TIG Welding brass

[bhardy501]

Looks good. I have turned some brass ( dont know exactly what type) that come off a brand new stick of 1.5". While turning there was oils constantly coming out of the brass. This was solid bar stock, as I said it was off a brand new peice. I couldnt imagine having to try and weld this stuff because of all the oils that would be coming out of the brass itself. This may have been some special type of brass, I dont know.

[Uncle Ed]

It is Half&halfnium. It's highly toxic and mildly radioactive.
Your hair should start falling out right about now.



Actually I was thinking an oil soaked powder compaction or sintered bearing alloy. I would'nt want to weld on it either.

Ed

[henrym]

It is Half&halfnium. It's highly toxic and mildly radioactive.
Your hair should start falling out right about now.



Actually I was thinking an oil soaked powder compaction or sintered bearing alloy. I would'nt want to weld on it either.

Ed

I'm thinking bushing material, too. "self-lubricating brass bushing"? I've seen that sort of thing, but I know little about it.

Gadget, keep us up-do-date on the furnace progress!

[KHK]

The name for the self lube brass/bronze is oil tight

[bhardy501]

Seems like I remember the instructor calling it oil tight. I know I dont like machining that stuff.

[Uncle Ed]

I've always known it as Oilite® but as far as I know it only comes in bronze.

Ed

[Rich]

Welding brass, whether by TIG or other method, is often chancy unless you know exactly what the alloy is. There are dozens of different copper alloys that are called "brass" and some can be welded nicely and some can't be welded at all.

Whenever I am faced with a brass that I don't know which exact ally it is, I opt for silver soldering, using the hardest grade (highest melting point) of solder that I can. Grade IT silver solder melts at over 1600F and is as strong as most brasses or stronger. Even the grade called "easy" melts at over 1200F and is strong enough to solder band saw blades. The so-called "silver solders" that they sell at hardware stores are more properly called "silver bearing" solders as they are mostly just a tin/antimony solder with a bit of silver added. They are somewhat stronger than regular soft solder, but not much. For real silver solder, go to a jewelry supply or industrial supply. You'll need the appropriate flux, too - my personal preference is Battern's Self-pickling Liquid Flux.

I TIG weld a lot of silicon bronze with my Longevity unit, and it works great now that I've learned how to work with it. As you already discovered, the trick to working with bronzes and other thermally conductive alloys is to hit it with a lot of heat at first and then back down when it starts to show any melting at all.

I build my own forges and foundries and any fittings that I need to fab up in brass or bronze from plumbing fittings I use the silver solder. I've never had one come apart either, over forty years of doing it this way. The rare few fittings that I have to machine myself are made from silicon bronze and assembled by TIG welding, if necessary.

Oilite bearing is nasty stuff to machine, but by no means the worst there is. Of course, the easy brass to machine is "free-machining" brass, which has lead as an alloying element. Can't weld that crap at all.

[Gadget]

Great post Rich. Lots of good info there. What do you make with your foundry? Hobby use or commercial?
Dan
By the way, Torqueman is building a forge. You guys may have something in common.

[KHK]

Ed wrote;
I've always known it as Oilite® but as far as I know it only comes in bronze.

Yes, Thanks Ed

Good info Rich, Thanks

[torqueman]

Hey Rich that is good info. Somehow I missed this thread when it was new. Like you have been able to silver solder brass. I even did brass to stainless once. Just don't ask how many brass parts I burned through before I got the temp right for both pieces. LOL