How to solder an aluminum pan?

Every housewife has probably experienced a situation where a small hole appeared in an old saucepan. As it may seem at first glance, she can no longer be saved. However, do not rush to throw away leaky aluminum cookware and run to the store for new ones. If you have at least some skills in using a soldering iron, you can repair the pan yourself.

Soldering pans

There is a fairly widespread opinion that it is impossible to solder aluminum unless you have special equipment. To confirm this theory, we will give two arguments for:

1. Upon contact with air, an oxide film forms on aluminum. It is distinguished by its durability and refractoriness. As a result, tinning aluminum becomes very difficult.
2. Soldering aluminum is difficult because it melts at about 650-670 degrees. In addition, it becomes less durable at a temperature of 300 degrees, which will subsequently affect its durability.

If we take these nuances into account, then soldering parts and utensils made of aluminum is quite difficult and conventional means cannot be used. However, this problem can be solved. To do this, it is necessary to use strong fluxes. They must be used in combination with special solder. Let's look at each of these materials.

Solder

Most often, the base for solder is tin, lead, etc.But there is a huge problem - aluminum simply cannot dissolve in them. For this reason, the connection becomes unreliable. If you need to solder aluminum, you will have to use completely different solders. The following options are suitable: based on zinc, silicon, silver or the same aluminum.

Important! Remember, the more zinc there is in the solder, the more reliable the newly formed connection will be. It will also be more resistant to corrosion.

Flux

When choosing this material, always take into account the fact that not everyone can interact with aluminum. It is necessary to use options that include ammonium fluoroborate. In addition, triethanolamine must be present in the composition. They interact well with aluminum, which makes the connection quite strong.

Also, when buying flux, always pay attention to its brand. To work with aluminum, it is better to choose flux grade 34A. The composition of such products is best suited for soldering at elevated temperatures.

Preparing the surface of the pan

The surface must be degreased. This procedure is performed using acetone. Gasoline will also work. After this, the oxide layer is removed from the place where soldering will be performed. This must be done with sandpaper, a wheel or a brush with metal teeth.

Please note that it will not be possible to completely remove the film. The problem is that a new coating appears in place of the removed one. For this reason, stripping is carried out not to completely remove it, but to reduce its thickness. This operation simplifies the task of flux.

Heating the damaged area

If you need to solder a small product, then it is enough to choose a soldering iron with a power of 100 W.If you need to repair larger products, then the heating element should be more powerful - about 300 W. The best option in this case is a gas burner or a blowtorch. If you decide to use a burner, then you should remember some nuances:

• do not overheat the part, because it can simply melt - always control the temperature;
• Never use oxygen, as it will cause oxidation of the metal.

Brief instructions on how to solder a pan at home

The action algorithm will be as follows:

• degrease and clean the soldering area (this was mentioned above);
• fix the solder;
• heat;
• Place a solder rod with flux where you want to solder.

The product is ready and can be used.

What to do if there are no special materials

Let's now look at the situation if you don't have the necessary materials. An alternative is to use tin-based solder. Tin-lead solder will also work. Flux can be replaced with rosin.

Cleaning can be done by simply melting it. It turns out that the soldering iron, in addition to its main purpose, will be used as a tool that will destroy the film (you need to put a special scraper on the tip). If you add metal filings to the rosin, you can significantly speed up the removal of the film.

Then the action plan will be as follows:

• melt rosin with a tinned soldering iron - this is done at the soldering site;
• when the rosin covers the required area, start rubbing it with a soldering iron - this will remove the film and prevent its appearance, while tinning will be carried out;
• Once completed, you can apply solder and heat it up.

Soldering aluminum without special tools and materials is energy-consuming and quite time-consuming. For this reason, it is better to use the special materials mentioned above.