Soldering 20 awg solid wire to brass?

[RobAinscough]

Is it possible with standard 780 Watt soldering gun? I recall reading about using silver solder but that seems to be more for brass tubing.

Thoughts?

Cheers, Rob.

 

[dick_freebird]

Done it often w/ 60/40 Pb/Sn, it wets fine as
long as you clean it bright first. Bond seems
as strong as solder-copper. For mechanical
strength, silver solder and (mini-) torch
would be superior.

 

[RobAinscough]

Excellent, what do you usually clean the contact area with? Sandpaper, wire brush?

Cheers, Rob.

 

[BradtheRad]

Fine grit sandpaper or steel wool.

I use silver solder occasionally to join narrow pieces, where strength is needed. Such as brass-plated eyeglass frames.

 

[c_mitra]

Is it possible with standard 780 Watt soldering gun?

I remember Murphy's law: don't force it, use a bigger hammer.

If the wire is also brass, and the plate is relatively thin, you can use a regular solder and a regular soldering iron.

If the surfaces are not shining clean, use a sandpaper to prepare the surface. You can also use some more aggressive flux (ZnCl2 based).

For hard solder, you need a torch. The mechanical strength also depends on the contact area covered with solder.

Both leaded and unleaded solder should work fine.