Thread: Soldering Copper

Hi everyone

I am not quite sure if I am in the right spot or not. I am brand new to metal work as in soldering (first time yesterday), I usually make jewellery with wire and beads. Since I have now started with soldering, I am trying to find a place to buy little copper flakes. I have used copper solder, but those sticks are way too thick and deposit too much onto my little wire objects.

Does anyone on here work with copper? Could you let me know if there is a good shop online where I could get copper in all it's various forms?

Thank you so much,

Cheers

G'day
Not sure exactly what you mean. Usually solder is made up from tin & lead in various ratio's. You can buy it in stick for large jobs or on rolls like wire in an assortment of types and diameter.
From your post I got the impression you are trying to join copper together with copper as the joining medium? If that is correct I would have called that welding and its a lot different process to soldering.
You say you are new to metal working so I'm going to assume you are really trying to solder with a tin/lead solder.
You can buy solder on a roll from any of the welding supply places. eg BOC, Air Liquide etc. You can get the solder in quite small diameters, various compositions, with or without flux cored. Best thing to do is go along to your local welding supply place and have a chat with them. Or maybe even better see if you can get a phone number for a technical help line from them, explain what you are trying to do and they should be able to recommend the right product for you.

hope this helps

regards
bollie7

Hi bollie7,
thanks for your reply. Yes, I want to join copper. I managed to get copper solder from the same company where I buy copper, silver and gold wire. It has to be copper solder because it is for a jewellery piece.

What I have got now are sticks, but they are too thick for the thin wire I am soldering. I have heard that you can get little flakes to do these kind of jobs. Those are the ones I am after.

Thanks,
Cheers

I think what you are referring to may be what they call 'Solder Paste'. As far as I know it's normally used in electronic work. Have a look at Jaycar, Dick Smith etc.

Originally Posted by chillout

Hi bollie7,
thanks for your reply. Yes, I want to join copper. I managed to get copper solder from the same company where I buy copper, silver and gold wire. It has to be copper solder because it is for a jewellery piece.

What I have got now are sticks, but they are too thick for the thin wire I am soldering. I have heard that you can get little flakes to do these kind of jobs. Those are the ones I am after.

Ok, learn something new everyday.
With the copper sticks that you have,
1) do they melt at a lower temp than the copper you are soldering?
2) would it be possible to make a smaller bit from some of that ? ie by hammering a piece down or melting and running off into something to make it thinner?
This is interesting as I would think that if its a lower melting temp, its a different copper alloy but it must be close enough that the colour is very close.

regards
bollie7

Plumbers use it , and I have used it for joining 4" copper pipe for cooling systems in power stations .We called it Phoscopper or Copperphos .
it is like silver solder low melting point but has the colour of copper .
I would try a plumbers supply for smaller diameter sticks ,I still have a heap of the stuff but its about 2.5mm.

You maybe able to get a manufacturing jeweller to run a few sticks through a rolling mill to reduce the diameter for you.

The other option is to hammer it out flat on a clean steel plate with a clean hammer ( you don't want to contaminate the copper rod) then clip small pieces off

Kev.

Yes, it has a lower melting point.
I tried to cut little pieces off, but it is very hard, I might try the hammering first and then cut something off.

Thanks everyone,
Cheers

Where I work we use a self fluxing copper rod called "copper to copper"

I got some copper solder (copper coloured anyway) from A&E metals. I ordered online and the solder that I received is about 3mm in diameter. I would have liked the solder to be much thinner too. very small diameter would be better for soldering joins in copper wire for artistic purposes.

Kym

You might try a coarse file and make some powder?

OK. Pretend you are talking to a total ignoramous about soldering and you will be pretty accurate about your target audience. Ha ha
So I get a coarse file and file off some solder til I have a little pile of powder. I paint on some flux to the ends I want to join...do I dip them in the powder? do I put it on with little dabs of a tiny paintbrush?

Thanks for your help!

Kym

gady chillout ans kym: you may find some good info here
http://www.creativity-portal-com/how...scrafts/metals.
lol,billm
ps you can get info from youtubesoldering video

I couldn't get the site to come up but watched Utube soldering tutes. Very good and gives me a good idea of what to do. I think I could use a third hand thing tho after watching that. Might look for one.

Thanks
Kym

sorry kym, seems I gave you an incomplete address.try this (I hope)
www.creativity-portal.com/howto/artscratfs/metal
good l billym

No.....good try though.....I did find that arts/craft site but couldn't find soldering.
Thanks
Kym