Silver solder?

[Bear_Blade]

I have heard good and bad things about silver solder, bad, in that it can sometimes leave residue that can ruin a finish (acid in the flux??) Good in that it is a permanent joint, unless re heated...

I really want to give it a go, but am worried about messing up the HT, and doing work on a blade for naught. Any help from the experienced would be a huge help.

Thank you in advance,
Pierre

[Doug Lester]

Ok, just to be clear, is this about silver solder, a specific type of high temperature solder, or is it about soldering in general? I have soldered with a lower temperature solder and the principles are the same. Yes, the flux can etch the steel so you can coat the parts of the blade that you don't want to be effected by the flux with a protective coating or you can just be sure to clean it up immediately after soldering. As far as overtempering the steel while soldering that can be gotten around too. Apply the heat to the opposite side of the work from the blade. For instance in soldering the guard apply the solder to the side of the guard towards blade but apply the flame to the opposite side of the guard, the side towards the tang and stop applying the heat as soon as the solder runs into the joint. There are also heat sinks such as pastes and a wrap of wet leather that can protect the temper of the blade.

There is also "cold soldering", aka JB Weld, as an alternative to soldering.

Doug Lester

[Ray Rogers]

Follow Doug's advice and just give it a try. So what if you ruin the HT on your blade? You probably won't if you use a 400 degree solder but, if you do, just re-HT the blade or make another blade. Nobody said you have to try this for the first time on your biggest, fanciest blade.

Some guys get the hang of soldering and get great results but I never did. For me, a tight fit guard and JB Weld is just fine ....

[dankingery]

i just soldered my first blade this past weekend. wow. it was quite tricky for me. was just using a mapp gas torch to heat it up. the end results are yet to be determined but i was able to seal all the nooks and crannies. wasn't aware of any etching problems that may occur. but then again, i kind of just jumped right in without doing much research on it other than seeing loveless do it in his dvd.

using the hand-held torch left me wishing for a third arm. heating up the blade then applying solder and also trying to brush on flux got to be quite the juggling act. i'm sure there's an easier way.

this was more of an experiment for me. i wanted to try it out and see if i could do it. i bought a blade blank and a cross guard that was made for it. so if the end results turned out to be less than satisfactory i wouldn't feel so bad about the loss. it'll make a good beater knife for camping or stabbing around the garage in any event. i made some mistakes here and there i'm sure so hopefully in the end it'll be a good learning experience. which is all i was really going for in the first place. plus, it forced me to make a new working bench that i could take in and out of my garage for soldering purposes. i'll post some pics when i finish it this weekend if i have time.

p.s. stay away from the flux fumes. the wind shifted on me and i got a huge snoot full of the poison. haven't been right in the nose since. yikes.

[Geno]

I quit soldering years ago, plus I work with damascus so soldering gets tricky there too.
JB Weld works wonders and is every bit as tight as a solder joint without the acids, pin holes, heat ...
If you solder, use the low temp "silver" solder.
The better the fit up, the less gap filler needed so take your time on fit ups.
In the dark ages they used pitch or sap and dung. Once dried it becomes solid.
Ah, progress
Geno

[GHNorfleet]

I personally love to solder as it is one of the most favorite things I do to my knives. I use the Loveless type of set up with the soldering iron and I use Stay Brite solder and flux and have nothing but great results every time. Good prep of the knife before you start is a must for the best results.

[Bear_Blade]

Thanks for the guidance gentlemen. I will give both meathods a try, and see what works best, I'll likely use some scraps, finish the common surfaces and try it out.