ABSTRACT
This chapter looks at soft and hard soldering, this is often referred to as soldering and brazing when discussed in a non—technically accurate way. Soldering is a very useful skill which has many applications, especially in building classic and custom vehicles using tubular frames. It is also essential for wiring and specialist sheet metal work. Soldering and brazing are methods of joining components by lapping them together and using a low-melting-point alloy so that the parent material is not melted. Soft solder is an alloy of lead and tin and is used with the aid of a soldering flux. The head is nearly always made of copper, although for soldering aluminium a nickel bit is necessary. The soldering process comprises the following steps: Choose the right materials, clean the soldering iron, heat the soldering iron, tin the soldering iron, clean the surface of the workpiece, reheat the bit and apply the soldering iron.
