The soldering coin gimmick is mentioned in Bobo's, but most recently I want to start working on Troy Hooser's Coinfusion routine.

Problem....I don't solder....I don't weld....I don't do anything like that.

Is there an easy and affordable way of obtaining this gimmick? Maybe Epoxy or something of the sort? Maybe Mike (Wildstone), could make me some with his vast machine shop (but only if I threaten him and intimidate him).

Any suggestions?

Try using wax.



Best
Joe

Good suggestion, but I need something more permanent and stronger.

Epoxy.

You don't scare me tough guy. The way I see it, I got something yas want, so sit down and shut up whilst I educate ya...

soldering is easy man. Practice on a couple quarters or nickels until you figure out the right solder to flux to heat mix. Then you'll have a trade you can be proud of

Or, use that 2-part epoxy they sell for patching mufflers. It seems to bond pretty nicely. Is it called locktite? Something like that.

Best,

Mike

How the heck do you Solder? Do you have a welding machine or something....man I don't even know.

This is what I get for reading comic books my whole life and playing The Legend of Zelda.

I will look more into that 2 part epoxy.

If you go to Walmart, in the hardware / electronics department, you'll find soldering kits for short money that include everything you need to start soldering like a maniac. If I were out of the soldering loop, I'd read the accompanying manual, wear eye protection, and get mentally prepared for a small line shaped burn on your right pointer finger

Mike

How much does a kit run?

19.99

Not Walmart, but their site is down, so try that guy.

Best,

Mike

There is glue/adhesive for metal. And lots of places have staff who do onsite soldering... and have the cleaners, and eye protection... and expertise to get the job done. Not many real people care about the 'secret' when you ask them to stick a few coins together. If you somehow change the stuck coins into a pair of stuck odd coins... you might make friends for life.

Super glue it...it will hold very well. That's what I use for my personal use when making the Siamese Coins for myself.

Mike

Super glue is NG as it .... in time .... can get brittle and come apart.

JB Weld is the best I have found (2 part epoxy) and the fast dry stuff is great.

Pete, I have one set of Siamese Coins that is super glued and I have been using them well over ten years, never had a problem!

Mike

Sorry, I have to report lots of problems with superglue also. It is by nature a brittle adhesive and does not tolerate any lateral stress on the join. It works fine for c/s type gaffs though

Grant it you guys are discussing making the set yourself, I just got a Siamese coin type of set from Jamie Schoolcraft and I think it's great. He has some sort of bonding process that even when the gaff is dropped it still sounds like a coin when it's dropped on another. I had one made out of Barbers and it looks great and didn't run me up too much money at all. He's definitely worth contacting just to see.

-Bill

Try this web site http://www.coldheat.com

WOW... does it realy do what they say?

I was taught to solder years ago. The secret is to have your coin surfaces clean and free of grease...even touching surfaces with your fingers leaves "grease". You can use a fancy circuit board/contact cleaner block from an electronic store, but just as good to use a little metal polish in the usual way, then when you've polished the coins wash them with soap and hot water to remove the soap traces. Don't handle the coins with your bare fingers, and if you're using an electric soldering iron, then use "multicore" solder (it has the "flux" inside it) and pre-heat the coins first - (over a gas ring) don't use the soldering iron to bring the coins to a good heat, you'll be there all day and the finished job won't be too neat. Pro's use special pliers to hold the materials without taking away all the heat. If the solder "blobs" instead of "flows" your coins are too cold! So it's really all about cleanliness and temperature . . but, to be honest, considering the $ you'll need to spend on tools I'd recommend you go for JB Weld or Araldite Rapid or any good two part expoxy resin adhesive, as Pete Biro stated. Soldering is one of those "it's easy if you know how" things - it needs some practice as well as proper technique. Good luck.

Riley

BTW, still clean the coins (polish and wash) if you use the resin adhesive method - it makes all the difference!!

Just FYI, stay CLEAR of the cheapie soldering "wands".

Get either the Cold Heat(which is pretty cool) or a soldering "gun" from radioshack(for like 13 bucks).

The wands imho don't have enough power, don't heat up fast enough, and can't be set down without putting them in a "holder".

With the "gun" type model from radioshack, not only does it stay relativly cool until needed, but because of the bulky base, can be set down so the tip doesn't touch anything expensive.

Learn to solder, a great thing to know how to do, and really saves time if you ever have to wire something together.

Solder and Heat Shrink are your friends!

Okay. I'll tell you the real secrets of soldering properly. I used to do trade shows for a fellow who sold soldering products to the refrigeration trade. I watched him solder everything from copper tubing to aluminum beer cans.

It takes a lot of preparation, and it isn't cheap. I'll offer an alternative at the end of this post.

First off, you need the correct solder. The best I have ever worked with for this kind of thing is called "Sta-Brite" -- it is a (relatively) low temperature solder. You can use it to solder just about any metal from stainless steel to copper, including aluminum. You also need the correct flux. Coincidentally, it's called "Sta-Brite Flux." You can get this at some hobby shops, or, if you plan to do some real work, go to a refrigeration supply company and purchase it there. If you want to solder aluminum, you will need "Sta-Brite Aluminum Flux," also called "Honey Flux."

You will need a fireproof surface to work on. If you can find a firebrick, that's good. Or one of these "Third hand" gadgets will work well. But remember, you will be working with a flame, and a hot one, at that.

Next, you need a soldering torch. Propane will work, but it will take a long time to heat the surface properly. MAPP gas is better. Air/Acetylene is the best. It gets hot fast.

Prepare the surfaces that you are going to solder together by degreasing them, then, if possible, file down the areas that are going to be soldered together so they are flat. A Dremel tool will help with this. You want as close to perfect metal to metal contact as you can possibly get. Degrease the surfaces again. Apply flux to both surfaces and place them in the position you want to solder them in.

Take a piece of the solder wire and place it where you can reach it quickly with your right hand. The piece should be about 4 to 6 inches long, with a bend in it about 1/2 inch from the outer end. Pick up the torch with your left hand and light it. Apply even heat to the metal, and when you see the flux come bubbling out -- really bubbling, touch the end of the solder wire to the joint, and allow only the amount of solder up to the bend to flow into the joint. If the wire doesn't melt quickly, the metal isn't hot enough. Once you have applied the solder, turn off the torch and allow the metal to cool. Then wash it with baking soda and water, and clean off any excess solder.

Your initial investment in this will be about $40 to $200, depending on which kind of soldering torch you buy.

Now, here is the cheaper, more viable alternative.

Go over to Wal-Mart and buy a tube of J.B. Weld. Degrease the surfaces you want to put together, mix up the J.B. Weld, and apply it to one of the surfaces. Press the pieces together and gently scrape away any excess. Clamp the pieces and let them set overnight (or however long the version of J.B. Weld you purchase tells you to.)

Initial investment -- about $3.00, depending on if you need to buy any clamps.

Unless you purchase a "body work" soldering iron, soldering irons are totally useless for coin work. And on sheet metal, soldering guns are a joke.

If you must buy a soldering gun, don't buy one from Radio Shack. Get a brand name, such as Weller. But they are really useless for big pieces of metal anyway.