Welding Tips and Tricks

So I recently figured out a hopefully cool way to make a little cash while working on my weldering skills or at least put a smile on a face pretty cheaply for me. I bought some silverware of various sizes and designs recently at an estate sale to make some art. I only had one day to weld some stuff together so I made a pen holder and a couple of tulips for my mother. I had one trouble though-i had a lack of proper filler rods. My school only has 3/32" 308L filler and that wasn't going to work so hot on .045" silverware. So here is my question: what size and type would be best for welding silverware. Would brazing be okay because thinking about it makes it appear in my head as a cool accent especially on the flowers. Also, are there any tips for welding this stuff. Once I get back to having a tig welder I'm gonna get a couple of cheap baby vise grips to hold them.l for tacking and will have access to a variety of filler rods at tech school since I'm gonna get bored up there pretty quick. I also figured out the easiest way to weld them is lap joints.

I'd say silver solder them with an OA torch, or braze and finish. You are a welder, all processes should be at your fingertips, oxy welding, brazing, or soldering should be choices you can make as well as welding.

If this stuff is actual silverware (coin silver, sterling or such) then simple order some drawn silver wire from a jeweler's supply house and use that as the filler. Silver wire is available in all sorts of gauges, so you have your choice of diameter.

ignatz200 wrote:If this stuff is actual silverware (coin silver, sterling or such) then simple order some drawn silver wire from a jeweler's supply house and use that as the filler. Silver wire is available in all sorts of gauges, so you have your choice of diameter.

it is all stainless steel silverware-no sterling or other silver type

.030 or .040 ss mig wire works great for small stuff.

Silicon bronze too if you want the colours to be different.

Since it's art I assume strength is not an issue.

AndersK wrote:.030 or .040 ss mig wire works great for small stuff.

Silicon bronze too if you want the colours to be different.

Since it's art I assume strength is not an issue.

No strength is not a priority. Just so long as it holds together or in the case of the pen holder-two pens.

I vote for the sil bronze also, easy to use and looks good

LtBadd wrote:I vote for the sil bronze also, easy to use and looks good

So what size silicon bronze is best for this thin of stainless and what amperage? Also, I forget is silicon bronze AC of DC- for polarity?

Farmwelding wrote:

LtBadd wrote:I vote for the sil bronze also, easy to use and looks good

So what size silicon bronze is best for this thin of stainless and what amperage? Also, I forget is silicon bronze AC of DC- for polarity?

I'm guessing you could use .045 easily, maybe 1/16. I don't use this that often to pull a number out for you, try a test piece.

Weld parameters, click on Resources

I only have 1/16 and sometimes I find that a bit too much working with thin parts so go for .045 if you can.
Amps? Low enough not to melt base material high enough to melt the filler. Great answer right?

Also vote for silicon bronze. 1/16". DC just enough heat to melt the silicon bronze to the sst maybe 30-40 amps? If the filler is turning dark, back off the heat. I "welded" stainless to aluminum with silicon bronze when I was bored one day. think I went AC for that. There isn't a whole lot that is metal that you can't stick together with that stuff. At least as far as sculpture goes.

Just a note from a small time coin collector, if you're wanting extra cash and you happen to buy sterling silver anything just sell it out right. You can use the stainless stuff all day but the .925 stuff is worth selling.

Yes I am a small time coin collector myself and my father has a decent collection of silver silverware and I wouldn't want to use that anyways. It would probably cost too much or I would have to polish it up a bunch to make it really shine like I like it to.

I collect silver coins...from shipwrecks 1751 Spanish world coin, world between the pillars of Hercules. I just purchased some 56% silver brazing rod the other day, it may have been cheaper to use a silver coin

I am not that into collecting. I mostly collect American coins post 1910 and have a hefty collection of British coins post like 1870 I got when I went to England and stayed with a family who's family member collected and they allowed me to take one of each from every year and I barely made a dent in the collection.