silver solder

[michael howarth 1Participant @michaelhowarth1]

I bought a 1/2 Kg reel of Johnson Matthey silver solder from a gentleman (Mr Harvey) advertising on this site under ‘Classified’ – ‘Miscellaneous’ – what a bargain – £100 for what I have subsequently found would cost well over double that elsewhere. I know that he had one reel left. Highly recommended.

[michael howarth 1Participant @michaelhowarth1]

[TerrydParticipant @terryd72465]

Another selling advert?  What is happening to this forum?

 

T

Edited By Terryd on 18/09/2011 21:32:13

[John BaguleyParticipant @johnbaguley78655]

You’d better use it quick as after December the use of cadmium bearing solders is prohibited except for specific professional uses

John

[JasonBModerator @jasonb]

Thought it was just the selling of it that was not allowed after that date.

 

J

Edited By JasonB on 18/09/2011 21:55:33

[AndyPParticipant @andyp13730]

Well with scrap sterling silver currently making £668 per kilo 1/2 kilo of easyflo which is 50% silver contains about £170 worth of silver so if it is easyflo bargain is the right word, I’ll take 20 reels please.

 

Andy

[John BaguleyParticipant @johnbaguley78655]

From the EU press release:

 

“Cadmium is also present in brazing sticks,
which are used to join dissimilar materials, and it is used for specific
applications such as amateur modelling of steam engines of trains.
Fumes released during the brazing process are highly dangerous if
inhaled. The use of these brazing materials will be prohibited except
for very specific professional uses.”

 

http://europa.eu/rapid/pressReleasesAction.do?reference=IP/11/620&format=HTML&aged=0&language=EN&guiLanguage=en

 

Whether you choose to follow the new rules or not is up to you of course

John

Edited By John Baguley on 19/09/2011 00:42:46

Edited By John Baguley on 19/09/2011 00:43:58

[Mark Foster 1Participant @markfoster1]

what do you guys think of the Cad free solder . I have used it and find it poor to say the least ! it just doesent flow .The Quality of the joint worries me .I use this but hate it . My advice is to get the cad stuff while you can . I have been silver soldering in my trade for 30 plus years .I am finding this a backward step . I think it is a worry it makes the job so much harder

[michael howarth 1Participant @michaelhowarth1]

It is not an advert that I posted…..just an available bargain that I spotted and have brought to wider notice. I have no connection whatsoever with the seller other than as a satisfied purchaser.

 

Edited By mick H on 19/09/2011 06:48:06

[michael howarth 1Participant @michaelhowarth1]

Thanks for the references John Baguley. Just to pick out one choice morsel. Calculations suggest that there might be between 6 and 29 deaths which might be related to Cadmium Oxide poisoning, annually, throughout the 15 EU countries. (Yes, I know, that’s 6 to 29 too many).

 

In my part of Lincolnshire there are more than 50 deaths caused annually by people being mown down by cars. God knows how many throughout the 15 EU countries. Statistically, I am sure that I am safer, silver soldering in my shed 24/7 than going for a walk down the lane!

[John BaguleyParticipant @johnbaguley78655]

The cadmium free solders do take a bit of getting used to. I’ve been using them for boiler making for a couple of years and had no real problems. You do need to be more careful with cleaning joints and need a bit more heat for it to flow properly. I do use Easyflo for some final joints and for small fittings etc. but won’t be once my small stock is exhausted.

 

The main problem with the cadmium free solders is that they will be more
expensive because they have a higher percentage of silver in the alloy. I agree it is a retrograde step for our uses but too late now. Some of us did complete a questionare from the EU to try and put forward our case but obviously it wasn’t enough to sway the ‘powers that be’

 

It is interesting that the main market for the cadmium bearing solders is/was model engineering – most of Industry stopped using it years ago.

 

Agreed you’ve got more chance of being run down by a bus or struck by lightening than getting cadmium poisoning, provided you take precautions e.g. work outside in the open. I did trawl through the actual EU documents and the main argument for the ban seems to be based on the high cost of the health care needed if anyone succumbs to the effects of cadmium

 

John

 

Edited By John Baguley on 19/09/2011 09:23:45

[KWILParticipant @kwil]

Who started the EU off on this particular track, cadmium has been banned from industrial plating for many  years.

 

Why the sudden interest in our silver solder use? Perhaps a vested interest (health interests aside)? Still available in the USA of course.

Edited By KWIL on 19/09/2011 10:13:10

[Laurence BParticipant @laurenceb]

Posted by Mark Foster 1 on 19/09/2011 00:49:04:

what do you guys think of the Cad free solder . I have used it and find it poor to say the least ! it just doesent flow .The Quality of the joint worries me .I use this but hate it . My advice is to get the cad stuff while you can . I have been silver soldering in my trade for 30 plus years .I am finding this a backward step . I think it is a worry it makes the job so much harder

 

Hi Mark

I’ve just about used up all my Easyflo silver solder so recently I used some Silverflo rods,which I understand is the cadmium free alternative.I actually found this solder flowed very well with about the same heat input as for Easyflo,and found that the solder had penetrated the joints fully.

Granted,these were on some steel fabrications,which weren’t overly big.

I’ve yet to find out how the new solder will work on brass or copper,or on fairly large fabrications;that might prove to be a different story!

[michael howarth 1Participant @michaelhowarth1]

Kwil….looking at some of the documents, it seems that the clowns in Brussels have been working on this for years and years and years. I suggest that the answer to your question is ….they had nothing better to do with themselves.

 

It beggars belief that they really want to save lives…..if that were the case there are dozens of more effective ways in all walks of life.

[Sub MandrelParticipant @submandrel]

Stop worrying folks.

 

If anyone has some easyflo praying on their conscience, I will come around and dispose of it safely for a small fee

 

Neil

[TerrydParticipant @terryd72465]

Hi all,

 

I took a silversmithing and jewellery making course at college for two years in the 1970’s and had to use non cadmium silver solder on work pieces for assaying in order to qualify for hallmarking. I found no problem in use whether with sterling silver or copper fabrications as we used the same solder on both. As long as joints were well designed, accurately made, clean and well fluxed it worked well.

 

Regards

 

Terry

[Author]

Posts