Brass solder brazing help.

[Hattori-hanzo]

Thanks again for all the advice and info.

I've ordered some epoxy and brass powder, I've also ordered some silver solder. I'll experiment with both first on some scrap to see what the out come is.

Its a shame you can't get brass coloured soft solder as that would be ideal.

I've read some positive comments about the epoxy and powder so fingers crossed for that.

While the plane is only for myself I've invested to much time and effort to scrap it or ruin it.

 

[jordan1]

No brainer, silver solder all the way.

 

[Hattori-hanzo]

Just a little update.

I got hold of some brass powder and some crystal clear Araldite

I cut a couple of slots in a scrap of brass and mixed the brass powder and Araldite 50/50 then pressed it into the cuts.

It worked but the Araldite made the powder go a "mucky" colour and no amount of sanding would help.
I also tried buffing it with a Dremel and some Farecla which actually melted the Araldite away.

I read a good article which said very low viscosity super glue gives the best results with metal powder.
this time I punched two holes into the brass, filled them with brass powder and then put the super glue on top of the powder. Because of its low viscosity it wicks through the powder and binds it all together.

The colour results where a lot better and it seemed just as hard as the Araldite but again with any kind of heat it would melt away. No chance of polishing it.

So I moved over to the silver solder.

I tested on a scrap of brass first and it seemed to go okay. The brass got up to temperature well and the solder flowed nicely.

I ground the excess solder back and was pleasantly surprised by the results.
You can just see the two punch holes on the right.

the colour match wasn't perfect but it was close enough.


Here you can see the brass powder in the middle and the silver solder on the right.

So having decided that the silver solder was the best match I bit the bullet and went for it.

Turns out heating the steel was a lot more challenging!
It is 6mm thick and even with mapp gas it was hard getting it to temperature, I struggled making the solder flow.
But after a lot of perseverance and wasting way more silver solder than I needed I finally got it to flow......mostly.

Left it to cool and ground away the excess and I'm pretty happy with the result. Looking at it critically its not perfect but I'm satisfied with the results and I think any one looking at it for the first time wouldn't notice the repair. It looks nicer in person.

The big question is did the heat warp the metal?
Well to a small degree yes but hopefully not enough to cause an issue. I think having the brass sides already fixed to the sole helped to keep it flat. When the plane is near completion I planned to flatten the sole anyway so fingers crossed it will remove the distortion.

On a side note I need to make the lever cap next and need some 12mm thick brass but am having no luck in finding a small bit for sale.
Does any one know of a company that would sell small off cuts? I don't really want to spend out for a larger bit of brass.

 

[brightspark]

nice job there. my planes were a bit rusty and one uneven I just ran the base and sides over my belt linisher with a reasonably fine belt .clocked the surface and was very accurate and a nice finish if you haven't a belt sander run it over some abrasive paper on a piece off glass or the wifes granite worktop cant help with the brass but ebay the best bet for small amounts cheap

 

[MBB]

@Hattori-hanzo
Have you any pictures of the dovetails before you peened them over and pictures of your dovetail cutter.

 

[Hattori-hanzo]

Cheers brightspark, I've put a lot of time into this plane and it's just starting to take shape now.

I've tried eBay, that's where I got the brass for the sides from but I can't find anything 12mm thick? Is there a specific size ratio for brass?


MBB, I do have pictures. I was going to create a thread on the entire build once the plane is finished.

I'm on my phone now but I'll add a picture later.

I just cut the dovetails with a hack saw and then spent hours filing them by hand.