Compressor brass radiator repair.

[HSGB]

I have been wondering why my old compressor has been rubbish for a while. Anyway, I took it apart yesterday and found these splits on the two radiators. Someone has been there and had a go, in the past but, it has failed. There are two of these radiators and boyt have gone in the same way.

You can see the vintage repair that has cracked. Do you think that repair is solder or, what? Actually, it looks like it has just pulled off from the wall of the vertical piece of pipe. What would be the best way to repair this. This is vintage, British, 1/2" brass pipe, by-the-way.

 

[dave h 2]

I would say that's been repaired with car body lead or lead pipe/lead cable jointing solder to get it that thick. You can.t allow the pump vibration to rattle the in/out tubes.

 

[brightspark]

clean it all; back and re soft solder it. silver would have been better but it wont take properly after been soft soldered

 

[HSGB]

What do you think was originally used to join these pipes? You can see the joints on the other ones, do you think they were originally soldered? The horizontal pipe is slightly smaller diameter.

 

[chrismac]

What do you think was originally used to join these pipes? You can see the joints on the other ones, do you think they were originally soldered? The horizontal pipe is slightly smaller diameter.

Give the rest a clean up with a wire brush, it might help suss out how it was assembled originally, silver solder or soft solder, Good luck on your repair

 

[The_Yellow_Ardvark]

That design oops like the old style used on hair compressor for the 100kva generators, used on the 3foot carbon arc seach lights.

The pipes were brass and the joints were slivered soldered. If we had gas a silver solder ring us wrapped around the failed joint, covered in flux and heated.

If not, the joint was cleaned, a small Grove cut onto the pipe. Lead solder was used using a effing big soldering iron.
The trick was not to use to much solder.

We were told, to much solder makes a weak repair.

Remove a much as you can, to the pipe and resolver.

 

[brightspark]

heat it up with a blowtorch and go over it with a wire brush as its melting. make sure its well clean. flux it and re solder

 

[The_Yellow_Ardvark]

heat it up with a blowtorch and go over it with a wire brush as its melting. make sure its well clean. flux it and re solder

Can you get the cleaning pads that would fit on the ends for the iron?

 

[500e]

Used to heat rads with gas torch get solder running then brush it off with cheap paintbrush "not nylon " and Bakers or killed nitric acid warm again rub with clean cotton rag.
To re solder brush and solder stick in one hand use flux to cool

 

[Bsmith]

Think I woulda made a copy of it in mild steel pipe or box sect and welded, maybe pushed the boat out an gone s/s. Wouldn't even need to be the same if it,s just for cooling, so long as the the nnds wer in the right place.

 

[HSGB]

Alright, so it seems that this soft solder is what you are all suggesting. I had never heard of a solder stick before, the only solder I have ever used has been on a small spool, for end-feed capillary, Yorkshire fittings. I have taken a look at all the solders and there seems to be many different types, you know, the ratio of tin and lead. What ratio would be best? I take it the more tin in the solder the tougher it is?