Silver Brazing Tips

[@howder1951]

I love it when a young guy corrects the field and teaches cleanliness. I try to teach my apprentices to "work like an old guy" meaning take it easy on yourself, do the details so there is "one less thing to defeat you" . I think this video reinforces that attitude, bravo! and cheers!

[@AS-3D]

Agreed! That goes with all engineering especially 3D printing 😂

[@marcuspolo9106]

Doesn't the entire weld depend on cleanliness? And the clearance? What happened to the USS thresher? They Navy said bad welds ? Is this possible

[@craigspakowski7398]

The two most useful skills I have ever learned are silver brazing and drill sharpening. Lots of welders seem afraid of or look down on silver brazing but it produces nice clean tidy looking repairs with inexpensive tools.

[@Gottenhimfella]

Indeed. And it doesn't leave crevices, which can be important for food, medical, pharma and lab equipment.

[@ryanjones9305]

Very timely for a cleanliness comment like that, Jody. Made a new mail box pole for a buddy of mine yesterday out of some left over square tubing I had laying around. I marked out the positions of the weld joints and went to grinding off the rust and mill scale. His comment was along the lines of "you ain't gotta do all that, it's just a mail box post." To prove my effort was not useless, I left one joint unprepared, rust, scale, oil....had him watch. Let's just say he was glad that joint was on the side to be ground smooth and covered by the mailbox.

[@Holly_Mike]

This is one of the better silver brazing videos I’ve seen, and is more on par with the quality that I used to produce… so many guys out there that don’t pay attention to their heat/metal color, and crust up the metal, or ball up the silver all over.

[@williamlott7612]

I get more satisfaction gas welding than any other welding. I worked for a while installing cryogenic liquid and gas systems for industrial and medical applications. Cleanliness is the key regardless of the end use but medical applications especially since people’s lives were dependent on the quality of your work. Our systems were entirely made of copper pipe, stainless steel pipe and valves, and brass/bronze valves/fittings. I enjoyed everything about the job but especially the brazing. There is something very satisfying in watching the silver melt and run to the heat. Darlington, South Carolina

[@kirstenspencer3630]

My husband is a Quality bicycle fan. His favorite bicycle is Columbus tubing, spear point lugs, campy droup outs, gorgeous fork crown. This bicycle was ridden very hard and has stood the test of time. It was purchased new in 1975 making it 47 years old. Never crashed hard and will most likely outlive us.

[@Fosgen]

I learned silver brazing years back in workshop I worked in. What I like the most about silver joints is that you can join together many metals. Like brass and stainless or titanium and mild steel. And joints are tough. Often more than weld.

[@MrStropparo]

You got me through welding school bud. Thanks.

[@RollingEasy]

I used the TIG arc to do a little copper pipe silver soldering the other day. Very impressed with the process and will go back and work on my own chart of Amps and Material sizes just for future references.

[@jonrbryan]

I remember a high-end Italian racing bike I saw almost 50 years ago, with a clear-coated frame, done by the company's best (oldest) frame builder as a demo. The brazing looked like pinstriping. It was a real masterwork.

[@edmundooliver7584]

what was the color of the braze.

[@jonrbryan]

@@edmundooliver7584 He must have used a bronze rod, because it made a nice "gold" contrast to the rest of the frame. Ah, now I remember that it was a Masi! It's been a long, long time.

[@jerkinmcgurkin]

In the last shop I worked at we used that same yellow bristle brush(except larger and on a variable speed angle grinder) to clean up stainless welds . It worked great getting into the corners of tube welds and unless you used it on something sharp it lasted a long time. They are pretty pricey though.

[@MAGATRON-DESTROY]

That torch tip was clogged AF. Awesome job on the brazing though 👏 👌 👍

[@C-M-E]

I seem to come back to this vid every so often as a refresher as I braze so infrequently these days. Yesterday I was trying to braze up a brass nipple on a stainless tube and it went all kinds of sideways. It fits pretty close, I cleaned everything til the steel was 'in the white' and the brass was shiny new, fluxed up and tried your prebent/wrapped silver trick, aaaaaaand it didn't seep into the joint. It doesn't help that the fitting is inverted, but the silver just rolled down the stainless and balled up. After a thorough clean yesterday, I may have to try a tack weld so I can turn it over and take another stab today. I was also trying a new dohicky attachment on the end of the torch that looks like a dragon's mouth that is supposed to be for sweating copper, but I think I cooked the flux well before the metal was good and hot. Swapped back to the known nozzle. Anything else I might need to change?

