Replies

1. 
   Guest_ | Apr 27, 1999 05:31pm | #14

   *
   Hello: I am going to be starting an old house rehab this summer, got to start on top. This one has many dormers, chimneys and other roof and flashing tricks. Thinking of a small brake, maybe a shear, and soldering tools. Not much at all in any of my big stack of catalogs. Graingers has a machine or two, but zero for soldering irons and supplies. Same for Harbor freight. Any web sites or catalogs you know of that will help? Thanks, LONE (very tired of sheetrock and other inside jobs) CAT

1. 
   Guest_ | Apr 16, 1999 10:15am | #1

   *I've gotten good deals on medium (4') and large (8') brakes at used equipment yards. Any large city has a couple. Also call up a sheet metal supplier and ask them for a few references. In a pinch you can do a lot by clamping boards around the sheet metal or by using a Workmate bench as a clamp and taking lots of little blows with a hammer. But only in a pinch. For production you want a brake.

1. 
   Guest_ | Apr 16, 1999 04:24pm | #2

   *There are a couple of FHB articles (index on "flashing") that show how to site build a flashing brake. The ones the roofer use go several hundered $. But you can rent them if you can try to cluster fabrication so it's not just sitting there a lot.For one or two I've gotten by with lengths of 2x, c-clamps and a rubber mallet. For small stuff the various Vise-Grip type tools with sheet-metal jaws are great.I've gotten by with snips or buying flashing in the widths needed. Spose if I was going to do more of this I'd get a set of left, right and center snips (HD has them).If you go to an HVAC sheet metal dealer they'll have specialty catalogs of sheet metal tools, but they're mostly concerned with aluminum and galv. steel so not much soldering stuff.I've not found a good source of soldering tools. I've bought electric irons in used tool shops and flea markets and they seem to be there because they don't produce much heat anymore. I've managed to do most of my copper soldering with an air-acetelyne torch ("blue flame") with a SMALL ( O or OO) tip. The trick is that the work pieces need to be tight together. That what using an iron does in addition to heating, it pushes the pieces together. You can sometimes crip or clamp the pieces together. You can hold the torch and solder each in one hand and use an iron in your third hand or between your teeth. I've done some pathes on vertical surfaces where I used copper pop-rivets and soldered up the center holes. I've not seen a source for an iron constantly heated by the torch but I hear they work well. The little slip on irons for propane torch tips I've found useless.None of the articles or even books I'e read really do a good treatment on fluxes. I've wound up cleaning the metal with muriatic acid, washing it down with water (straight muriatic some say is too strong and residue will eat away the finished joint over time?????) and then fluxed with plumber's paste flux. I know it's not what the pro's use but I haven't found the "right" stuff and it's worked. Only a few hdw. stores seem ever to carry liquid flux and it's packaged in little 2oz containers. It cleans new off the shelf copper OK but doesn't get older stuff clean enough.Saw them soldering copper gutter on one of the homebuilding shows. Used old-fashioned irons heated in a propane flame and swapped for a hot when needed. They used a liquid cleaner/flux and seasoned the irons with a block of salamoniac so they would "tin". I guess their supplies come from the copper gutter dealers.

1. 
   Guest_ | Apr 16, 1999 04:43pm | #3

   *We solder lots of copper sheet at work, Ibuy the irons. They are made by Hexacon - These are big mothers with large tips, they are designed for this type of work. They come with variable power controllers, etc. Hexacon Electric Company161 W. Clay AvenueRoselle Park, NJ 07204phone: 908-245-6200fax: 908-245-6176A company called ESICO makes a variable power controller for any soldering iron, they mat also make irons but we don't have any.ESICO-TRITONDeep River, CT 06417phone: 860-526-5361The hexacon book has lots of details about soldering in it - flux selection, parts fastening, etc. They make irons up to 1000 watts. These irons come with tips from 1/8" to 1 3/4" wide.-Rob

1. 
   Guest_ | Apr 17, 1999 07:19am | #4

   *Thanks guys, I think this house is going to end up being mine and thats why I'm considering buying these tools then selling them. The old showcase my talents syndrome. Yo Rob, I've soldered copper, but it has been many years ago- are you saying one of these electric irons is what I want, not the kind you stick in the fire? They'll work as well?

