Re: copper washers

["Tesla list" <tesla-at-pupman-dot-com>]

Original poster: Jim Lux <jimlux-at-earthlink-dot-net> 

At 08:08 AM 11/21/2003 -0700, you wrote:
>Original poster: "RIAA/MPAA's Worst Nightmare" <mike.marcum-at-zoomtown-dot-com>
>is it possible to solder brass ones together (without an acetylene torch)?

You bet.. all it takes is the appropriate flux.  A propane torch would be a 
good source of heat, but another approach is a cast iron frying pan on a 
stove.  You can easily get it hot enough to melt the flux and solder.  You 
can stack up all the parts on a steel mandrel, dip it in flux, stand it up 
on the pan, get it good and hot, and just touch the solder to the outside 
of the joints and it should just "wick" in.

If the pan gets red hot, you're too hot.  The key on this kind of thing is 
to wait long enough for all the brass/copper to get thoroughly hot (which 
takes longer than you think).

One problem is oxidation when it gets hot.  Suitable flux helps, by melting 
and covering the metal, as well as reacting with the existing oxide.  I've 
seen this done, but not actually tried it: putting it in a deep cast iron 
pot (like a dutch oven) and flooding the pot with CO2 (from a small hose 
from a tank/regulator). He had a sheet of steel over the top with a  little 
hole in it to reach in and manipulate the parts (brazing aluminum in that case)

Oh yeah... large quantities of molten flux, etc., >>> good ventilation is 
essential.  Do this outside on a camp stove!



>----- Original Message -----
>From: "Tesla list" <tesla-at-pupman-dot-com>
>To: <tesla-at-pupman-dot-com>
>Sent: Thursday, November 20, 2003 10:19 PM
>Subject: Re: copper washers
>
>
> > Original poster: Gregory Hunter <ghunter31014-at-yahoo-dot-com>
> >
> > Why not just use brass washers? They are pretty easy
> > to find and they conduct heat well.
> >
> > --- Tesla list <tesla-at-pupman-dot-com> wrote:
> >  > Original poster: "RIAA/MPAA's Worst Nightmare"
> >  > <mike.marcum-at-zoomtown-dot-com>
> >  >
> >  > Anyone know of a source of copper washers for a
> >  > static vacuum gap? I plan
> >  > on using alternating small and large ones to create
> >  > cooling "fins". The
> >  > local Lowes doesn't have any, just the usual steel
> >  > ones that can't be
> >  > soldered and I heard steel pre-ionizes the gap too
> >  > easily.
> >  >
> >  >
> >
> >
> > =====
> > Gregory R. Hunter
> >
> > http://hot-streamer-dot-com/greg
> >
> >
> >