Welding brass with a TIG

[Sodo]

I need to weld a "Y" onto a brass sink drain. Can I do this with the TIG? I know I can solder it but with the TIG can I polish the weld and have "that classic look"? Cabin freezes, so I can't have traps, need a dry break. Also I want to be able to say the cabin has no utilities (dry cabin). In the winter ya need to occasionally dump fluids that you wouldn't want to dump into the sink if ya get my drift,,,,,, (trucker bombs).

Here's the brass pipe from Lowes, it's only $5 for 16". Online metals wants $33 for 36". Buying it at Online might be the way to go.

 

[Sodo]

So what's it take to TIG brass? Does it behave the same as TiG'n steel? I've heard about getting silicon bronze welding rods. What gas is used?

 

[5030]

It's possible to TIG it but you'd be a lot farther ahead if you brazed it with flux coated bronze filler rod and oxy-acetylene torch. You will have to have a clean fit up (no gaps) and tight butt joint but brazing it will yield a clean look that can be easily buffed out.

 

[Sodo]

Oxy/acet with standard braze rod and the white powder type flux?

 

[ray66v]

Why not just do it in plastic?

You can buy a wye, or run a street 45, into the side of a "T".

 

[Sodo]

Its all visible. Also the rule: no barcode in this cabin, everything looks 100 years old if possible. Except the RV range & USB charge outlets:thumbsup: & me I'm on the bad side of half that old.

 

[Tractor Seabee]

Sodo, brazing is the way to go. By the time you set up the TIG and get the right technique down you can have it done. That brass tube is pretty thin so high temp alloys will cause distortion. It will accommodate a poor fit up to some extent as you are flowing on top not fusing. I would use BCUP-3 silver solder. Only 5% silver so not too costly. It flows at around 700 degrees so distortion is minimal. You will need flux though. It is good stuff to have in your welding kit for many types of dissimilar metal joining. Copper/brass/bronze to each other and to steel and stainless steel. great with sweat fitting fit ups. Copper to copper you need no flux as the phosphorus content performs that function. I also keep some 50% silver stuff around.

Old Pipefitter Ron

 

[Tractor Seabee]

Sodo, brazing is the way to go. By the time you set up the TIG and get the right technique down you can have it done. That brass tube is pretty thin so high temp alloys will cause distortion. It will accommodate a poor fit up to some extent as you are flowing on top not fusing. I would use BCUP-3 silver solder. Only 5% silver so not too costly. It flows at around 700 degrees so distortion is minimal. You will need flux though. It is good stuff to have in your welding kit for many types of dissimilar metal joining. Copper/brass/bronze to each other and to steel and stainless steel. great with sweat fitting fit ups. Copper to copper you need no flux as the phosphorus content performs that function. I also keep some 50% silver stuff around. If you get over this way I will give you a couple sticks.

Old Pipefitter Ron

 

[k0ua]

While I have not personally TIG'd any brass, I have TIG'd several pieces of copper, but agree that with the likely poor fitup, brazing sounds like the way to go. The copper I have tig'd went well but you need to move pretty fast. . I suspect brass would be easy enough also.

 

[bcp]

Or you could use a copper downspout Y.

https://www.google.com/search?q=brass+drain+y&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjtisrozsHKAhVC42MKHWIbDs8QsAQIOw&biw=1465&bih=715#tbm=isch&q=copper+downspout+y


Or a tubing fitting

https://www.u2plumbing.com/plumbing/copper-wyes.html

Bruce

 

[Sodo]

I have silver solder, but not a lot of it. Not sure if I can find the flux. Prob would want a nice tight fit to braze it. I was hoping someone would say "tigging brass is easy and fun". But I can braze or silversolder it, that would look right.

Wow that copper stuff is expensive. Saw a nice 1 1/8" Y fitting for $68. And most of the gutter fittings are 4" diameter and hundreds of dollars, like $300-500. My sink drain is either 1 1/4 or 1 1/2" currently going round&round whether to spend 2x $5 at Lowes or splurge $33 at onlinemetals.

 

[k0ua]

Sodo, do you have some scrap brass you can try TIGing various fitups and just see how well you do with it?

 

[Sodo]

I do have some brass scraps, but no "silicon bronze rod". Is this the right stuff? >>> Blue Demon ERCuSi-A X 1/16" X 36" X 1# Tube TIG Rod (on Amazon)
Do you use 100% Argon?

 

[k0ua]

I do have some brass scraps, but no "silicon bronze rod". Is this the right stuff? >>> Blue Demon ERCuSi-A X 1/16" X 36" X 1# Tube TIG Rod (on Amazon)
Do you use 100% Argon?

I reckon it would work but I haven't used any. The copper TIG welding I have done I used just plain copper were for filler and yes 100% argon.

 

[Shield Arc]

and yes 100% argon.

If your welder doesn't have enough power, then a helium / argon mix will help that.

 

[Sodo]

Brass sink drains in 5 counties are trembling at the mere thought of my welder's power. .......maybe all I need is a BIGGER tungsten.... :thumbsup: OK here we go! Blue Demon 1/4-Inch Tungsten Electrode.

In the meantime I'll try grinding tungsten with the flapper disc that worked before (its in a ziploc baggie as the LWS fella suggested to me). My TIG kit came with 1/16" and 3/32" tungstens. What are the guidelines for using 1/16" vs 3/32"?

 

[Shield Arc]

My TIG kit came with 1/16" and 3/32" tungstens. What are the guidelines for using 1/16" vs 3/32"?

It's all about amperage.

This book would be a huge help to you!

 

[yomax4]

If you have a Tig unit with Pulse, You can set the frequency at 1 pulse per second. That will give you all kinds of time to do a good job with out a meltdown. Practice will show you. Otherwise all of the other responses were good. Easy fix with oxy fuel and braze rod. Harris#5 as posted above will do it too. Also some of the low temp silver bearing solders out there will go liquid at 430 degrees. You can even do a second pass because the re melt is about 100 degrees higher. In the end the most simple way would be to braze it. You can blob it on and move it around pretty good if you are a torchman.

 

[quicksandfarmer]

Or you could use a copper downspout Y.

https://www.google.com/search?q=brass+drain+y&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjtisrozsHKAhVC42MKHWIbDs8QsAQIOw&biw=1465&bih=715#tbm=isch&q=copper+downspout+y


Or a tubing fitting

https://www.u2plumbing.com/plumbing/copper-wyes.html

Bruce

Copper can be very easily plated with zinc to create an outer layer of brass. My kid did it for a science fair experiment, I bought all of the chemicals on Amazon. Instructions are here: Turn Copper Pennies Into Silver and Gold Pennies

 

[bamboozled]

I use a dedicated 4.5 inch diamond blade on a dedicated angle grinder to sharpen my tungstens. Set the tungsten on the guard and roll it with my fingers so it hits the grinding wheel straight on. So far, so good.