I've been attempting to practice torch brazing/soldering and am currently attempting to join a ring of stainless steel wire shut like a wrist sized 'o'.
Unfortunately the results have been pretty bad. The silver solder I'm using just does not want to stick, it keeps dripping off in globs. And when I heat the wire up it gets red hot pretty quick and then as soon as it cools down its coated in a layer of char which makes it not want to stick even further.
I've tried using this propane torch and this MAPP torch but neither seem to get the job done and seem to heat it to rapidly. I combat this by pulling it back a bunch and 'wafting' the heat over the target area which seems to help but things still go black. Furthermore I'm using this silver bearing solder and this flux paste which I suspect are more likely the issue. The solder is considerably thicker than the wire I'm trying to join and I'm not even 100% sure its the right kind for the job.
The wire I'm using is stainless steel (type 302/304), soft tempered and is 0.032" diameter.
I've come across a few tutorials on youtube but most seem to be for copper plumbing pipe work or a few seem to be jewellery (and using exotic metals). Can anyone suggest good tutorials to learn how to do this type of brazing/soldering?
Does anyone have any suggestions around where I'm going wrong?
Edit: In case it is somehow relevant, this is a high voltage electrical project and I'll be linking several of these 'o' rings in a sphere shape. Its not a simple matter to bolt them together and I must weld them.
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Many people new to the idea of welding want to know one simple question: Can you weld stainless steel? Stainless steel can be a substantial material to weld, yet welding stainless steel properly is a project you can tackle with the right process and equipment.
Metal Inert Gas (MIG) welding is easier than stick welding for doing high-quality work with stainless steel. This type of welding is where purpose-specific wire is passed through the welding gun and into your welding pool. When MIG welding stainless steel wire, you’ll need to use a shielding gas to protect the workpiece from contamination.
Learning how to MIG weld can appear to be a challenge, but the basics are relatively simple. When using the MIG process, you’ll want to make sure you’re welding only stainless welding wire to your stainless-steel base. While you can weld stainless steel to regular steel or even aluminum, it is very difficult to obtain a reliable weld when working with such different materials.