[@stevenlocklear7711]

Been having to do a lot more brazing/ soldering lately. Appreciate the video Mr. Jody.

[@Mynameisbraulio]

If it wasnt for the certification i wouldn't go to school at all. Thanks jody you always helpfull, keep up the good work

[@63256325N]

Nice touch, something one just doesn't get perfect the first time. Thanks for the video.

[@joejoejoejoejoejoe4391]

But that first time, when the solder/braze flows just like you want it to, a joy to behold !

[@paulkurilecz4209]

Great video and discussion. I would add that it is important to not overheat when brazing. The joint should be heated up just enough so that when the filler braze rod is touched to the joint, it will melt and flow in.

[@BPantherPink]

Great video Jody and Mike. Lovely to see such clean work. Thanks.

[@ickabod545]

Clean...clean..clean! I usually have to be careful not to overheat when silver brazing. I had never done any until I started working at Delta. Which would mean you taught me how. 👍

[@weldingtipsandtricks]

Icky!

[@ickabod545]

@@weldingtipsandtricks Haha! Yep!

[@Abom79]

Great video with lots of info to learn from! Thanks Jody!

[@watermanone7567]

Very nice video. Can you do a video on aluminum brazing that might be used on an air conditioning coil? Most of todays coils are made of this or an aluminum alloy. Thanks for the great video's.

[@weldingtipsandtricks]

Mike does a bit of aluminum brazing on aluminum frames for small cable attachments etc. ...maybe we work up a video

[@simclardy1]

I use alcor (al200r) by Harris. I have tried different products but this works great for me. I believe this is what carrier uses on the assembly line but don't quote me. It is designed for aluminum to copper as well.

[@watermanone7567]

Thanks Simclardy1. I have done thousands of jobs with silver but very limited on aluminum. Appreciate the info.

[@dougankrum3328]

I've done some aluminum brazing on automotive AC stuff, very narrow heat range between not enough, and 'Whoops', a big puddle of melted metal..! Most of the AC and automotive aluminum radiators are 'furnace brazed' where they control the heat to within a few degrees, then maybe TIG weld on the fittings where there's little thicker part/flange. By the way, the auto AC stuff was brazed until the shop owner finally bought a smaller TIG machine, then I took my TIG welder home....

[@mrsillyname]

Great video as always! Could you maybe do a video comparing brazing with propane vs acetylene?

[@Holly_Mike]

Propane alone isn’t going to get hot enough, fast enough. I used to use oxygen and natural gas, but had to have a pump to boost the pressure of the natural gas. I also had an in-line fluxxer (fed flux through the torch,) that kept things even cleaner/allowed a bit more “play time” with adding filler metal.

[@mpf_agundipsht3619]

Good informal vid. I fab heat ex changers, refrigerant coils, evaporators and steam coils for the steam industry, i agree on a darker environment for brazing. I wear dark polarized glasses to allow me to see penetration of the joint

[@chaddarr4834]

Good info I have a heating and cooling air-conditioning company so that’ll help us out a lot on heat exchangers

[@jmj0139]

That helps quite a bit. I always like to see inside a builder's shop. I have been struggling trying to teach myself these skills and I appreciate the insight your video has given me. More videos about bike building please! What size tip was he using on that torch?

[@jdog4534]

That shadow that's seen when brazing isn't the melted rod passing through the joint. It's the joint cooling off that little bit like it does when rod is added. It's almost the same thing but the shadow runs ahead of the filler materiel. I know guys who have relied on the shadow as an indicator that the copper joint was full when going for their state certification which requires full penetration on 2- 1 1/2" horizontal and 2- 1 1/2" vertical up joints, and the shadow indicator let them down leaving holidays up at the 12 o'clock position on the horizontal joints.

[@backyardchoppers4571]

I got to tell you I think the brazing is a lot stronger than the welding of steal. I have a 57 scwinn built that way and you can break the steal before you break the bond. Good lesson. And best used for classic customs.

