Soldering Nickel Silver Handguards

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godogs57

Joined
Apr 16, 2004
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I am sick of trying to solder handguards...please tell me what I am doing wrong. I can't be any more blunt than that...any help is very much appreciated.

I file the handguards so they will fit nice and tight...rough the blade up with my scotchbrite wheel where it will be soldered...clean all parts with acetone...flux with staybrite flux...put everything in the soldering jig just right...heat from the bottom because they tell me that the silver solder flows toward the heat...heat it just enough so the staybrite silver solder flows (the 400 degree stuff is used) and the dang stuff flows away from the damn joint...still heating from the bottom and the stuff flows everywhere BUT where it is supposed to flow.

I end up getting a crappy joint that is a royal pain in the rear to clean up. I read somewhere to cut your solder sections and lay them at the joint...heat it up till it just melts and take the heat away....didn't work...never has for me. This stuff is not rocket science, I understand that, but I am doing something fundementally wrong or I would not be making such a mess everytime.

Do you like your gaps between the handguard and the blade to be as small as possible, or what? The way I am having trouble with the solder flowing into the joint has me questioning what I am doing wrong....someone please tell this 46 year old fool what he is doing wrong....all answers appreciated!!

Thanks in advance!
 
Try concentraiting the heat on primarily the tang just below the guard, not the guard itself, then the solder should flow into the joint. everything else you're doing sounds fine.
 
This really sounds like the joint is not clean but you're doing everything I know to do... Maybe the joint is too tight?

Because of my own soldering frustrations I've pretty much switched to JB Weld. I can clean that up without screwing up the finish of the blade and all it really has to do is seal out moisture.
 
Acetone is just the start of prep.!!!:eek: Personally, I wouldn't use the scotchbrite wheel either. Just make sure the steel is finished smooth, and don't buff either the guard, or blade before soldering.

Wipe down with acetone(lacquer thinner is much better, less oily), then go into the kitchen and scrub with hot water and dish soap, followed by a heavy duty cleaner like TSP, or 409 etc. You will know when it's clean enough as the rinse water(hot) will sheet across the metal, not run in rivulets. At that point, dry with a clean cotton towel, or good paper towels, being careful not to touch any areas to be soldered with your bare hands.

Back at the bench, wet a q-tip in flux, and wipe it around the blade where the guard will go, do the same with the inside of the guard, fit them together and heat from the bottom of the tang, and up to the sides of the guard. You can place little bits of solder on the joint beforehand if you wish, but I just touch the solder to the top of the joint(the front of the guard. If the solder on the blade/guard turns black, you've overheated it, and must clean it up and start over, as you will never get a good solder joint if you don't.

I wrap a damp, but not dripping washcloth around the blade before applying heat. I hold it on with mechanics wire. It will keep the heat from creeping up the blade and possibly ruining the temper.

When your solder flows(and we know it will;) ) get a small metal pick, I use an old needle file that has been tinned, and has been heated quickly, and has flux on it, and draw it along the solder joint if is not complete. You can flick excess solder off with a solder brush while it is still hot enough to melt solder. You can also just not take any chances of screwing it up, and just leave it alone, and remove excess solder after it's cooled.
All this takes place in a relatively short period of time, BTW.
Most soldering problems result from improper preparation, and cleaning.
As long as you have the proper solder, and the flux that matches it, you should have no problem. Well, less problems anyway.;)
 
Thoroughly clean as directed above.Do you have the right solder ?If you have a stainless steel blade or guard it has to be a flux suitable for stainless.Remember that the metal has to get to 400F, you melt the solder not with the torch but with the tang and guard. If you have followed Mike's instructions and still have a problem you might try to tin the parts first with the solder then put them together and solder.To flow into the joint with capillary action the joint should have a gap of .002-.003".
 
Acxetone works for me. I wash guard and blade with a brush and let dry. Stay brite works the best for me. I put the guard on and hold it with a jig. I then put the flux on with the blade pointing up I use a very small pointed brush to paint flux in the joint area. This puts it where you want the solder to flow.I usually cut several small pieces 1/8 inch and lay them on the joint.
Start by heating the guard when the flux stops bubbling you are almost there. When the solder melts have a pointed piece of coat hanger ready to run along the joint.
Take the heat to the bottom of the guard . That will cause some of the solder to flow through and give you a good solder joint.
Sorry this took so long.
Go to www.engnath.com and check out the tutorials they are a lot of help.
TJ
 
the above advice sounds good, I've just about stoped using solder and went to JB for clean-up resons, but I still solder a couple and I've found that the silver solder sold at Car Quest in the little kit of solder and liquid flux works for me for everything except bronze.
 
Will52100 said:
the above advice sounds good, I've just about stoped using solder and went to JB for clean-up resons, but I still solder a couple and I've found that the silver solder sold at Car Quest in the little kit of solder and liquid flux works for me for everything except bronze.
Click to expand...

Even stainless, Will? I'll have to try it. Right now, I am using Stay-Brite solder and flux. I may have to research some of those eutectic solders because I am doing knives with ATS-34 blades and 303 or 400-series furniture. I'm finding that the Stay-Brite does the job, but barely.

Mete, any suggestions on this? :)
 
I have old stuff , 'Force 44' silver bearing solder. This is about 95 Sn and 5 Ag and melts about 400F.BTW it's approved for use around food. The flux also by Force is 'Blitz Flux for all metals '. Yes I've used it on stainless. The "silver solder" is of course advertizing hype since it is really tin solder with a little bit of silver. I think they're all the same composition. The flux does make a big difference ,if you don't have one that is designed for stainless steel it just won't work.
 
Don't give up, I solder all my joints and its not hard to clean up once you get it down. If you follow Mike's instruction your problems should be over. One thing I did do though was go to a paste flux, it stays in the joint a little longer then liquid and helps me, also I use radio shack silver/solder in the.022 size, this way you don't over apply to much solder. Thats where the clean up problems are, to much extra solder.

Stay with it

Bill
 
jhiggins said:
Even stainless, Will? I'll have to try it. Right now, I am using Stay-Brite solder and flux. I may have to research some of those eutectic solders because I am doing knives with ATS-34 blades and 303 or 400-series furniture. I'm finding that the Stay-Brite does the job, but barely.

Mete, any suggestions on this? :)
Click to expand...

I use Force 44 also. Got it from Brownells. It seems to work very well, but I've had good luck with Sta-Brite too.

I quit trying to solder 300 series stainless about 20 years ago. At that time, even veteran knifemakers told me they had real problems soldering it, and only used it for bolsters anymore. 410, or 416 matches better anyhow.;)

Eutectic solder, and flux is supposed to work very well, but is pretty expensive, unless you can find someplace that parts it out in smaller sections.
http://www.eutectic.com/index_en.html
 
ddavelarsen said:
This really sounds like the joint is not clean but you're doing everything I know to do... Maybe the joint is too tight?

Because of my own soldering frustrations I've pretty much switched to JB Weld. I can clean that up without screwing up the finish of the blade and all it really has to do is seal out moisture.
Click to expand...
Dave, are you saying you don't solder at all? You attach your guards with JB Weld? Or do you use it in conjunction with soldering? Thanks
Scott
 
I might be going out on a limb here but in my shop....the number one source of silver solder problems is NOT using Eutectic solder.

I hate Sta-Brite!!!! I bought some on my last trip to Koval's thinking that my solder technique had improved....and promptly trashed the next guard joint with it.

Eutectic flows great everytime for me...stainless, carbon, NS, brass, etc.
 
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