Can you use brazing on stainless steel?
Brazing stainless steel requires some forethought, as the alloys used to form joints must have properties compatible with the base metal. However, a key advantage is that many dissimilar metals can be joined to stainless steels by brazing. This process can yield strong joints that are ductile, clean and smooth.
Can you braze a bike frame?
Brazing – Brazing is a method more or less restricted to steel frames. Yes, you can braze aluminum, like this master craftsman, but within the frame building world, brazing is really for steel. There are essentially two methods of brazing a frame together: fillet (pronounced “fill it”) brazing and lug brazing.
What is fillet brazing?
Brazing fillets can be a greatly misunderstood phenomenon in brazing. A braze fillet is actually a casting along the outside of a braze joint that shows that the brazing filler metal (BFM) has melted and flowed along the edge of a braze joint.
What welding rod do I use for stainless steel?
A 309 or 312 SMAW electrode is a good choice for stick welding stainless steel, especially for maintenance or repair applications. It offers high cracking resistance and good strength, and typically can join stainless steel already in service, even if the specific material grade isn’t known.
What type of flux is used for stainless steel?
S26 Flux is a phosphoric acid based flux designed primarily for the soft soldering of stainless steels. These metals are often difficult to solder due to the tough oxide layer present on the surface of the steel alloys.
How does brazing work on a bike frame?
A filler metal (like brass or silver) is heated just above its melting point and distributed over two adjacent tubes. As the filler metal cools it hardens and forms a joint connecting the metals. Brazing uses a filler metal with a melting temperature lower than the frame material.
Which is better, a lugged bicycle frame or a welded bicycle frame?
We often get asked, “What’s better, a lugged bicycle frame or a welded bicycle frame?” Bike frames can be built of many things: steel, aluminum, carbon, even cardboard. How the individual pieces are joined together depends on the material and the builder.
What kind of material is used to build bike frames?
Bike frames can be built of many things: steel, aluminum, carbon, even cardboard. How the individual pieces are joined together depends on the material and the builder. For metal there are two primary methods and a lot of confusion about how they compare, or which is used for what, and why.
What kind of steel is a mission bike made of?
Above is a Mission frame made of 4130 chromoly steel that’s been TIG (tungsten inert gas) welded. What you’re seeing is raw steel tubing with a clear gloss powder coat.