[@joseluisguerrero6098]

Hello dear friend. I appreciate transmitting your knowledge to people, at this precise moment I am looking for a solution to a problem that I currently have. I need to repair a cryogenic valve that is joined by stainless steel with bronze. People tell me that silver solder is indicated in the repair process. I wanted to know your opinion about it. Greetings¡

[@randyrussell4767]

Thanks for the Videos they are definitely helpful on my thin aluminum tig welding and sheet metal.!

[@mjminino]

Cleanliness, would like a wax & grease remover be a good cleaner?

[@JosephLance-x9q]

What a beautiful weld

[@zulfikukkart2192]

Thanks for sharing video full of knowledge. Can we do fillet brazing with silver? like brass?

[@woogie2901]

Hey Jody, any chance of a review of various PAPR systems - weight and performance - Miller Vortex, 3M AdFlo, Lincoln PAPR are the main three I'm looking at, and everyone just tells me to get the particular brand they own. There's also the Optrel one, but that's stupidly expensive. Thanks if you can help with this - your videos on TIG welding since I first struck an arc in 2013 have honestly taught me more than my 6 months in welding school, and helped me with proper terminology / practices in my two welding jobs so far (whisky stillmaking, and now fabrication of designer furniture).

[@freakinccdevilleiv380]

You guys make it look easy 🤯

[@windsurfer3329]

Great video in silver brazing. I heard you saying 56% Ag, but you didn't disclose the brand names of the silver solder and the flux. Can you tell me what brands you have used in this video. Happy holidays.

[@TheWhittleGreenVanUK]

Is silver Brazing the same process as silver solder that you use on small steam engines?

[@peterbedford2610]

Very nice heat control. Theres a really good " how to" book called Lugged bike frame construction.

[@hyster16t]

Mate, i always learn something from your vids. Thanks.

[@naoufelmelayh240]

hi sir , may be you have to try the silicone bronze brasing , with the adequat flux , or look for silver bronze alloy rods

[@omegaman.1595]

I have an AWS code for silver braze. We have a hot water boiling tank where we boil off the flux in 98 degrees of water for 20-40 mins.

[@weldingtipsandtricks]

hot water soak definitely helps to get the flux off

[@lordeverybody872]

Pickle and hydrogen peroxide at 180 works well for brass. Not sure about steel

[@levondarbinyan3934]

Thanks for the video. Can I use propane + oxygen instead?

[@luciusirving5926]

Yes you can.

[@rodrigo216]

Do you need special tinted dark glasses for silver brazing?

[@TheDagda1000]

I so glad you folks don't leave the "L" of of the word "flux" like you do with "solder"! From a Brit 🤣

[@200xcBruce]

Very interesting I was sent up on the roof at my job one day years ago given silver solder, flux and a torch and told to repair a cooling unit radiator and had no idea what to do and of course was not successful. It is another skill I never learned.

[@weldingtipsandtricks]

its a lot like trying to learn how to use some software like excel. if someone looks over your shoulder for about 10 minutes and gets you going, it seems pretty easy....but on your own it can be so frustrating

[@Ztingjammer]

@@weldingtipsandtricks exactly!

[@davejohnsonnola2758]

3 am trying to patch the bottom of a buffet line. Six stainless steel pans with a common manifold drain. Electric heat element shorted against the bottom of on pan and made a hole. Tried to use 56% Solderweld fluxed rod with a turbotorch...wound up making a bigger hole. 4am. JB Weld to the rescue. 9pm the next night still looking for a better way. Thinking more flux and a real torch next time.

[@chaddarr4834]

dave johnsonnola how did that turn out

[@leonardpearlman4017]

@@davejohnsonnola2758 And maybe VERY thorough cleaning! Maybe a little sanding or something? I did a little bit of TIG welding on the outside of a deep-fryer once... it was so YUCKY. Spent probably an hour cleaning the spot, starting with a sharp SCRAPER, then solvents and steel wool, and whatever we could think of. The actual weld just took a few SECONDS. I think without all that cleaning it wouldn't have been possible at all.

[@Alistair_Spence]

Great video. A lot of good points covered here.

[@DavidTheCarpenter]

Could you do a video of brazing carbide teeth into a saw blade? There isn't one that shows the actual application of the rod. Thanks!

