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soft solder for repairing recoil escapement

mbhorology

By mbhorology
in All Things Clocks

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mbhorology Member

mbhorology

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What is the correct solder and flux to use for refacing a recoil escapement with an offcut of mainspring?

As an experiment I've tried soft soldering using plumbers Plowerflow and lead-free solder with brass and that is fine, however the results on steel are hopeless; the solder just doesn't flow.

I believe you are supposed to use a tin/lead solder, but I'm not sure on what flux you should use.

 

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Michael WRT Addict

Michael

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If you use a 60/40 tin lead solder, then the best flux to use is a zinc chloride flux. You could even use it neat and not diluted. Rinse well after, as it is highly corrosive. All not very environmentally friendly, but in the qtys you will be using, I think you should be OK

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oldhippy Distinguished Member

oldhippy

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26 minutes ago, Watcher said:

Yet another useless comment from this moderator!

I put bog standard tin of flux because It wasn't anything special.  I can’t remember the name as I never bought it. Did you really want me to have put all that down? 

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Mark Distinguished Member

Mark

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"Bog standard" is not an offensive phrase. What's the problem?
It's a phrase that simply conveys that something is very common.
Why am I getting reports regarding that?

Sent from my SM-G950F using Tapatalk

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TimFitz WRT Addict

TimFitz

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Oldhippy may be a Moderator but he knows more about timepieces than most of us put together!

I wish I had as much technical help to offer  the good people on this site as he does! Even 1/10th of his horology wisdom.  Instead I stumble around giving my thoughts on what sharpening stone is the best, and mundane information like that. Or deciding weather this word or that word is politically correct?

We have to be more civil in this world of  barbarians world we live in today.

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Tmuir Distinguished Member

Tmuir

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When I did this recently I used tin / lead solder.

I have a big bar of it that would of been for repairing car radiators that I just hit flat with a hammer until its very thin and then just snip a bit off.

For flux I uses Bakers flux that you should be able to buy at any hardware store which as said above is zinc chloride flux.

In the old days you made it by dropping Zinc into hydrochloric acis until it stopped fixxing and used the link which was Zinc Chloride.

Now you just buy a bottle of it ready made, much easier.

As said make sure you clean up after soldering it it will rust the part

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oldhippy Distinguished Member

oldhippy

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Preparation is necessary. I would use a fine emery stick to clean the pallet face and to clean of all the blue on the spring that is to be used. Make sure both are free from oil and grease. I used a spirt lamp with a medium flame. You need enough solder which must be even to cover the pallet face otherwise it will not lay flush to the face. This will affect the action. If repaired correctly you will not be able to tell the pallets have been re-faced.    

I thought this might help you.

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Tmuir Distinguished Member

Tmuir

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I agree with what oldhippy says, if its not perfectly clean it wont solder properly, and dont forget to scuff up the back of the spring material with some W&D, then flux and tin both parts before trying to solder them together

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  • 3 weeks later...
mbhorology Member

mbhorology

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Well I just wanted to feed back on this now I've changed my flux and solder.  I have obtained some "Bakers Fluid No 3" and 60/40 tin/lead solder.

I found that applying flux, holding together, then applying solder wasn't successful like you might do with silver soldering.  

I did however find that tinning both surfaces first (having cleaned as suggested above) and then soldering together resulted in a good joint that when cleaned up didn't show any join.

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