how to join copper...

dude_se said:
so it wont work at all :confused: as long as its a method i can write about it and just say that its not a very good one to use..

that's a pretty good post that Raffaz made, take a look at that.
 
Ð88 said:
that's a pretty good post that Raffaz made, take a look at that.

oh s**t yea i saw that but forgot to comment on it lol. it looks like a great site so ill deffo use it. cheers :D .. no rep for razzaz though. i need to spread it around (i think,... ill check), some rep for Ð88 though. much appreciated
 
dude_se said:
oh s**t yea i saw that but forgot to comment on it lol. it looks like a great site so ill deffo use it. cheers :D .. no rep for razzaz though. i need to spread it around (i think,... ill check), some rep for Ð88 though. much appreciated

lol thx :D i didn't help out that much but i appreciate your generosity. cheers!
 
Ð88 said:
lol thx :D i didn't help out that much but i appreciate your generosity. cheers!

lol. all taking and no giving is a bad thing. thats my good deed done for today ;)
 
it's really depend on how you soldered them, but soldering two chunks of copper together will actually work, pipes and wires are essentially just chunks of wire.

so this will work, and probably give a better, (longer lasting) fix than just bending two pieces together.
 
root said:
it's really depend on how you soldered them, but soldering two chunks of copper together will actually work, pipes and wires are essentially just chunks of wire.

so this will work, and probably give a better, (longer lasting) fix than just bending two pieces together.

hmm cool ok. is my basic description of soldering above right?
 
indeed it is right.

it all depends on how big the copper pieces that you are trying to join are as to what size torch you'd use.

from my own experiance I can say the following.

a soldering iron is only really any good for joining wires together. it is possible, (with a lot of patience) to join larger items, but you're really only getting into the realms of items about the size of a penny. (as in you could solder a wire to a penny, not that you could solder wires witht he core thickness of a penny!)

the next size item that you'll want to look at is a pencil torch, this is a small butane torch (micro flame gun or whatever else you'll want to call it), the flame is quite precise, and the heat is very easily controlable, you'll be able to join and thing from around the size of a penny to attaching a small copper block or thin (microbore) pipes.
thin copper rods, or copper sheet/plate

persoanlly I use my pencil torch for attaching copper washer to boards when I'm making high voltage/current applications so that I can attach large bolts as terminals, (as wires tend to heat up a bit too quickly), a pencil torch would also be the ideal tool if you are making a copper block for a water cooled system as it's precise enough to heat the areas you want hot first, without making the whole thing a great big mess.

your next run up the ladder would be a regular blow torch, you'd use this for larger solid copper blocks that will disipate heat away quickly, or for larger pipework, you'll need to be careful with this though as you'll find that the solder will start to melt in the flame and if it has flux cores, this will spatter and burn away before your solder actually gets to the metal work that you're trying to join.

lastly, the process of soldering it joining two metals together (usually copper) with the use of a lead tin alloy (solder), to solder you heat the two metals up that you are joining together until they reach the melting point of the solder, then you apply the solder to the metal, (not melt the solder in the torch flame or on the iron bit). the solder should run into the joints to form a smooth finish.

if the metal pieces that you are joining together arn't hot enough the solder won't apply properly and you'll get a weak joint, (dry joints).




Another process for joining metals is brassing, this involves a much bigger torch, and usually steel as a metal, it's like soldering, just on a much grander scale.
 
Cutting slots in the base then cutting tabs in the other pieces will offer a chance to be able to disassemble it later if need be. You could drill out a couple of holes in the slot/tab and either put brass screws and nuts or rivets. Soldering is permanant.
 
thanks root. im guessing a regular blow torch will best suit my idea, its best if its a permanent joint as the brief says the light will be sold in a chain of shops called "heals" and customers dont need to dissemble the light. obviously this is just a made up brief but i have to follow it.
 
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