[@leonardpearlman4017]

There are several videos from Carbide Processors, and they sell supplies and tools too!

[@johnwaynewilliamson]

So has white paste flux become regulated or outlawed in the last couple years? Cannot find anything in a tub like shown anywhere, all I can seem to find is small bottles for "jewelry making". The company on the lid label seems to be out of business. Any help would be appreciated.

[@davorinrusevljan6440]

I was not able to hear it, what kind of clearance is needed for bronze?

[@Zen_Modeling]

The stuff I’m working with is very small Stainless steel tubing. 1mm & smaller. 1:25 Scale Auto model tube frame. 👉Anyone reading this have any positive constructive suggestions I’d really appreciate it. I build Ultra Detailed NHRA type race-car’s ect. I’ve used Stainless Steel tubing for most of the builds I’ve done, but just used epoxy to join the surfaces. So a Brazing technique is something BRAND New for me🤓 Luv the video✅

[@Jedoriftu]

Will there be a titanium video dropping soon? These videos with mike have been brilliant 👍

[@alannkevin]

Hey thanks for the video! I have a question, I brazed the bottom bracket but I see it crooked, its too crooked to be cold set, how do i fix it? By melting the silver again? Or acid ?

[@chaddarr4834]

You can reheat it and it will liquefy and you can reset it however you like

[@BROOKLYNSPEED]

Would love to see bronze brazing and welding videos

will a 55% silver rod will brase copper to stainless with sandpaper cleaning flux and everything? like can i weld copper to stainless with a55%silver alloy?

[@tracycurtright2671]

Forgive my lack of hearing what did he call that device at the end of the video used to braze with? With my hearing it sounded like a light sock. I was surprised when I found out that the fittings were brazed on Aircraft turbine engine fuel lines. Never seen one crack.

[@thra5herxb12s]

The best looking product for the customer 👍

[@umeshsharma4080]

Hello sir Plz. Suggest us the fuel tank brazing parts ms to SS 304 leakage joints alloy with low cost brazing rods

[@Holly_Mike]

I used a pair of medium shade safety glasses, to see the color change and flow of filler metal that they referred to about 75% of the way through the video.

[@my_dear_friend_]

Will an air-acetylen torch be enough heat for brazing a bike frame with relatively thinwall steel tubes?

[@jacobadams2616]

Absolutely. You can even do thin walled steel tubes with MAPP gas or propane,

[@marcuspolo9106]

So they say the uss thresher was destroyed by the faulty welds,they used silver brazibg welds what happened ? What did they do wrong

[@ARCSTREAMS]

jody when it comes to brazing are we looking for more or less silver content in the rod? and for soldering?

[@joejoejoejoejoejoe4391]

Steel bike frames seem expensive, until you realize how much work goes into ONE joint. Sometimes, when I'm silver brazing close to a thread, I'll file some silver brazing rod, mix the filings with flux and put it on the joint and just heat it up. I've heard that you can use tip-ex ( correction fluid ) to stop silver solder from flowing where you don't want it to. I never knew that the silver solder runs TOWARDS heat, I'll remember that next time, thanks!

[@dougankrum3328]

Excellent, my only question, are those saddle fittings investment castings?? There are a few shops here in Sacramento, California building bicycle frames, but you can't even get in the front door...security/secrets and all...I used to work right across the street from Ventana...no way you could get in there without invitation, even guys looking for a TIG welding job had to make appointments...

[@hightttech]

Why would you braze that frame if you have welding gear? I'm thinking of trying some brazing myself for some minor shelf repair in a commercial pizza oven. My limited torch experience is from high school auto body class.

[@thecarl168]

what is the percentage of silver is a good for general purpose brazing ? , i went to a welding store they have 3 “flavours” of silver brazing .

[@chaddarr4834]

It’s my understanding that the higher the silver content the easier it is to braze the similar metals we have a heating and cooling business and use 15% silver Sauter to solder a copper pipes together but when you get to brass and steel on dis similar metals we usually use a 56% silver there’s a flux on the outside of the filler metal. Now if you’re doing the similar medals I’m not talking tensile strength or anything like that I don’t know that but bronze rod usually coded it’s white with Brian’s on the inside I soldered Sheet Metal together I soldered steel and brass together multiple different things that’s a hell of a lot cheaper than Silver

[@ChrisB257]

Thanks Jody - very useful. Hope that right hand finger's mending!

