Solder thin metal?

[snowjim]

Hello,

How do you solder thin metal together? For example, lampshades in thick steel wire and similar?

I have a metal ceiling lamp that looks like this:



Each plate has a nut that is soldered or welded in place, this nut has fallen off and needs to be reattached.

Sure, you can use strong glue, but if you want to attach it properly, how do you do it? I have already tried a regular soldering iron (450 degrees) without much success.

 

[Stefan1972]

we assume that the material is solderable, it is usually about not heating enough. The material must be heated so that the solder melts when it comes into contact with the material. Not just the heat source alone. If you are going to solder with a soldering iron, it usually requires a rather substantial one to work with slightly thicker items. A soldering pen for electronics soldering is usually far too weak.
I would guess that at least a 2-300w soldering iron is required.

 

[Dan_Johansson]

Actually, there really isn't much difference between "glue" and "solder" ... It will stick just as well with epoxy as if you solder it, and it's much easier (i.e., you avoid having to repaint the board, as the paint burns off before the solder sticks)...

If you can glue aluminum car bodies together, you can probably glue a lamp together ....

 

[snowjim]

assuming the material is solderable, it often comes down to heating inadequately. The material must be heated so that the solder melts when it comes into contact with the material. Not just the heat source. When soldering with a soldering iron, a rather hefty one is usually required for it to work on slightly thicker items. A soldering pen for electronics soldering is usually too weak. I would guess that at least a 2-300w soldering iron is needed.

Ah, my soldering pen is only 48 w, so that might explain a bit. I tried heating up the items quite a bit, but the only thing that got hot enough to melt the tin was the small nut. The actual plate would not come up to temp.

Is it generally a soldering iron that is used for this, or is it possible that you actually weld? And if so, what kind of welding is used?

 

[snowjim]

In reality, there's not much difference between "glue" and "solder" ... It will hold just as well with epoxy as if you solder them, and it's much easier (i.e., you won't have to repaint the plate, as the paint burns off before the solder sticks)...

If you can glue together car bodies in aluminum, you can probably glue together a lamp ....

The advantage of solder is that it dries faster, right?

In this case, I actually chose to use Pattex No More Nails glue, but I'm afraid to tighten the screw in the nut too hard since you don't know if the nut will detach from the plate. For some reason, soldering or at least welding feels safer?

It's certainly a problem to have to repaint the entire plate that's already spray-painted, so for that reason, it sounds much better to glue if it can now achieve the same strength.

Of course, you have to sand off the paint from the area you are going to glue.

When you say epoxy, do you have any particular suggestions? Would Biltemas work, for example?

The glues I have at home are otherwise Pattex No More Nails and Bostik Maxi Bond, Loctite Super glue didn't hold.

 

[cpalm]

Place the disc on the stovetop and crank up the heat if you want to solder. Use what you have

 

[Thomas_Blekinge]

First, check if the metals are solderable. The easiest are copper or brass. Steel can also be soldered. Aluminum is hopeless.
The metal surfaces must be completely free of paint, dust, oil, and water.
Get a fixture to hold the parts in place against each other because you'll need your hands for other tasks.
The soldering iron should have enough power to sufficiently heat both parts. As mentioned before, 200-300 W. A better option in my eyes is a cheap propane torch, available at Biltema for under a hundred.
And then the solder. In addition to solder, you need flux. You can buy it separately or use rosin-core solder that has flux in the core of the solder wire.
Apply the flux to the surfaces to be soldered. Then, simply assemble and heat. The parts should be hot enough that the solder wire melts when you hold it against the joint to be soldered, without a flame. You can see how the solder nicely crawls into the joint. Then it's successful. Otherwise, redo it.

 

[Dan_Johansson]

The advantage of solder is probably that it dries faster?

In this case, I actually chose to use Pattex No More Nails adhesive, though I'm hesitant to tighten the screw in the nut too hard because you never know if the nut will come loose from the plate. For some reason, soldering or at least welding feels safer?

It's obviously a problem to have to repaint the entire plate that is already spray-painted, so for that reason, it sounds much better to glue if it can now achieve the same strength.

Of course, you need to sandpaper off the paint from the area you intend to glue.

When you mention Epoxy, do you have any specific suggestions? Would Biltema's work, for example?

The adhesives I have at home are otherwise Pattex No More Nails and Bostik Maxi Bond, Loctite Super glue didn't hold.

Super glue (cyanoacrylate) tends to work less well for gluing metal, at least on such small surfaces as it concerns here... Biltema's epoxy will definitely work well... Sand off the paint from the surfaces, and glue...