed the solder 'wire' into the joint. It will turn liquid as soon as it touches the hot copper, and run into the joint. Feed in plenty of solder to avoid leaks.
Turn off the stove, letting the copper sit and cool off. After 10 minutes, you can pick it up using pliers, a wire, or whatever metal tool is available. Hold it under cold running water for a bit, and it's done! Do not touch the copper while on the stove.

This can smell bad, but not for long...do not breath the smoke from the burning flux!!
You can use flux and solder made for water pipes, but silver solder is best for use on a waterblock, cause it transfers heat better. You can get silver solder at an electronics supply store, and use the same flux. I like the paste type flux made for water pipes because it's a little sticky and won't run out of the gap too much.

Use dish soap to clean up any flux left on the copper, and on your hands. It's a mild acid and will tarnish the copper over time, or burn your eyes badly.

As for the drill, see if an auto parts shop will rent tools out. Some here do.

Good luck.

If you're not above spending a little extra cash, you can buy a propane torch, and do the same thing Diggrr is suggesting. What you want to do is put the two pieces together and gradually heat them. Then put the solder one the copper right by the joint, don't melt it with the torch itself. The solder should melt on it's own just by holding it on the heated metal. If you've heatted it to the correct temperature range, it fill melt and "flow", or "wick" itself into the joint. If you've heated it up too much the solder will bead and run off, too little and the solder wire will stick itself to the surface. Good luck whichever method you choose!


...oh yeah, what are you trying to make by the way?

I soldered all my water blocks with a Benzomatic copper pipe solderijng kit frome Home Depot (it has a propane torch). Only cost $15. All I needed to provide was a lighter for the torch. I would not cool it under water if I were you because the joint can crack. Copper cools at a different rate than solder if you quench in in water the quick cooling will also harden the copper some. I air cool my blocks with a fan in a few minutes. Don't forget to wear some heavy leather gloves and eye protection too.

Just my $0.02

O

If you want to make things a little bit easier, get the flux cored solder. This has a tacky flux already in the center of the wire of flux and eliminates the need to use any other flux.

Aesik said:

If you want to make things a little bit easier, get the flux cored solder. This has a tacky flux already in the center of the wire of flux and eliminates the need to use any other flux.

Click to expand...

True, to an extent. Core flux solder is fine for wire soldering, but not really suited for joining two plates together. When I say wire, I mean 12 gauge and under.

Can u solder aluminum too?

Or is there some better way of physically joining Al?

I tried to solder to Aluminum and it dosen't work. Arctic Silver of Arctic Alumina epoxy should work good. I have used JB Weld also and it works pretty good but not as good at transferring heat as the 'Arcitc' products. You can weld Aluminum with the right kind of equiomant but I don't have any esperience with that. I think it's call heli-arc welding or sume such.

O

You can join aluminum with soldering, but it requires a special solder. I picked up this link somewhere, but haven't bought from them.
http://www.solder-it.com/solderpaste.asp#Aluminum Paste

Diggrr said:

You can join aluminum with soldering, but it requires a special solder. I picked up this link somewhere, but haven't bought from them.
http://www.solder-it.com/solderpaste.asp#Aluminum Paste

Click to expand...

Thanks! That's a great link! I wonder if the silver solder paste is the same as the stuff I have seenat Radio Shack? Do you know? They even have a copper version but I would probably stick with the silver for my soldering.

O

No idea. Haven't been to RS in months.
For joining aluminum, I have a friend in the maintenence department of a stamping shop. They've got this Lincoln welder that does mig, tig, arc, and heli-arc. It'll weld any steel to 2" thick, aluminum, brass, even magnesium.
If God has a welder, this is it. Ya just gotta love having friends.

I hear you about the friends. Where I used to live I had a machinist friend with access to all that stuff but alas I moved I will have to cultivate some new friends.

I looked on Radio Shack's web site and the stuff they sell is called 'Solder Weld' and is described as a 'Silver Bearing Paste. Use with lighter or iron'. Looks like it has tin and silver in it but might be better to use than regular tin solder. Looks like it also melts at a lower temp so the stove method should work good. Here is the link:

http://www.radioshack.com/product.a...y_name=CTLG_005_006_001_000&product_id=64-029