[@rocifier]

How do you make that lug bracket shape out of metal?

[@donzmilky5961]

Hey jodi, is there any reason you use oxy acetylene over oxy propane? Mostly ive cut scrap with oxy propane, just wondering if acetylene has any real benefits and what they are.

[@AtomicFire19]

It's hotter. Heats things up faster. Plus he probably started with oxy acetylene and got used to it.

[@leonardpearlman4017]

Higher temperature AND intensity! For small stuff I have good results with an air-acetylene torch. Very safe and simple to handle, good for students. You can't weld with it, but it's good for general heating.

[@chrisjokinen217]

@@leonardpearlman4017 I always like OXY/LPG. Clean and cheap

[@hiramkhackenback]

in another video you wiped down with reagent acetone but I didn't see it mentioned n this one, I'm guessing you did use it.

[@andrewhight8377]

Please describe "breathing holes", are these holes to the interior of the tube under the connector, or holes through the connector ?

[@weldingtipsandtricks]

breathing holes would be small holes maybe .125" or so, drilled where the tubes mate so that gases can escape and not build pressure...they also allow the frame to be rinsed and drained and then heated so that moisture evaporates

[@petekossaras1830]

Another very informative video, nice job guys..

[@arjanvanpelt4535]

Hi, where can i buy this flux and Silver. For brazing lugs

[@lipton6996]

Excellent video

[@chaosloveBronson]

Great video

[@neilphilip2320]

Brilliant and inspiring!

[@remypaquin7224]

i was really surprised by the amount of flux he used. Now I've only done silver brazing a few times and it was not using wire like him but a thin film and the silver tends to do everywhere there is flux ( as long as the tolerance are also good) so seeing just how much flux he was using i though was going to either get silver everywhere or that it was actually going to impede the process.

[@ТасболатКурмашев]

thanks for the instructive videos greetihgs from Kazakhstan !

[@rjbubba4335]

what's the best way to Weld Galvanized and Zinc Coated Steel

[@chaddarr4834]

I recently have been using bronze rod to Solder together 26 gauge sheet metal and 28 gauge. Holds together perfectly even has a cool look to it. Trying to do it with my tigwelder or wire welder 10 times harder

[@leonardpearlman4017]

Brazing is good for this! The flux keeps the fumes down, and also the zinc just dissolves in the brazing material to some extent. For WELDING, I've heard that miserable flux-core does well enough, all that horrible mess (from "Innershield" process) also keeps the fumes down. Haven't tried, brazing works well for me.

[@Huskyresqr]

you always come up with great vids, Jody....he mentions two alternatives when brazing 56% slver for close tolerances and another one which I didn't quite get....what was he talking about?

[@leonardpearlman4017]

He was talking about "low fuming bronze", the regular stuff people use for brazing. It's very strong and of course cheaper than silver. There's dozens of kinds of brazing alloys, silver-solders, and FLUXES! If you really get into it it can become quite confusing. Anyway, some kinds of silver-solder flow like water and will get into very tight joints, one to three thousandths is something you hear a lot. Others will fill gaps, make fillets and so on. These joints are not in any way inferior to welding, and of course have less heat damage to the fancy heat treated tubing! My real interest in these techniques comes from the constant need to join dissimilar metals, things that could not be welded.

[@bobisthebuilder3982]

Do you have or can you make a video on oxy acetylene welding

[@masterofnonetv8361]

Wow! Alot of stress in a joint like that. I didn't think it would be strong enough to hold something like that together. I bet a jewellers torch would be good for that!

[@andrebartels1690]

Well, yes and no. Yes, it is very handy and you can position the heat very precisely. But it doesn't deliver enough hot gas to heat up the entire joint, so you can't let the silver melt on the opposite side from the flame. If you want to apply this technique, you need a bigger yet softer flame.

[@buildflow]

Excellent video for brazing, thanks.

[@KowboyUSA]

Contemplating silver brazing a brass spin guard to a damascus bowie knife blade using ESAB Type: 155 FC Trucoat. The contents of the damascus and brass are unknown. Any experience, thoughts or advice?

[@PercyJackson93]

Why use silver brazing when bronze it stronger with the same process?

