If you walk into any house, you would likely come across brass pieces. This fine mineral is used with other minerals to make various antique objects. With its versatile nature, one would wonder if you can spot weld brass?
Brass possesses a soft nature; due to this, it is possible to spot weld brass. Spot welding is a form of electrical resistance welding used to weld various sheet metal products. This process is one where the metal is joined by the heat coming from the other two objects.
To further understand this, we need to understand how brass alloy works and its composition.
What Is The Nature Of Brass?
Brass is an alloy metal that has a mix of zinc and copper in it. Brass has some unique properties, which I’ll elaborate on as you read along. Due to its properties and its endless use, it has become the most commonly used alloy in all industries
Brass has some similarities to bronze, another alloy containing copper, but instead of zinc, it has tin. Both minerals, brass and bronze, also include some elements like aluminum, lead, silicon, manganese, phosphorus, even arsenic.
Brass is durable in modern turning, milling machines, and hand tools. This mineral has a high durability with thermal and electrical conductivity.
One of the reasons why brass is popular is due to its low friction and corrosion resistance. Brass is perfect for anything that has to do with low friction and corrosion resistance. Examples are hinges, zippers, locks, gears, bearings, hose couplings, ammunition casing, valves, plumbing, electrical plugs, and sockets.
One would also find brass in musical instruments such as bells, horns, and trumpets. Due to its composition of 66% copper and 34% zinc, it is a good substitute for copper-based jewelry.
Just like copper, brass has a very poor breeding attribute for bacteria. This is why it’s commonly used in bathroom and medical applications.
Brass has a commendable aesthetic value besides the fact that it is an antimicrobial property. This value makes it a popular choice for decorations. Also, it has a good coloring range from light gold, silver all the way up to a reddish color.
Most of the fittings for dishwashers and lamps are usually made of brass because of their bacterial resistance and aesthetic nature.
Can You Spot Weld Brass?
Brass is a soft metal usually used in jewelry, musical instruments, and air conditioning. If you ever have a broken piece of brass, you can spot weld it, though you would need tungsten. Brass has a very low melting point, so it could be welded within a couple of seconds.
The good thing about it is that you don’t have to be a commercial welder to renew your brass. It does not require that much knowledge before it can be fixed.
What Is Spot Welding?
Before understanding how to spot weld brass, you should have an idea of spot welding. Spot welding is a procedure that involves the application of pressure from an electric current to a weld area. It is a welding procedure that is generally best for joining two or more metal sheets.
This welding is one of the earliest welding procedures. It works by applying pressure and electric current to copper alloy electrodes on the sheet surfaces. The current generates heat by passing through resistive materials like low-carbon steel.
You apply this heat to the weld region. After the material melts, fusing the components together, you can switch the current off and maintain the electrode pressure. The molten “nugget” hardens to form the joint.
How Do You Spot Weld Brass?
In the world of welding, you have so many options available to you to help you get the job done. There are roughly over sixty methods that welders use to combine and meld metals. Each one of these processes is defined by the type of heat, pressure, and equipment you use for the job
Some of these processes are simpler, while others require extra effort. The level of mastery that one needs for the job is dependent on the method that one wishes to use.
The term that one would commonly hear for spot welding brass is TIG which stands for Tungsten Inert Gas or tungsten arc welding. Another generally known term is gas tungsten arc welding (GTAW). This involves a process that uses electrodes that are non-consumable to pass the current to the welding arc.
TIG welding is a more accepted method that people consider the most pleasurable and favorable in welding. People prefer it because it gives more control and precision when welding than many others. This unique trait can come in useful when welding brass that has an odd or round shape.
To weld brass, you will need:
- Medium grain sandpaper
- Sparker
- Filler rod
- Cloth
- Vice or clamp
- Safety glasses and welder’s coat
Once you have your materials, follow the steps below to spot weld brass.
Step 1
Ensure you clean the brass pieces that you need to weld together with a medium sandpaper grain. Use a cloth to wipe the surface to remove any dirt left on the brass.
Step 2
Use a vice or a clamp to bind the brass pieces you intend to weld together.
Step 3
Remember that your safety comes first, so ensure your safety glasses are on along with a welders coat before performing the following action.
You would see a small knob on the top. Turn it on as it controls the respirator on the TIG welder. Turn on the respirator on the TIG welder, then use a sparkler to light the welder.
Step 4
Next is to heat the gap between both brass until both brass pieces turn red, but ensure you do not melt the brass. Run the filler rod across the gap between the two pieces of brass. Once you’ve done that, the heat from both pieces of brass should melt the filler rod.
Step 5
The last and final step is to allow the brass to cool for about 15 minutes then you can use it.