Soldering Stainless steel a good method to use

[maheel]

this is a very long thread over at home brew talk (USA)

it's an excellent read and it also discusses the SS -> copper soldering and has a good method

it shows a method of dimpling the keg / boiler that creates a very strong joint

http://www.homebrewtalk.com/f51/solderi ... el-155782/

a good video of the dimpling process
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OpMFQFi6 ... r_embedded

thought it might be use for some of us,
never having much success in soldering stainless to copper i made a great joint after looking at the thread this afternoon.
i think i will be using it a bit more in my brew rig i am working on

[maheel]

today i played around with soldering to stainless a little on a bit of keg i cut out to make a keggle

one was a brass 1" bush and the other is a stainless elbow (female -> female 1/2")

the other fittings were just to put it under water pressure to see if it would leak
i have not drilled holes just soldered them direct to the bit of keg

for flux i used hydrochloric acid (swimming pool acid)
it's lead free solder Tin / Copper (silver free)

my method was to make a "ring" of solder
on the bush i sat it on the ring, on the elbow i put the ring around the outer edge of the bit touching the keg lid.
i think the bush turned out better as it sort of sat down in the solder and the joint "looks" better
but if the hole was drilled 1st the outer ring method might work better stopping solder running / dripping out the hole

i heated the keg from underneath and spred the heat out to stop it sucking heat away to fast
then heated the bush / elbow
then the keg from under
then back to the fitting until the solder pooled and then just left it to cool (no touching)
method like the video above

here is a video of me hitting it with a hammer :)

[maheel]

few pics

the copper pipe (bottom pic) was a 1/2" pipe i flanged then pushed through and soldered on pipe sticking out on other side.
it had a mushroom looking join on this side so i sanded it flat. when hit the pipe on the other side with the hammer it popped out.
had i left the mushroom i reckon it would have been very solid it was my 1st attempt and i did re-heat it when i did it.

i am looking around for a dimpling type tool.

[crow]

Damn blast it can ya you hydrochloric I asked those wanka's at bunnings about that and spirit of salts (same thing really) as I have both , use the acid to clean brickwork ect , peanut told me nar mate that shits no good need this stuff . $20 bucks got home opened it and gee fucking wizz microscopic little blob of jizz size of a 10c done stuff all and nearly used it up

[maheel]

lol at croweater :)

i dont know if you "should" use HYdro acid, but my normal flux did not work and i was wondering around the shed looking around and i thought it's worth a try...
and it worked well for me, i let it sit for a few mins to "etch / clean" the metal and i had it pretty "wet"

dont breath it in. i had a fan blowing over my back taking the fumes away and safety glasses etc...

[crow]

Thanks thats all i used then soldering with an ion made no sense i couldn't use it with a torch especially when my uncle used Spirit of salts with one of those old kero torches