SSF-6 silver braze rods bond a stainless steel tube to a steel plate with a handheld propane torch.
Stainless steel is an alloy comprised of chromium and nickel, designed to resist corrosion. There are 3 main types of stainless: austenitic, ferritic, and martensitic.
- Austenitic stainless is characterized by its low carbon content and can be hardened by cold treating. Commonly used for restaurant, marine, and hospital machinery
- Ferritic stainless is softer and not heat treatable. It is used for constructing pots and pans etc
- Martensitic stainless contains up to 1% carbon and can be hardened by heat treating. Commonly used for knives etc
Stainless expands 50% faster than regular steel, and distorts easily when overheated. For this reason, it’s important to use a silver braze rod with high flow, high strength, and a low working temperature such as SSF-6 silver solder. Stainless melts at 2750°F, while SSF-6 braze rod flows at 1150°F, and the resulting bond is a super strong 70,000 psi.
As always, prior to beginning to braze, preclean the parent metals with any abrasive: wire wheel or brush, Dremel tool etc. Be sure to thoroughly remove all oxidation and impurities.
Once the parent metals are properly prepped, preheat both metals with the torch. Be sure to keep the torch moving to avoid burning a hole in the stainless. (When using large or thicker steel or stainless steel you may need to use oxy-MAPP gas, oxygen propane or an oxyacetylene torch. )
Heating adjacent to the work area will slow down the surrounding area from pulling heat away from the joint to be soldered. When the metals start to change color, apply the flux and continue heating until the metals turn red. Finally, apply the flame to both the parent steels and allow the rod to flow the SSF-6 silver braze in to the desired joint.
SSF-6 silver braze finishes beautifully, without a need for grinding or machining, and can be applied with a propane, oxy-acetylene, or MAPP gas torch.
Note: Please observe all AWS Safety & Health Guidelines when using Muggy Weld products.
