Welding Chandelier Parts

admin

Hello,  my husband and I are new to welding and would like to make "wrought iron" type chandeliers.  We are using steel strips and have a dilemma - we want to weld (with silver solder) several scrolled parts to a small washer, the first one goes on great, but when we try to add the others, they all fall off.  It seems we would have to create some kind of jig to hold them all in position and weld them all at once??  Hope someone can help.....thanks!PS:  for a picture of what we are doing please follow this link:  www.shabbyelegantdesigns.com/C0131.html  (where the scrolls join at the top is what we are trying to weld)
Reply:You're getting the work too hot and melting the parts you already soldered on?  What kind of torch are you using?  Acetylene will let you work faster with less heat input.  Of course, it you used acetylene, you could just weld it and not have a problem with the silver solder melting.  Try using damp rags to keep the already soldered parts cool.  Try brazing it using brass, or silver/nickel silver brazing alloys, they are harder to melt but also harder to use.
Reply:Silver solder is not the way to go- its great for silver, but not for steel.Personally, I used to make a lot of lighting and candlesticks, and we would tig braze most of the small stuff like what you are talking about.With a tig machine, you have the control to use as little, or as much heat as needed. And with a silicon bronze brazing rod, you can put in even less heat than you would actually welding, and it will bond nicely to dissimilar metals, like bronze to steel.I would tig braze stamped steel leaves that were only 24 ga to 3/8" round, with no problem.A tig welder to do this, however, is expensive- $1500 to $3000, depending on how big of one you get.Long term, if you are going to keep making lamps like this, you probably want to bite the bullet and get one. The quality of the weld, with no spatter, flux, or big goobery looking welds is worth it.
Reply:Hey Ries,Couldn't they get a little thermal arc dc tig (the 85 amp dragster) or maybe even a (dare I say it) harbor freight (eeek!)?  They are pretty cheap and would probably do just fine with what you are talking about.  Then it's just a matter of getting the right torch and some argon.Smithboy...if it ain't broke, you ain't tryin'.
Reply:Its true, if you are never going to go above 1/8" thick material, you could get a little 110 volt tig welder. The TD units are nice, also the smallest Miller tigs.
Reply:LampladyIf you continue doing the way you mentioned, then a jig would be worth fabricating.  You can purchase fluxes with brazing alloy mixed into the paste.  Spread the paste mixture onto the surface, then jig it.  Then heat it.   You could also shape the brazing alloy yourself lay it in place then jig it, then heat the metal (washer and scrolls).  Just "play" the torch around the item until all the alloy is melted.  Pay attention to the heat (color, dark red) remove torch to prevent over heating.  There are also brazing hearths and ovens to check out.  Silver should work, though I'd choose brass if temperature is not problem.Silver forms a strong bond, though it does not bridge gaps.  Usually used on steel where clearance is minimal and surface area is great. Hard silver solder popular amonst bicycle frame builder and plumbers.
Reply:silver is good but is too much $ brazing it would be as good and a lot cheeperChuckASME Pressure Vessel welder