Should silver solder be cleaned if it is ”tarnished” ?

[Brian JohnParticipant @brianjohn93961]

[Brian JohnParticipant @brianjohn93961]

I have some 2 year old silver solder which has been hanging on the wall inside the house. It is good quality silver solder with cadmium which I use for soldering copper boilers. It has lost its bright and shiny new look ; it is a bit ''tarnished'' for want of a better word. Should it be cleaned before use by using steel wool or something similar ?

NOTE : I always make sure the copper surfaces to be soldered are clean and bright and I use plenty of flux.

[Brian HParticipant @brianh50089]

Hello Brian (what a good name!), personally, I would clean off the tarnish before use but not with wire wool as it can leave particles of steel embedded in the silver solder.

I just use some fine emery paper or cloth and wrap it around the silver solder sticks and pull the stick through a couple of times.

Brian

[BazParticipant @baz89810]

I have some very old easyflo that is tarnished, it dates back to the 1980s, I give it a pull through a piece of scotchbrite before I use it, probably unnecessary as the flux would remove the oxides but it makes me feel happier.

[Keith HaleParticipant @keithhale68713]

Hi Brian,

If it makes you feel better, then clean it, but it's not really necessary. The tarnish is only a film of oxide that the flux will remove.

When doing a brazing demo, I might have cleaned the rod purely for a esthetic reasons.

I would use a piece of newspaper. If the silver solder contained more than than 40% silver I would use a broadsheet, if it was less, I found a tabloid satisfactory!

Regards

Keith

[Brian JohnParticipant @brianjohn93961]

Okay, thanks for that. It is probably not necessary but I will give it a quick pull through some emery paper anyway.

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