Towertalk
[Top] [All Lists]

Re: [TowerTalk] How To Remove Tarnish off Bare Copper Wires

To: towertalk@contesting.com
Subject: Re: [TowerTalk] How To Remove Tarnish off Bare Copper Wires
From: "Richard (Rick) Karlquist" <richard@karlquist.com>
Date: Mon, 20 Feb 2023 11:49:02 -0800
List-post: <mailto:towertalk@contesting.com>
I am not familiar with Stay-Brite 8. Might be 8% silver (WAG). The original is 4%. I'd probably go with whatever is cheaper.

Flux ... depends.  If the wire is coated with copper oxide, you
need to use acid flux.  Possibly Kester RA (activated rosin) might
work if not too severe.  You might ask the welding shop.

1.  The acid flux removes the copper oxide.
2. The silver solder is immune from rotting in the rain like the leaded solders.

Possibly lead free plumbers solder might be OK.  I haven't tried it.

Rick N6RK

On 2/19/2023 9:11 PM, Richard Smith wrote:
  Rick,
It looks like there are two types made by J.W. Harris. They are "Stay-Brite" and 
"Stay-Brite 8". Which one have you been using?  It looks like it needs a bottle of flux 
that goes with it. No flux inside the solder.
I plan to give it a try.
73, Rich, N6KT
     On Sunday, February 19, 2023 at 07:17:42 AM PST, Richard (Rick) Karlquist 
<richard@karlquist.com> wrote:
The "secret" to soldering wires together outside is to use "Stay-Brite"
solder available at any welding supply shop.  It is something like 96%
tin, 4% silver, and ZERO% lead.  It does have a melting point about
100 deg C higher than 63/37 so use a decent soldering iron/torch.  I
have thousands of outdoor Stay-Brite joints that are going
on 25 years old that are doing fine.

73
Rick N6RK

On 2/19/2023 4:06 AM, Rob Atkinson wrote:
I quit soldering copper wires together outside years ago.  Use a
copper split bolt instead.  Fast, easy, weather doesn't matter, works
FB for years and years, never had one fail.

Rob
K5UJ
_______________________________________________



_______________________________________________
TowerTalk mailing list
TowerTalk@contesting.com
http://lists.contesting.com/mailman/listinfo/towertalk

_______________________________________________



_______________________________________________
TowerTalk mailing list
TowerTalk@contesting.com
http://lists.contesting.com/mailman/listinfo/towertalk
_______________________________________________



_______________________________________________
TowerTalk mailing list
TowerTalk@contesting.com
http://lists.contesting.com/mailman/listinfo/towertalk

_______________________________________________



_______________________________________________
TowerTalk mailing list
TowerTalk@contesting.com
http://lists.contesting.com/mailman/listinfo/towertalk
<Prev in Thread] Current Thread [Next in Thread>