Repair a cast iron chair with silver solder.
Silver soldering cast iron is a wise way to repair expensive sporting equipment, tools and the like. Refrain from throwing away a damaged cast iron golf club, for example. Silver soldering will fill a minor abrasion in the cast iron, making it good as new. To pull off a silver solder successfully you need to regulate the temperature. Overheating will result in searing away zinc properties in the silver, which will cause the bond to fail.
Instructions
1. Slide on work gloves, a dust mask and safety glasses to protect skin and eyes. Preheat the solder torch, if necessary.
2. Clean the cast iron surface. Brush miniature cast iron burrs off of the surface using a handheld de-burring tool. Brush with a back-and-forth motion until the surface is burr-free. Rub the bristles of a cast iron brush scrubber on the surface in a circular motion to add smoothness and a natural polish. Find de-burring and brush scrubbers at your local home supply store.
3. Coat the cast iron surface in silver solder paste flux. Apply the coat with a mesh cloth to avoid fabric hairs mixing with the past flux. Paste flux will expedite the bonding process.
4. Ignite the torch. Look for a blue flame. Slowly run the torch flame back and forth along the damaged area and the paste until the flame turns green.
5. Touch the tip of a silver solder rod to the damaged area. Solder with the green flame. Turn off the torch immediately after soldering is accomplished to prevent overheating. Wrap the soldered area in a clean, wet rag to cool the surface and add luster to the cast iron. Remove the wrapping after 15 minutes.
Tags: cast iron, cast iron, silver solder, cast iron surface, damaged area
