Anybody have any luck fixing steel to steel connections on a compressor ive done copper to steel no problems dont want to change this pos if i dont have to tia.
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I told my wife when i die to sell my fishing stuff for what its worth not what i told her i paid for it
Use brass brazing rod.
The kind that has the flux coating, then use more flux and clean the crap out of that connection.
Probably your best bet is to hangs the compressor though.
Why did it crack?
He'd have to mig or tig weld that, and that looks like a real tight spot.
But honestly - a real weld is all that would really last, as there is not a joint to speak of. You could get silver braze to fill the crack, and get it to seal, but it will crack again.
Years ago we would use a steel coat hanger and oxy accet.
Originally Posted by heatingman
He'd have to mig or tig weld that, and that looks like a real tight spot.
But honestly - a real weld is all that would really last, as there is not a joint to speak of. You could get silver braze to fill the crack, and get it to seal, but it will crack again.
WHY? change it looks like a can of worms but if you must use pre-fluxed brazing rods liquid/ paste flux will seep into your system and destroy it, silver solder just doesn't work well on steel
WHY? silver solder just doesn't work well on steel
You are correct again my friend! And these pics are not steel to steel joined with silver either? I have done it way too many times to count, and would of had the unit Silver Soldered, Evacuated, Charged, and back online Yesterday! Then I would find the reason it failed, and fix it, as was mentioned, if it was not a factory defect.
WHY? change it looks like a can of worms but if you must use pre-fluxed brazing rods liquid/ paste flux will seep into your system and destroy it, silver solder just doesn't work well on steel
how much do you use!? it takes a minor coating. not blobs
Years ago we would use a steel coat hanger and oxy accet.
I did not bring that up due to the excessive heat required for that. Also coat hangers are fine for most general mild steels and so forth, but for that he'd need something like RG-60 or RG-45 and likely 1/16 rod as 3/32 would be to much filler.
Either way - if the OP is not a skilled/practiced welder, I would not recommend to DIY that. Brazing would be a better option at least to get the machine back online- how ever short lived.
I did not bring that up due to the excessive heat required for that. Also coat hangers are fine for most general mild steels and so forth, but for that he'd need something like RG-60 or RG-45 and likely 1/16 rod as 3/32 would be to much filler.
Either way - if the OP is not a skilled/practiced welder, I would not recommend to DIY that. Brazing would be a better option at least to get the machine back online- how ever short lived.
I have repaired several cracks on steel compressor shells. Most of the times on scrolls they develop a crack on the pressed in dimple that holds the I thermal motor in place. Well the compressor on start up has a lot of torque/kick and over time these dimples crack since this is what's holding the internal motor in place. Well at Home Depot they sell this brass colored rod that has a white flux coating. It's made for oxyacetylene welding works great on steel to steel, copper to steel, I believe also works on stainless steel. It's dirt cheap also. It's like $10 for a pack of rods.
Below is a link to a old video I had of a leak repaired on the compressors shell. I have fixed about 10 comoressors never seen one recrack. You must sand the compressor down to its bare metal. Remove all of the paint. A wire wheel in your drill works good. But when the leak is on the vertical side it can be messy as you can see in my video. The melted rod wants to run down the shell. Then I sprayed zinc paint to protect it from rusting out so quick. https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=JdO_Kx_VJN4
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Sure; you can do that. 50+% silver solder will work but what you Really want to use is bronze rod. They come fluxed but get some extra flux anyway. Oh; and you need a 1800º flux too.
And a little higher heat is required (1150 versus about 1700) but it makes a great joint in this application. Bronze won't 'capillary-run' like silver will - you have to 'push' it a little - like actual brazing. But bronze makes a better job of it.
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Originally Posted by crazzycajun
Anybody have any luck fixing steel to steel connections on a compressor ive done copper to steel no problems dont want to change this pos if i dont have to tia.
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Originally Posted by crazzycajun
