Silver solder is a stronger solder that is commonly used for mechanical joints (compared to lead solder, which is soft and relatively weak). Silver solder, on the other hand, has a greater melting point, which implies the components must be heated to a higher temperature to operate. This makes it less suitable for fine lines of work where the risk of thermal damage is high.
The advantage of using silver solder is that it provides a stronger joint. It also has lower toxicity than lead solder since it does not contain any lead. However, silver solder requires higher temperatures during use which could cause thermal damage to plastic parts.
There are two types of silver solders: eutectic and hypoallergenic. Eutectic silver solders have a melting point of about 95°C (200°F) while hypoallergenic ones have a melting point of about 165°C (320°F). Both types are available in alloys with gold, platinum, palladium, or rhodium.
Hypoallergenic silver solders are usually used for components that come into contact with food because they do not contain any known allergens. These solders are also recommended for people who are sensitive to lead.
Eutectic silver solders are generally used for larger items like circuit boards where the risk of thermal damage is low.
Most common metals, including mild steel, stainless steel, copper, brass, cast iron, and dissimilar metals, can be joined with silver solder. Because silver is a soft metal, the surface must be hardened before soldering to prevent damage to the item being soldered.
Silver solder will not stick to aluminum, but you can use regular old white solder to join these metals together. If you need to repair aluminum furniture, don't use white solder; instead, use rosin core solder.
Gold solder contains more gold than silver, so it's stronger than silver solder. However, gold does not flow well with other metals so it's used mostly for joining pieces of gold together.
Zinc oxide powder can be used as a flux when welding zinc or zinc alloys such as car bumpers. The zinc oxide removes carbon from the molten metal while providing a protective coating to keep out oxygen that would otherwise degrade the metal.
Flame spray paint uses an electric arc to melt powdered paint and fuse it into an extremely durable layer that can withstand high temperatures. The flame spray process is used to protect items such as metal furniture against oxidation and corrosion.
Silver solder consists of 95% silver and 5% copper.
When opposed to soft soldering, hard soldering produces a stronger connection and requires greater temperatures to melt the solder substance. This material is often brass or silver and must be melted using a blowtorch. When attaching copper, brass, or silver parts, use strong soldering using silver solder. Use gold solder for glass tubing.
Hard solder is any type of solder used to join metals that are different in temperature requirement from standard soldering irons. Examples include brass for steel and silver for copper. Hard solder must be heated to a high temperature before it will flow, so different methods are required depending on the metal being joined. For example, when joining steel and copper parts, use hard solder. When joining metals with similar temperatures such as brass and bronze, use regular solder.
Hard solder consists of alloys with relatively large amounts of zinc, magnesium, aluminum, silicon, or tin. These elements are used because they have higher melting points than iron (which tends to oxidize at lower temperatures). Zinc has the most influence on the melting point of the alloy; other elements play a role in strengthening the joint after it has been made.
The term "hard solder" may also be applied to other materials that have higher melting points than iron. For example, platinum and palladium have much higher melting points than iron; thus, their joints can be soldered with hard solder techniques.