Thanks Willie. I made some adjustments and got a better burn since I posted these photos earlier. I knew it could do better, and now it does.
Gary, that sure is a clean soldering line on the tube! What's your trick for cleaning up /removing all the excess solder? Pretty.
John, you just knew I had some photos of that didn't you? The reason I pulled the tube in the first place was first, there was that ugly solder trowel job, and second, the trowel job of solder was leaking a little bit. It just seemed easier to start fresh. The answer to how I clean up the solder is not to get any there in the first place. I really hate to clean it up - it's a pain. Here are the pics: Here's the stove reassembled and ready to solder. The pump tube has a wad of wet paper toweling in the bottom of the tube. The pot leg socket tube has the same. The machine bolt is fastened to the actual stove pump lid with a nut and washer on either side to secure it. The vise-grip pliers are arranged to support the tube at the correct angle. The black stuff is india ink I painted on as masking to stop solder flowing onto the surrounding brass parts. Close-up of the tube ready to solder. I'll add any solder at the top and it should flow down and around the joint seam. I used very thin (0.032" diameter) rosin core electrical solder - I added about an inch of the solder to the joint in the next step. Remember that there is still some original solder which forms a film on both the pump-tube and the mating surface of the tank. Mating surfaces (pump tube and tank interior) have been buffed shiny with 0000 steel wool and I've painted a light coat of paste flux on the two surfaces to be joined. This is the completed solder job. Not much to clean is there? The only trouble spot is at the top of the joint where I added the solder. There's just a tiny bit extra there which I'll remove the bulk of using a blue rubber abrasive buff at slow speed in my Dremel. I spent about an hour setting up to solder and about twenty seconds actually heating the joint and adding that inch of solder. After cleaning the small puddle at the top of the tube away, I cleaned off the india ink and smoothed out the solder fillet with some 0000 steel wool. I'll go on to buff this lightly with a loose cotton wheel and some red jewelers rouge to remove the minute scratches from the steel wool and brighten the solder up to blend nicely with the brass. Buffed and almost finished up. Hope this shows my process ok. Thanks everyone for the accolades! Cheers, Gary
Nice job. I wish I wasnt so far away or I could send you all my stoves for a refurbishment. Your model dog looks like he might of been standing a little close to a flame shot.
Thanks for the excellent photo series and explanation Gary. Never seen ink used like that before. I'll use your method on a tube I need to do. I have a bit more confidence now. Thanks again. Regards, Terry
WOW 8) As they say in the deep South (of England)- Proper Job. Literally brilliant, Gary. A wonderful restoration of a beautiful old stove. Thanks for sharing. Jim
Thank you very much Gary! ( I sure knew you probably had pictures somewhere! Superb job & it helps me alot. The india ink is a neat trick too, kind of one of those lost wisdom tricks.
