Removing All Trace of Solder?

[aamcle]

Evening All.

I have an old Stainless urn type vessel with the bottom soldered into place, I'd like to use it for a GrainFather type build.

I can get the bottom out using a torch to melt the solder but how do I get rid of ALL trace of the solder?

Many Thanks. Aamcle

[Waffty]

In the day when I was a bench engineer we used to use either a "solder sucker" or solder braid.

http://www.maplin.co.uk/p/de-solder-pump-n40ch

http://www.maplin.co.uk/p/de-soldering- ... idth-n49fx

As an alternative, fill a small diameter copper tube with flux, melt the solder and then apply heat to the tube, with the principle being, the vacuum caused by the flux melting, sucks the liquid solder into the tube, which is pretty much the same principle as the solder braid. If you're brave enough and the pot isn't too big, you can get solder to 'flick' out of the pot by heating it up until it's liquid and turning it up side down and banging it down, taking into account that liquid solder sticks like the proverbial to a blanket and will still be several hundred degrees into the bargin.

So depending on how much there was, I'd flick it out an use either a sucker or braid to remove the small bits.

[Fil]

damp cloth to brush away any molten pooled solder first, then a braid under a big electric iron 150w+, then a file followed by wet-n-dry, the soft solder will lift of easy with abrasion..

getting the last off will be pain staking and to be sure i would test with a lead paint test kit..

im a very bad solderer but have read a few tips from those in the know and with thin sheet SS a torch can apply buckling heat easily, while a big iron concentrates the heat on the spot.

when soldering a ss pot lid i buckled it very easily with the torch heat, but i am pretty kak handed at the best of times


when it comes to rebuilding LOTS of flux, liquid acid for SS, a ss needle bottle is good to apply it (e-ciggy refil bottles). and tin each bit of the joins before bringing them together, then you just need to clamp and heat

good luck - your determined to use this pot aint you

[aamcle]

Gona do my best

Aamcle