Copper to Steel

[jaycee]

I am doing a garden gate and I would like to attach some copper flowers and leafs to forged mild steel. Is there a mig wire for this application and what about gas. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

JC

 

[brightspark]

i dont know about mig wire but u could braze them on with oxy acetylene

 

[jaycee]

I have done that before, the reason I asked about MIG was I caught a "How its made" episode where they were building a live steam locomotive for a garden railroad. They were mig welding the copper boiler tubes to a steel face plate for the boiler.

 

[piman]

Hello Jacee,

are you sure the boiler tubes were copper? I've not seen locomotive boilers being built but all the industrial boilers I've seen had steel tubes.

Alec

 

[TechnicAl]

You could probably do it with CuNi or NiCu (70/30) wire but its very expensive.

Ive seen something similar done by making the leaves from steel and then painting them with a coppering solution that is Copper Sulphate in Sulphuric Acid. It generates verdigris which you can then buff up

 

[rtbcomp]

They'd be MIG brazing.

 

[TechnicAl]

Yes you could probably MIG braze it together but I think you would need to get the copper bits very hot first.

 

[Shox Dr]

Ive seen something similar done by making the leaves from steel and then painting them with a coppering solution that is Copper Sulphate in Sulphuric Acid. It generates verdigris which you can then buff up

Don't mean to thread jack. But...


How robust is the finish

 

[TechnicAl]

basically you are copper plating it but by allowing the liquid to stay on too long you get a verdigris finish (you may need to add some common salt). This is quite tough but I think they usually varnish over it as I guess constant contact would rub it off to some extent.

 

[brookie456]

I am doing a garden gate and I would like to attach some copper flowers and leafs to forged mild steel. Is there a mig wire for this application and what about gas. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Braze them on, used to join thin wall copper pipe to mild steel in refrigeration many years ago, where I learned a lot of patience and a (?) bit of skill. It's not easy at the best of times and difficult to describe, someone better will doubtless be along. I would personally go with a gas braze set-up - but I have been wrong

 

[wallopadonkey]

my portamig will mig braze probably the easiest way the small .7kg roll cost me £28 or so i am sure that would do at least a set of railings maybe more
cheers
dave

 

[ieezitin]

chickens eat less in the summer.

You may want to look into Silicon Bronze wire with an argon gas flood.

2lb spool runs about $7.00 in the states here.

Metalworker artists use it.

Anthony.

 

[TechnicAl]

The problem with MIG brazing is by its very nature is low heat input. It will "weld" the MS but it will just drop off the Copper unless you get it very hot. By getting the leaves that hot you may destroy them.

Im not saying it definitely wont work but its not a gimme

Just a thought

 

[mike os]

simplest is oxy brazing.... if you cant do it get someone who can, alternatively bolt, screw or rivets.

mig brazing setup for a job like that is crazy.