Silver Solder and a small Torch vs Spot weld.

[killivolt]

I'm trying to re-connect a jumper on a toaster, it was held by a spot weld. I went to a friend of mine who has some transformers from microwaves; I was going to build a small spot welder for the connection.

That was when he said he has had some successes with silver solder and a small torch, which he has connected several heating elements like on cloth's dryers or small single stove heating elements.

Should I just go ahead and use the silver solder or stick with building a small spot welder?

kv

 

[Reloadron]

Purely my take but I would pursue the welding, simply because a small spot welder is a great tool to have. Short of oxy actelene I have managed to do some good brazing (silver soldering) using mapp gas. It has worked well n nichrome wire. However, I would opt for building a small spot welding system, just to have it. Your call....

Ron

 

[killivolt]

My shop is to small for stuff I won't ever use again. Tempting though

Thanks, Ron.

kv

 

[Reloadron]

Then braze it!

Ron

 

[killivolt]

I used to have a small torch, when I had my business. now'a day's I have to barter for stuff, it's going to cost a six pack. Isn't it amazing how quickly alcohol can become a form of currency.

The last go around was a Fifth of whiskey for a tile saw

 

[KeepItSimpleStupid]

I once fixed a TV by silver soldering. The bracket holding the flyback transformer broke in half.

I'd go the spot weld route.

 

[Jaguarjoe]

I nursed an old electric clothes dryer along for years by silver soldering the heating element back together repeatedly. So far, in 64 years, I have never needed to have anything spot welded, and I've been through a lot of things!

 

[Reloadron]

I used to have a small torch, when I had my business. now'a day's I have to barter for stuff, it's going to cost a six pack. Isn't it amazing how quickly alcohol can become a form of currency.

The last go around was a Fifth of whiskey for a tile saw

Computer virus removal standard fees for family and neighbors apply:

$12 pack of Stella Artois.

Ron

 

[Mosaic]

hey, if u just need to do a spot weld now and then...just get the capacitor from the microwave or the 450uf caps from a PC pwr supply. Slap a 1n4007 diode and a 10K resistor in series and plug that baby into 120V pwr for 30 sec or so. Wearing suitable gloves and safety glasses, short that cap across your intended spot weld metals...and it's done! Want another tack?....do it again. Be sure to carefully short out those caps b4 handling them.

The microwave transformer thing is cool, but can kill u very dead @ 2KV. The lower voltage caps have a much smaller chance of that, mebbe a bad burn.

 

[KeepItSimpleStupid]

I think kv has something like this https://hackaday.com/2009/06/23/how-to-build-your-own-spot-welder/ in mind?

 

[debe]

Be 30 Yrs since repairing toasters, but then used silver solder & small gas torch, worked fine. Toasters here in Australia are so cheap they arent worth repairing.

 

[killivolt]

This guy doesn't care to much, he's one of my IT buddy's. He's really into Star Wars. He got the toaster for free and I thought I'd give'm a hand since he's alway's got my back with my computers.

kv

 

[killivolt]

I think kv has something like this https://hackaday.com/2009/06/23/how-to-build-your-own-spot-welder/ in mind?

Yes, that's the one I was thinking of, his has a voltage control circuit though. I didn't want to go that far to do the one shot. The disposable camera idea I think is a pretty good one. I don''t think I'm going to do it now. I'm thinking braze it but, in the future you just never know what I'll do next.

kv

 

[KeepItSimpleStupid]

The one farad stiffening cap might work.

I'm curious how the "bank of capacitors" spot welder I used to use worked. There were three lengths and I think you could charge to a particular number of watt-seconds.
Time or did they add a series resistor?