Can you TIG weld copper, brass?

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zzrodder

It ain't grey hair, it's chrome!
Joined
May 14, 2010
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Location
The Sunny Okanagan B.C. Canada
I don't know if this is even possible or common or whatever, but can you TIG weld brass or copper? Or for that matter MIG weld same? I have a crazy radiator design to try and soldering it is just not going to work, besides looking sloppy. Any advice or insight would be great.
 
To my knowledge, no. I know you cant mig it and have never heard of tiging it. Tin or silver solder is the only way I know, may have to google that one.LOL
 
You can tig almost any exotic metal with the right filler rod and the right tip I've welded bronze before but you also gotta check what tip you have cause some of them don't agree with certain metals like the red tip welding aluminium I don't remember what exactly it does but I know it does something to the weld to make it unsatisfactory
 
Brass and Bronze, NO problem with TIG.
Very common on large Bronze sculptures.

I tried to fuse some pennies together with TIG,
didn't work, but that was probably operator error.
 
Thanks guys for the help and insight on this. From what I've learned from the link and google searches, it seems that it's really important to match the filler rod with the metal being welded. This may sound goofy, but could you cut a strip from the metal you are Tig welding and use that as filler rod?
I know it doesn't relate to Tig welding, but I've used scrap steel strips and even coat hangers as rod when oxy/acet welding steel in a pinch.
 
The strip method is commonly used on Aluminum,
to ensure a color match.

I've used Bronze filler rods by mistake, when TIG welding steel. :eek:
 
Brass and Bronze, NO problem with TIG.
Very common on large Bronze sculptures.

I tried to fuse some pennies together with TIG,
didn't work, but that was probably operator error.


Pennies are made of zinc with a copper wash.
 
I watched a west coast choppers show where Jessi James built a copper bike. The tank was copper and he used a nibbler to get a thin strip of copper from copper sheet metal and used that for a filler rod with his TIG.
 
I've used Bronze filler rods by mistake, when TIG welding steel. :eek:

lol! I was trying to TIG some aluminum pipe and was having a hard time. Blamed it on chiniese alloy being crap until I realized a stick of 316L had been put back into the aluminum rod box! DOH!
 
Funny fact about Canuck pennies, they're made in the USA and cost us somewhere around 1 1/2 cents apiece. Why do they even bother with them?
 
I know this thread is older, but I figured I would put my 2 cents in. Yes you can TIG weld copper. You can fuse copper together with no filler wire, but it is more prone to cracking. You can also use bronze to weld together copper which is much stronger. Another thing you can do is weld carbon steel to copper if you so chose by using silicon bronze rod. We do quite a bit of this at my job, and it holds up very well as we pressure test our flexible metal hose products at 135psi in-house before we send it out.

The picture is the exact part I am describing that we supply to the manufacturer who owns the picture.
copper-loop.jpg
 
I don't know if this is even possible or common or whatever, but can you TIG weld brass or copper? Or for that matter MIG weld same? I have a crazy radiator design to try and soldering it is just not going to work, besides looking sloppy. Any advice or insight would be great.

You really need a shop that has experience in what you are trying to do, sounds like you need a lot more qualified advice than can be supplied on this forum.

I myself would look for a simple radiator solution as we are making rat rods that we can repair with whatever is available, are we not? [;)
 

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