Liquidus vs. Solidus

Posted by Lucas-Milhaupt Brazing Experts on Mar 26, 2014
Liquidus vs. Solidus Simply put, liquidus is the lowest temperature at which an alloy is completely liquid; solidus is the highest temperature at which an alloy is completely solid. Pure metals are fluid, and they melt at a single temperature. For example, silver melts at 1761°F (961°C), and copper ...
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Topics: Brazing Fundamentals

Washer Calculation

Posted by Lucas-Milhaupt Brazing Experts on Dec 16, 2013
Ring vs. Washer Both rings and washers are preform shapes used for brazing. For smaller parts with relatively small joint volume and lap area, either a washer or ring may be used (Figure 1). Both washers and rings can be circular in shape; however, their cross sections will always differ in shape. ...
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Topics: HVAC/R, Brazing Fundamentals

Tips for Designing Braze Joints

Posted by Lucas-Milhaupt Brazing Experts on Nov 6, 2013
Ten Tips for Designing Braze Joints Are you looking for high strength, corrosion resistance, electrical conductivity, ductility, hermeticity, good color match, or low-temperature metal joining? These requirements should be considered carefully, because different joint designs and filler metals will ...
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Topics: Brazing Fundamentals

Oxy-acetylene Torch Safety

Posted by Lucas-Milhaupt Brazing Experts on May 30, 2013
When it comes to safely brazing with oxy-acetylene torches, let's look at two important aspects: safety equipment, plus procedures for safe operation. This is serious business: arc rays and sparks can result in loss of sight, fume inhalation can lead to lung damage, and other accidents can cause ...
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Topics: Torch, Brazing Fundamentals, Brazing Tips

Stop-Off Blog

Posted by Lucas-Milhaupt Brazing Experts on Mar 19, 2013
How Stop-Off Works To understanding how Stop-Off works, let's review the brazing process. At Lucas Milhaupt, we preach six fundamentals of brazing: 1. Good fit & clearance 2. Clean metals 3. Uniform fluxing 4. Proper assembly 5. Brazing technique 6. Post-braze cleaning Let's focus on Step 2 - ...
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Topics: Flux, Brazing Fundamentals

Interfacial Corrosion

Posted by Lucas-Milhaupt Brazing Experts on Mar 7, 2013
Interfacial Corrosion The situation: When brazing stainless steel with flux, subject to a damp environment, you notice rust-like spots around the periphery of the braze metal. Rapid corrosion may begin within two days or even as soon as two hours. The brazing filler metal may eventually peel away ...
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Topics: Brazing Fundamentals

Designing Braze Joints at Temperature

Posted by Lucas-Milhaupt Brazing Experts on Oct 8, 2012
Braze Joint Design Lucas-Milhaupt serves a wide variety of manufacturers brazing metals. On a daily basis, we see examples of proper braze joint design that yield high-quality, strong joints and good parts. We also observe how improper design can produce weak joints, voids, and ultimately, scrap. ...
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Topics: Brazing Fundamentals

Capillary Action in Brazing

Posted by Lucas-Milhaupt Brazing Experts on Sep 28, 2012
Capillarity Capillarity is defined as movement of a liquid along the surface of a solid caused by the attraction of molecules in the liquid to the molecules of the solid. Experiment Let's head to the lab, where we will conduct several experiment depicting successful capillary action, then ...
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Topics: Brazing Fundamentals, Brazing Tips

Fundamentals of Brazing Part 2

Posted by Lucas-Milhaupt Brazing Experts on May 18, 2012
There are six fundamentals of brazing that every brazer should follow to ensure consistent and repeatable joint quality, strength, hermeticity, and reliability. We went over the first three in our previous blog post; here are the last three in detail: 4. Assemble for Brazing with Proper Fixturing ...
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Topics: Brazing Fundamentals

Fundamentals of Brazing Part 1

Posted by Lucas-Milhaupt Brazing Experts on May 4, 2012
There are six fundamentals of brazing that every brazer should follow to ensure consistent and repeatable joint quality, strength, hermeticity, and reliability. The six fundamentals are: 1. Good Fit and Proper Clearance In everyday brazing, clearances are typically 0.001 to 0.005 in. radially to ...
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Topics: Brazing Fundamentals