[@SomeTechGuy666]

What brand of silver solder and flux was that ?

[@sledsports]

I'm guessing that carborizing flame is to help with heat control?

[@ChrisWojnarski]

Awesome video Jody 👊🏻

[@CandidZulu]

When he says "joining steel to stainless" would that be like the chain stays?

[@johnptc]

great. if you are making high end bike frames keep the heat as low as possible to avoid changing the physical properties of the tubing. no need to go red hot with silver.

[@leonardpearlman4017]

That's how I keep screwing it up! More than anything else: Too much heat! Then you try to "fix" it with MORE heat, and screw it up all the WAY. Especially with stainless. When you get it right, it's so beautiful....

[@mahaali-yv7vs]

Beautiful. But why you didn't use Tig?

[@leonardpearlman4017]

He did! Jody made a video where a frame was TIG welded together with ?? like 312 stainless, then hammered flat with a big hammer to see how it held up. Inspiring!

[@Themachinewon]

Is it ok to use white flux and Stay brite 15 to braze stainless to stainless ?

[@leonardpearlman4017]

People DO it. I have had better results with "black" flux, but I think this is partly needed b/c of my poor technique, and tendency to overheat stuff. There are great videos about this where the silver flows before the flux is entirely clear! Seems like magic. If you get it right, there's nothing better. There's special silver solder for stainless of course, at least one for color-match, some cadmium free, some "cadmium-enriched". I made up that last one. There is extensive literature about this, say by handy and harmon or englehard or anyone who MAKES the silver-solder. They want you to do a good job!

[@precisionarc]

.007" to .010" clearance sounds like a lot, especially for 56% silver which has a high fluidity rating, obviously it worked though. 45% is good for a joint when you have more clearance. Nice braze joint Mike!

[@craigspakowski7398]

Based on that number I suspect he was talking based on diameter. 0.003" to 0.005" on the radius.

[@ScienceFTW]

Yes, you guys are right. I had diameter on my mind. What I said in the video was not correct. 0.003-0.005 actual clearance on the radius.

[@precisionarc]

Craig and Mike, I should of thought of that, again, nice work Mike

[@paulmorrey733]

Cheers Jody

[@sylvestresanchez4848]

Thank you

[@watermanone7567]

Thanks Doug Ankurm: Good Advice

[@Lecshar403]

This process seams a bit tedious, are there any considerable benefits apposed to say TIG welding the joint?

[@weldingtipsandtricks]

there are still a lot of custom bike builders doing braze lug frames. it is a bit more tedious but produces a nice result. I am not sure the frame is any better than tig welded frames. but seems like there is still a demand for lug brazed frames from some cycle enthusiasts

[@Farlig69]

Exactly Jody - I just answered a dude further up in the comments that was claiming brazing better than welding. It was in the good old days of gas & stick welding techniques, but not against modern tig welds... Still, I do prefer a lugged steel roadie frame myself too but that´s coz I´m getting older & becoming more nostalgic for the stuff I grew up riding in the 70´s & 80´s :D

[@Lecshar403]

So it's more to aesthetics and preferences Well it does look cool I'll give ya that

[@ztyy8185]

But you need those fittings, right? You need to fabricate those or buy?

[@granmachuca]

Love your channel ❤️

[@carlosc6983]

QUESTION about auto-darkening helmet, HELP!! : . So, I'm learning to weld and this is my first auto darkening helmet I bought. It's the $120 KOBALT that they sell at Lowe's. When I'm welding and my tungsten touches the filler rod and metal it does a VERY BRIGHT FLASH... and USELESS the helmet is on FULL sensitivity, INSTEAD of remaining dark the screen actually lightens up as if it was on the grinder setting. On full sensitivity it does fine... IS THIS NORMAL (even for top brands) or do I have a defective product?

[@tonyhill3638]

Take it back and get another one. You should not be getting flashes on a regular basis. If the second one does it, find another brand. I got a $49 HF mask in a pinch, and it works surprisingly well, as long as I let it sit in the sun for a few minutes to charge it up. Maybe try that on your Kobalt?

[@amirooo5189]

Good job guys... thanks...

[@frakafrocka]

thanks for this amazing vid.

[@luciusirving5926]

I wish I had the budget for brazing, but the closest thing to brazing that I did was pop riveting.