Small holes in stainless steel pots

R D S

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Oct 21, 2011, 9:41:54 AM10/21/11

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I have some little stainless steel pots in a heated tank, one of them
recently sprang a leak and if I hold it up to the light I can see 3
little pin prick holes in it.

Am I likely to be able to repair this by filling the holes with solder?

If not would welding sort it?

Nightjar

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Oct 21, 2011, 10:21:24 AM10/21/11

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On 21/10/2011 14:41, R D S wrote:
> I have some little stainless steel pots in a heated tank, one of them
> recently sprang a leak and if I hold it up to the light I can see 3
> little pin prick holes in it.
>
> Am I likely to be able to repair this by filling the holes with solder?

It is certainly possible to solder stainless steel. I used to use a flux
comprising one half Baker's fluid No 1, one quarter hydrochloric acid
36% and one quarter distilled water.

Whether the solder would survive whatever it was that caused holes in
stainless steel is another matter. In any case, I suspect that any
repair will only be a temporary fix. Multiple pin holes suggest to me
that the pot is probably nearing the end of its useful life and really
needs replacing.

Colin Bignell

R D S

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Oct 21, 2011, 11:12:45 AM10/21/11

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They are little square half litre pots and the supplier wants Ł30 each
for them!

NT

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Oct 21, 2011, 4:21:20 PM10/21/11

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> They are little square half litre pots and the supplier wants £30 each
> for them!

Epoxy works.

NT

Bernard Peek

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Oct 21, 2011, 4:29:18 PM10/21/11

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On 21/10/11 15:21, Nightjar wrote:

I'd expect electrolytic corrosion to occur around the solder so any
repair would be temporary.

--
Bernard Peek
b...@shrdlu.com

pcb1962

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Oct 21, 2011, 4:37:36 PM10/21/11

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TIG welding SS is pretty straightforward.

Andy Dingley

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Oct 21, 2011, 4:58:47 PM10/21/11

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On Oct 21, 2:41 pm, R D S <rsa...@yahoo.com> wrote:

> Am I likely to be able to repair this by filling the holes with solder?

Yes, but you need a pokey flux for dealing with stainless. Phosphoric
acid can do it.

Easiest though is a Lumiweld kit, which comes with the right flux and
a better solder.

Gib Bogle

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Oct 21, 2011, 5:01:40 PM10/21/11

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On 22/10/2011 3:21 a.m., Nightjar wrote:

> Whether the solder would survive whatever it was that caused holes in
> stainless steel is another matter. In any case, I suspect that any
> repair will only be a temporary fix. Multiple pin holes suggest to me
> that the pot is probably nearing the end of its useful life

Either that or it was made in China.

Dave Plowman (News)

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Oct 21, 2011, 6:59:35 PM10/21/11

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In article <j7sl6g$d20$1...@dont-email.me>,

pcb1962 <pe...@pandasys.co.uk> wrote:
> TIG welding SS is pretty straightforward.

I've managed a reasonable job with a MIG and Halford's SS wire. But not
tried it on thin stuff.

--
*A clear conscience is usually the sign of a bad memory *

Dave Plowman da...@davenoise.co.uk London SW
To e-mail, change noise into sound.

Andy Dingley

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Oct 21, 2011, 7:41:28 PM10/21/11

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On Oct 21, 9:37 pm, pcb1962 <pe...@pandasys.co.uk> wrote:

> TIG welding SS is pretty straightforward.

Couple of grands' worth of kit will sort it out then,

You can't TIG weld stainless at most nightschool classes these days,
owing to the chromium and the lack of suitable fume extraction. Few
DIYers have their own TIG rigs. That said, stainless is one of the
easier metals to TIG weld, much easier than aluminium alloys.

Gazz

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Oct 21, 2011, 9:01:49 PM10/21/11

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"Gib Bogle" <g.b...@auckland.ac.nz> wrote in message
news:j7smji$jf4$3...@speranza.aioe.org...

Naaah, it's made in stainless steel, didn't you read his post :)

Nightjar

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Oct 22, 2011, 12:10:13 PM10/22/11

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Never had that problem in several decades of soldering stainless steel
surgical instruments.

Colin Bignell

pcb1962

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Oct 22, 2011, 4:59:54 PM10/22/11

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On 22/10/11 00:41, Andy Dingley wrote:
> On Oct 21, 9:37 pm, pcb1962<pe...@pandasys.co.uk> wrote:
>
>> TIG welding SS is pretty straightforward.
>
> Couple of grands' worth of kit will sort it out then,

If you only want to do steel you can set yourself up with a nice little
TIG set and gas for under £500 these days. If you need an AC rig to do
ali it gets a lot more expensive.

> You can't TIG weld stainless at most nightschool classes these days,
> owing to the chromium and the lack of suitable fume extraction. Few
> DIYers have their own TIG rigs. That said, stainless is one of the
> easier metals to TIG weld, much easier than aluminium alloys.

I wasn't suggesting that RDS set himself up with he necessary gear, but
maybe if he pops over to the excellent welding forum at
http://www.mig-welding.co.uk/forum/index.php and asks nicely in the TIG
section he may find someone local who will do the job for him for beer
tokens.