[BC] Irons for silver soldering copper strap

[Mike McCarthy]

Your point about the fold opening is the reason I also solder the opposite 
leading (overlapping ) side joint as well.  The fold is simply there for 
mechanical purposes to keep any stresses off the electrical joint. Any 
electrical benefit is minimal since the actual electrical joint is at the 
opposite overlapping end.

MM

At 07:32 PM 10/16/2007 -0400, Cowboy wrote
>On Tuesday 16 October 2007 08:48 am, Mike McCarthy wrote:
> >
>On Tuesday 16 October 2007 08:54 am, Mike McCarthy wrote:
> >    How may times do you check the joints after a major
> >  local strike?
> >
> >  I always fold one strap over the other in a T or angled connection, then
> >  tighten and flow the fold.
>
>  I never make a folded mechanical bond !!
>  The reason is that should the solder joint fail, I *want* it to open up, 
> visibly.
>  It's the same reason experienced riggers always install bolts up, with 
> the nuts
>  to the top. Should a nut back off, the bolt falls out, and you can see it.
>  A bolt with no nut is a failed bond every bit as much as no bolt at all !
>
>  The downside is that the joint has failed completely, so a second strike 
> before
>  you can get there to fix it becomes more likely to cause "issues."
>  My theory is that the re-flowed bad joint from the first strike is 
> already polarized,
>  crystallized, what-have-you, enough for me to consider it failed anyway, 
> and no
>  better than unsoldered copper with nothing more than weight contact.
>
>  As always, once discussed, if it's YOUR site, I'll do it your way.
>
>--
>Cowboy
>
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