NO. Sil-Flow is brazing rod (almost all copper) and you are telling
him that SILVER SOLDER is OK, when you're welding. That stuff just
barely melts before the copper does. You have to know what you're
doing with a torch to use the stuff. Sil-Flow is good stuff, but it's
welding.
Have a look at
http://www.thermadyne.com/vec/literature/pdfs/msds/WELDALLY.pdf,
where it's plainly referred to as welding material, and has a few
things to say about the fumes and dust.
Lightning current will take a connection to way over the melting point
of what most people call silver solder in an instant. It's vaporized,
and if there's no copper to copper clamp, your ground connection is
toast. #4 is just getting big enough that lightning doesn't vaporize
the copper. With a good strike on #4, even Sil-Flow might flow
selectively. I would clamp it properly and then Sil-Flow clamp and
all. Won't have to worry about the clamp going bad.
Then again that makes cadwelds look simple by comparison, doesn't it.
DO NOT SOLDER LIGHTNING GROUNDS. You can clamp them, you can weld
them. No Soldering.
----- Original Message -----
From: "Ronald KA4INM Youvan" <ka4inm@tampabay.rr.com>
To: "Tower Talk" <towertalk@contesting.com>
Sent: Tuesday, August 06, 2002 3:08 AM
Subject: Re: [Towertalk] silver solder ok for Ground wire to rod ?
> > Is it acceptable to silver solder the #4 solid copper to the 8'
ground stakes
> > I'm (slowly) pounding in? I was considering making a full tight
loop around the stake
> > and silver soldering rod to wire, in lieu of clamps.
>
> > Good idea or bad?
>
>
> The best! I use "Sil-Flow 5" 94% copper, 5% silver 1&
phosphorous
>
> 1,750 degree melting temperature.
>
>
> I consider such a connection correctly made, (to copper or brass,
> not steel or zinc) to be superior to thermite welds, hands down.
>
> The word SOLDER makes the uninitiated think lead and tin, this
> is actually `braze welding'.
> It takes one or more (depending on wire size etc.) turbo torches,
> I use acetylene and air (presto-lite). {good for 3,500 degrees
> or so}
>
> 73 (= Best Regards) de: Ron ka4inm@tampabay.rr.com
> 100% LINUX, since July, 1997 SENT Time and Date are UTC
> Visit my HAM Web SITE at: http://www.qsl.net/ka4inm
>
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