solder to aluminum
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to my knowlage.....you can't solder to aluminum. I could be wrong, there might be some special way, but I don't think you can using regular solder.
I once tried to solder a broken umbrella rib, used special solder and tried flux but had no luck at all.
you can solder to aluminum with the right types of solder and a lot of heat...a lot of heat.
helps if you clean the aluminum really well first.
helps if you clean the aluminum really well first.
not sure what they are, but easy to solder, don't think they're aluminum.
jason, if you just need a wire to make contact with the aluminum, why not just use an adhesive?
I'd use a screw, rivet or spring. Preasure contact should conduct fine.
Superglue or JB Weld do not conduct, I've used both as insulators.
There are glues out there that do conduct. Look for Solderless bonding, or maybe chemical soldering. Places that sell it might include Radio Shack, Auto parts dealers, Hardware stores.
I don't know about soldering aluminum, but I know that when you weld it you need to flood the weld area with a non-flamible gas so that the aluminum doesn't ignite and burn. Where the temp is so different between the two, gas flooding may not be necessary, there may be a chemical alternative, but ALWAYS be cautious when applying a torch to metal. If you get ahold of something with magnesium in it and it ignites, you will be unable to put it out because it produces its own oxygen.
Superglue or JB Weld do not conduct, I've used both as insulators.
There are glues out there that do conduct. Look for Solderless bonding, or maybe chemical soldering. Places that sell it might include Radio Shack, Auto parts dealers, Hardware stores.
I don't know about soldering aluminum, but I know that when you weld it you need to flood the weld area with a non-flamible gas so that the aluminum doesn't ignite and burn. Where the temp is so different between the two, gas flooding may not be necessary, there may be a chemical alternative, but ALWAYS be cautious when applying a torch to metal. If you get ahold of something with magnesium in it and it ignites, you will be unable to put it out because it produces its own oxygen.
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The leads on regulators and switches are not magnetic.
What does that mean.. I dont know.
When you tig or mig weld Aluminum it is shrouded in inert gas to stop it oxidizing not to stop it burning. Unless it has an extraordinarily high magnesium content (Bell Helicopter components for example) it won't burn at all.
Soldering to aluminum isn't really hard at all.
In fact its not any harder than soldering to copper. But you can't solder to aluminum through the oxidization that builds up on it QUICKLY. Like in a second or so! That's damn near impossible. What you do is. Clean the join thoroughly then spray with WD40. It needs to be wet. Then scuff the surface clean and shiny without removing the WD40 so that air can not contact the surface. scratch with the blade of a screw driver and spray a little more WD40 as you do it if you need to. Then solder away. The solder will flow easily through the WD40. You can use ordinary flux solder and standard soldering equipment.
The Aluminum wicks the heat away very quickly so you may need to get some heat into the joint before you start the process and be sure that you are up to flowing temp before you commence.
Aluminum Oxide forms a very thin stable layer quickly that has a very high resistance and soldering is the best method of maintaining good conductivity in the connection. Even mechanical joints suffer because oxygen is not excluded.
Chemical bonding with conductive compounds don't work well and they don't last well either.
Soldering to aluminum isn't really hard at all.
In fact its not any harder than soldering to copper. But you can't solder to aluminum through the oxidization that builds up on it QUICKLY. Like in a second or so! That's damn near impossible. What you do is. Clean the join thoroughly then spray with WD40. It needs to be wet. Then scuff the surface clean and shiny without removing the WD40 so that air can not contact the surface. scratch with the blade of a screw driver and spray a little more WD40 as you do it if you need to. Then solder away. The solder will flow easily through the WD40. You can use ordinary flux solder and standard soldering equipment.
The Aluminum wicks the heat away very quickly so you may need to get some heat into the joint before you start the process and be sure that you are up to flowing temp before you commence.
Aluminum Oxide forms a very thin stable layer quickly that has a very high resistance and soldering is the best method of maintaining good conductivity in the connection. Even mechanical joints suffer because oxygen is not excluded.
Chemical bonding with conductive compounds don't work well and they don't last well either.
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So you you just put a strip of copper tape in a "U" form like under the battery and stick the tape to the side of the aluminum pill bottle? So the tape kind of cradels the negitive side of the battery and then it touches the aluminum side? would that make for a decient ground? i was wondering the same thing on the best way to put a battery in a pill case and make sure it grounds. I wanted to put a spring on the top and run my wires to a button and to the atty. would this work?
Drill a pilot hole and put a sheet metal screw in it, wrap the ground wire around the screw and tighten..... Then file off the excess...
(Just my two cents!)
(Just my two cents!)
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