Lesson 6: Sweat Soldering

Lesson 6: Sweat Soldering

Sweat soldering is the best way to attach large overlapping pieces of metal together. There are 2 common methods for sweat soldering- sandwiching and feeding. Sweat soldering allows you to place pierced out designs onto another sheet of metal.

Make sure that both pieces of metal are clean and flat. All burs from filing and piercing should be removed.

Tips:

• Sweat soldering takes a lot more solder than you think it will- remember that the entire area needs to have solder on it.
• Leave a small area that you can cut off afterwards as a place to feed any additional solder into.
• Place sweat soldering piece on grates or tripods to allow for quickest heating of the pieces. The soldering boards absorb heat.
• The entire piece(s) need to get hot all around in order for the solder to fully flow.
• Sweat soldering is easiest when the pieces are flat. Once soldered, form with plastic mallet.

Sweat Soldering- Laminate method

• If one of your pieces has piercing or a smaller area than the other, this is your top piece.
• Clean both surfaces to be soldered well- no dirt or oils on the metal.
• Both surfaces should be clean and fit together well.
• Lay your top piece on the soldering board face down so that the side that will be soldered is up.
• Flux and heat your flux until clear.
• Place chips of solder all over the piece.
• Heat until the solder begins to slump and flow. Do not let it flow completely!
• Pickle and brass brush.
• Reflux the piece and lay with the solder side down on top of your bottom piece.
• Use cotter pins, cross tweezers, or third hands to apply a small amount of pressure- holding the 2 sides together.
• Heat until the solder flows.

Sweat soldering- Sandwich method

• Clean both surfaces to be soldered well- no dirt or oils on the metal.
• Flux both surfaces to be soldered.
• Heat top piece until the flux is clear.
• Place solder chips all over the top piece.
• Place the bottom piece over the top piece and clamp together.
• Heat until the solder flows.

You should be able to see your solder line around every edge of the piece.

If you do not see that solder line, you need more solder.

Feed in any additional solder from the easiest area to clean up afterwards.