The zinc aluminum solder listed first is going to be harder to melt using a soldering iron as it melts at a higher temperature than most solders.
Is there any way to solder thin aluminum sheet.
While getting the solder to flow you may want to lift the sheet metal a bit off your backer which can act like a heat sink.
Make sure that the solder metal or filler melts instantly.
Up until recently i didn t know how easy it is to solder aluminum with a propane torch.
The flux extremely important when fusing a difficult aluminum sheet metal with another material.
So here s what the article techniques for soldering to aluminum spells out as some of the keys to soldering aluminum.
A direct flame on the repair area is likely to overheat the solder and flux.
A torch with more of a pin point would do better.
The torch i m using has a broad flame so it s probably not as efficient in heating the specific area for welding.
You need an aluminum soldering flux a flux that is specifically formulated for soldering aluminum.
A couple ways you might use this include mechanical uses like adding a foot to a bicycle kick stand making a bicycle cart or part on a lawnmower and uses in electronics like soldering copper to aluminum to a solar panel backing.
I think the strength of the zinc tin solder will be lower but it should be easier to use despite that you need flux with a regular soldering iron.
Use your torch or soldering iron to heat the metal object adjacent to the join starting at the lower end of the workpiece.
Do not apply heat directly to the solder filler to prevent the solder metal from burning up.
They claim it needs no flux which might be a plus.
If using a torch hold the torch tip at least 4 to 6 inches 10 2 to 15 2 cm away from the parent metal.
Apply a dab of flux and while keeping the heat up solder a nice bead over the area.
It takes about 5 10 seconds of heat to get the solder to flow maybe longer for heavier gauge metal.
Just because a flux is strong enough to solder an alloy like stainless steel doesn t mean it ll work on aluminum.
Heat the area where you need to solder using a torch.
This will not only eliminate the chance of the oxide from further forming but also draw the iron solder along the longest side of the join.
Basically with any project where you want to make something strong out of metal like aluminum or copper.