2. 
   Guest_ | Apr 19, 1999 04:08pm | #5

   *lonecat - You would consider sticking an iron in the fire vs. electric? Do you still rive wood or are you finally using a table saw? 8-) Joke there - in case you didn't catch it.We make large electric capacitors and bushings, there's all kinds of copper stuff inside that gets soldered together. The irons we use are 300 watt with 7/8" chisel tips. I used a pyrometer to measure temp and the guys run them between 800 and 1100 degrees F. If you can't make flashings with one of these god help you.They do look like the old fashioned iron in the fire type. Large wood handle and large tip, you can get an angled body to them for ergonomics if you like.We use only flux core paste (not acid core) for our non-mechanically important connections. Our connections are, however, subject to extreme electrical amperages, voltages, and stresses. These I am told are mechanically demanding on the joints, even though there are no other mechanical loads on them.-Rob

3. 
   TJ | Apr 19, 1999 09:31pm | #6

   *PC air guns? Are they okay for light/medium duty or should I splurge and buy the Hitachi? I'm looking specifically at 15 and 16 guage finish nailers.

4. 
   Guest_ | Apr 19, 1999 11:34pm | #7

   *Rob, you lost me -- which flux for mechanical connections? Do you mean you use flux-core (whatever that is?) DESPITE or BECAUSE OF the mechanical stress on your application? I do remember acid being for electrical, the other stuff for stained-glass windows and the like.

5. 
   Guest_ | Apr 20, 1999 12:53am | #8

   *flux core for our electrical connections. But, the electrical engineers tell me that even though there is no mechanical load on our soldered connections(weight hanging on it for example) that switching thousands of amps on and off at hundreds of thousands of volts is enough to make these connections want to explode, so they do indeed take mechanical loading due to the fact that the whole thing wants to tear itself apart.I am told that these large switchgear setups which weigh hundreds of tons will jump high enough that you can see daylight underneath them.-Rob

6. 
   Guest_ | Apr 20, 1999 03:50am | #9

   *Ug, got it backwards again. Thanks!

7. 
   Guest_ | Apr 20, 1999 07:44am | #10

   *Now I want a 1000 watt CORDLESS iron.

8. 
   Guest_ | Apr 21, 1999 11:00pm | #11

   *Big battery! Or brief heat. Or propane.

9. 
   Guest_ | Apr 24, 1999 09:16pm | #12

   *I looked @ our heater for irons. You might try information for a telephone #. Insto Gas Corp. Detroit Mi. This unit attaches to a 20lb. propane tank and works great. It would be easy to make a heater for irons. If you have access to a welder or have a local shop help you. A weed burner fed into a heating box would work ok. If you look at a couple of heaters in a local tin shop you would get the idea. Just some information about irons- they are actually solid copper. Just called irons. If you look for new ones they may be called soldering coppers. We use 6 lb. irons and use them for 99% of our soldering. Good luck on your project. I agree with the soldering of flashing. Best in long term.

10. 
    Guest_ | Apr 27, 1999 05:54am | #13

    *If you are still interested in a heater call Tim Iwan. Cell phone # 308 280 0203 Home phone 308 284 4352I do not know where you live but this phone # is in the mountain time zone. The unit is used & he does not want much for it. Call him if you are interested.Ron.

11. 
    Guest_ | Apr 27, 1999 05:31pm | #15

    *Thanks Ron; I've got those numbers. I don't know yet, though, If I'm really buying that house. It is so shot now that I will have to evict the raccoons if I get it, but still costs many thousands because it is in the "historic" district.