It is always easy to assume that welding and soldering mean the same thing if you are inexperienced with the process of bonding sheet metals. Arguably, both terms are used interchangeably by metalworkers, but since they are learned in the processes, they know the difference. So, you may ask the question, “Can you weld something with a soldering iron?”
You can weld something with a soldering iron by using it to melt solder between sheets of metal and allowing it to harden, creating a bonded joint. However, while soldering and welding are terminologies used interchangeably, there is a difference between the two processes.
Because the usage of both terminologies, ‘welding’ and ‘soldering’ tend to overlap, it is necessary to understand if a soldering iron can be a substitute for a welding iron. Keep reading to learn more about the possibility of welding something with a soldering iron. You can also find out what materials can and cannot be welded together using solder.
Can You Weld Something With a Soldering Iron?
Whether or not you can use a soldering iron to weld metals together is based on the application and materials requiring joining. Some metal joints need a high mechanical bond between the metals using extreme temperatures, while some do not. So, when are you able to weld something with a soldering iron?
As a general rule, you can only weld something with a soldering iron if it does not require solid mechanical bonds and lighter materials, especially with nonferrous metals like copper and brass.
For those kinds of metals that require a solid mechanical bond between the pieces, it is better to weld using a traditional welding gun. However, for those kinds of metals that require weaker bonds or possess a lower density, welding using a soldering iron is better.
What Is Welding?
Essentially, welding is a way of bonding or joining pieces of metal together by using high heat and pressure to melt them into one another, creating a joint.
Even though welding is usually used for metals, it can occasionally be for wood and thermoplastics.
What Happens During the Welding Process?
The welding process involves heating metals at very high temperatures, about 3500 degrees Celsius, to melt them. You then fuse the metals at the molten junction to make a final joint.
Sometimes, depending on the strength of the joint, a filler material is applied to make the bond even more substantial. The resultant effect of the molten pool is usually more significant than the initial metals, otherwise known as the parent material.
Where Is Welding Used?
The possibilities for the application of welding are as abundant as there is sheet metal for bonding.
Some places that use welding include:
- Homes
- Yards
- Workshops
- Construction
- Fabrication
Now that we know where welding is used, let’s take a look at what materials cannot be welded together.
What Materials Cannot Be Welded Together?
Not all materials require welding. When it is easy to weld a material without requiring other elaborate procedures like preheating, post-heating, controlled cooling, or a specific temperature, such material has high weldability. And where the reverse is the case, then we say it has low weldability. As a result, some material pairs just cannot be welded together.
Here are some examples of parent material pairs that cannot be welded together:
- Aluminum and copper
- Titanium and steel
- Aluminum and steel
Now that we know everything about welding, let’s take a look at what soldering entails.
What Is Soldering?
When you use a filler bonding material called solder to bond two or more pieces of metal together, we call it soldering.
The instrument utilized in the process of soldering is called a soldering iron.
What Happens During the Soldering Process?
In soldering, heat to the point of melting is not needed to join or bond a set of meta or sheets together. Instead, an alloy— typically made of tin and lead— called a solder, is engaged in establishing the bond.
Essentially, a soldering iron is what melts the filler material or solder for a perfect joint. Because we do not need as much heat as is the case with welding, the worker heats the soldering iron up to 400 degrees Celsius.And the set temperature of the soldering iron depends on the melting point of the filler material or solder rather than the parent materials.
Where Is Solder Used?
Unlike welding, which applies to mechanical and solid joints, soldering is not restricted to electrical and electronics specialties.
Other areas to use soldering include:
- Jewelry repair
- The arts and crafts
- Plumbing
- Glassworks
- Computers
- Sheet metal works
During soldering, you place a solder between the two components and apply heat to the solder from the soldering iron. The final cooling of the solder is what creates the bond between the two components. The bond or joint from soldering is usually both mechanical and electrical.
What Materials Require Soldering?
Just as is the case with welding, some materials require soldering, while others do not. And the resulting joint in soldering is based on the type of solder, which also depends on the parent materials requiring joining.
Examples of metals that require soldering include:
- Gold
- Silver
- Brass
- Copper
- Iron
Now that we know everything about soldering and welding, we have established if you can weld something with a soldering iron or not.
Conclusion
Although welding refers to joining two pieces of metal together by heating to melt under pressure, soldering refers to joining two pieces of material together using solder as an intermediate bonding agent. It is unlikely that people will ever stop using both terms interchangeably.
However, it is necessary to note that both processes relate to joining pieces of metal; when you attempt to weld something using a soldering iron, you are not welding but soldering. And the resultant joint is going to be of lesser strength than welding.
