Silicon Bronze Tig Brazing

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I'm about to do a small 304 SS project, making stainless burger/grilled cheese weights.  Silicon Bronze looks soooooooop cool against a stainless background.  The different colors are very decorative.  Being this is clearly not an application where strength is necessary I'm gonna go this route but had some questions.When you tig braze w SB, what amp and polarity do you use?  I tried it last night on DCEN and the beads looked a bit grainy.  I'm using 1/16 filler and tried on .040 stainless. At 50 amps, I got a puddle on the SS and added SB.  At 20 amps, couldn't get a puddle on the SS and couldn't add the SB to the arc area without the arc dancing all around.  The SB wanted to ball up and not flow out onto the SS.my understanding with all types of brazing is that you don't want the parent metal to melt at all, just the filler to flow.  It seems like I have to get a puddle on the SS first.IIRC, Jody used AC polarity on this once, unless I'm thinking Aluminum bronze.  If I go the SiBr route, will it eventually tarnish in the dishwasher and need polishing?Thanks for the advice.  These are to be Christmas gifts for a few friends.  I plan on putting their initials on each plate with SiBr.  No commercially made SS burger weight exists, likely because the expense is not worth it.Last edited by Drf255; 09-14-2014 at 05:44 AM.TA Arcmaster 300CM3XMT 304S22P12 suitcase feederX-Treme 12VSOptima pulserTA161SMaxstar 150STLHypertherm PM45OP setupStihl 020AVP, 039, 066 Magnum
Reply:I use DCEN Al. Im not sure about tarneshing in the dishwasher part tho. Once its cleaned and polished up I would imagine it would hold up. I have some si bronze projects that I polished up laying around and there still looking good.I hate being bi-polar it's awsomeMy Heroes Have Always Been Cowboys
Reply:al; that's going to look real nice. in my very limited capacity as a tig welder i tried it and was surprised at the results. if i could do it anyone can. btw, my initials are j.s.i.u.o.e. # 15queens, ny and sunny fla
Reply:The welds will darken over time but they shouldn't turn green unless the weights are kept in a wet or corrosive area.I haven't used silicon bronze to braze stainless but I do use it to weld silicon bronze to stainless and I do get a puddle on the stainless.JohnLast edited by Silicon-based; 09-14-2014 at 10:33 AM.Reason: Added infoA few weldersA lot of hammersA whole lot of C-clamps
Reply:I've done some SiBr on 17-4 stainless. With 0.040", it will be hairy keeping the stainless from puddling. I use the TIG torch like an o/a torch a bit and move the arc around to heat up more area. This has helped me get it to flow. Once you have the SiBr flowing though, it's smooth sailing.Mike ZanconatoZanconato Custom Cycles @mzank on Instagram
Reply:You are correct in that you don't necessarily have to get the parent metal to puddle, but in this case your filler is just too dang large for 0.040" SS.  If you insist on using this, you would have to get the base metal to puddle because of the sheer size of the filler rod, even though SilBr does melt at a lower temperature.  What you really need for this is 0.023" SilBr wire from a mig roll.  Smallest diameter I have seen in tig rod is 0.030" from weldingsupply.com.  You can pick up a 0.023" mig roll on ebay fo $20-some dollars.  Also, make sure you use the thinnest tungsten you have, sharpened to a long taper ~3x the diameter, and use an extra tight arc, ~1mm or less, to really concentrate the heat input.  A low-shade lens/helmet helps for this stuff when you're doing very low amperage as I'm sure you know.  Last edited by Oscar; 09-14-2014 at 12:01 PM. 1st on WeldingWeb to have a scrolling sig! HTP Invertig 400HTP Invertig 221HTP ProPulse 300HTP ProPulse 200 x2HTP ProPulse 220MTSHTP Inverarc 200TLP HTP Microcut 875SC
Reply:Originally Posted by weldermikeI use DCEN Al. Im not sure about tarneshing in the dishwasher part tho. Once its cleaned and polished up I would imagine it would hold up. I have some si bronze projects that I polished up laying around and there still looking good.
Reply:You don't need any filler at all...Just fuse them and call it a day.E-Z as pie....zap!I am not completely insane..Some parts are missing Professional Driver on a closed course....Do not attempt.Just because I'm a  dumbass don't mean that you can be too.So DON'T try any of this **** l do at home.