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97-3--hey hot rod

bob young
bob young Member Posts: 2,177
in THE MAIN WALL
BOUGHT A ROLL OF SOLDER THE OTHER DAY DID NOT CHECK LABEL 'TILL I GOT TO JOB.  it was not 95-5 [tin-antimony ] but 97-3[ tin- copper ]  all comments from the experts welcome.  is it comparable to tin-antimony in strength ??? the engineers can never seem to leave things  that work o.k. alone.  curious to what my man hot rod thinks about this as when it comes to copperwork & soldering , the man wrote the book. bob young nyc lic. plbr

Comments

  • hot_rod
    hot_rod Member Posts: 23,886
    edited May 2013
    97 tin 3% copper

    possibly?



    I know the higher the tin then higher the melt point and a smaller or tighter working temperature range. I know some solar guys use this on drainback systems, probably overkill, but.. I suppose a drainback evac tube array could get hot enough to melt some soft solders?



    I also see the guys that do copper sheetmetal work on gutters and building trim use a 95/5 or 97/3, maybe a bit stronger joint. If it is a roll it is still considered soft solder.



    Harris products www.harrisproductsgroup.com has been my go to site for info on soft and hard solder products. I like their Blockade phosphrus tin silicone sticks for my copper art projects and t-drill joints.



    There are all sorts of SilPhos sticks with different alloy %s also. Some are better for joints that experience vibration, some fill wide gaps better, low melt points, all sorts of options.



    With some of the wiiide tolerance import copper fittings these days the Bridgit brand is a nice solder with a wide fluid range for filling gaps.



    My favorite supplier, Star Mechanical also keeps Lennox 50/50 on the shelf, a nice low melt point solder. Not sure what the lead has been replaced with?
    Bob "hot rod" Rohr
    trainer for Caleffi NA
    Living the hydronic dream
  • bob young
    bob young Member Posts: 2,177
    97-3

    thanx for the speedy response, hot rod. i am going to see if it is code compliant for potable water in nyc. have not seen any announcements in current dept. of bldg memos one way or another. it seems to run real nice i must say. did not realize it was not 95-5 until i glanced at label !!  lol  also did not check price which is always a factor to keep jobs cost efficient unfortunately. staybrite silver bearing was  one of my favorite but have not used it for years. still got a few rolls of 50-50 tin lead but mums the word. remember 60-40 lead-tin  !!  ran like water. bob nyc
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