Soldering of aluminum
In the production of household appliances, aluminum and its alloys: silumin, duralumin - are used very widely. Of these materials, both the product casings and the wires for various devices are performed.
What to do if there is a needto solder an aluminum piece or solder a torn wire from this light material? Soldering metals in general, and aluminum in particular, is, as a rule, a non-trivial task that requires knowledge and experience. Both aluminum itself and alloys with its participation have an unpleasant property. Under the influence of atmospheric oxygen, details of this metal are covered with a strong oxide film, because of which the soldering of aluminum becomes a difficult task. After all, oxide prevents reliable connection of soldered parts. In this material you will be able to read about how soldering of aluminum at home is carried out with solder, which includes lead: POS-50, POS-61 and POS-90.
The first way. If you need to solder a pair of wires consisting of aluminum to each other, you first have to properly zaludite them. On the ends of the soldered wires rosin is applied, a sanding pad of the middle numbers is placed underneath and a wire is pressed against this skin with a hot soldering iron (which must also be preliminarily zaludit). In the process you need to constantly add rosin, remove the soldering iron from the metal in any case should not be. This operation is repeated many times until the wires can be properly grounded. Then you can start soldering. If instead of rosin use alkaline oil for cleaning weapons or mineral, which is smeared with sewing machines, then preparation for the process, and the soldering of aluminum itself will not cause difficulties. If, of course, you have at least a little experience in these matters.
The second way. It is good to solder aluminum in sheets. In place of the seam, rosin is applied, into which small metal sawdust is crushed, then on the seam it is necessary to walk several times with a hot-iron soldering iron, constantly adding solder. The point of this method is that the sawdust with sharp corners will scratch and rip off the oxide film, and when it does not interfere, the solder tin is well connected to the substrate, and soldering of aluminum becomes a simple task.
The main thing is to remember the rule: The thicker the aluminum sheet, the more powerful the soldering iron should be. If you are faced with the task of soldering thin sheets, a soldering iron with a power of 50 watts will cope. In the case where the thickness of the sheet is a millimeter or slightly more, you will need a 90 W soldering iron. And if you need to solder aluminum in sheets that consist of plates of two millimeters thick, then before soldering you will have to preheat the metal, then apply the flux and then start the sealing process. In the second method, as in the first, it is possible to use mineral oil instead of flux.
The third option. Before proceeding directly to the soldering, you must perform the procedure of "copper-plating" on the element that you have taken to work. For these purposes, a galvanizing installation is suitable, but if it is not at hand, you can do without it. Start with the application of concentrated copper sulfate to the area of the soldered skin. Then connect the negative lead of the battery or battery to this part. Positive contact lead to a copper wire attached to the nap of the toothbrush so that it does not touch the surface of aluminum due to the protruding bristles. After a certain time, at the point of the part you are going to solder, a thin layer of copper will be deposited. It must be washed with water, dried, and then zaludit in the standard way (using a soldering iron).
