03-26-2015, 02:23 PM
While resistance soldering would have made this job easier, I think that the improper fit of the parts would have been taxing enough.
If you're using only a soldering iron, size it to the task at hand - this light gauge brass doesn't require a lot of wattage. I like to pre-clean all surfaces to be soldered with fine sandpaper - the wet/dry type, used dry, and about #600 or finer works well - then, where possible, pre-tin the contact points. This allows you to use needle files to remove any excess solder before beginning the actual construction process.
Once assembly begins, clamp or pin the parts to be joined in proper alignment, and a quick touch of the hot iron will make a strong joint. Before moving on to the next one, place a small wad of wet tissue or paper towel over the just-made joint - this will ensure that heating the next contact point won't cause the previous one to separate. The wetted material can follow along as you work, but make sure, as other pieces are added, that all previously-made joints are thermally isolated from the point where you're working. This should result in a strong assembly needing little final clean-up.
The parts for that turntable should have been a one-piece full ring etched from a sheet of brass, with a second piece of strip to form the rim. It then would have been relatively simple to pin the parts in place to solder the two pieces together, with no worry about having to make sure that it was truly round. Lutz, I admire your patience for getting that together.
Wayne
If you're using only a soldering iron, size it to the task at hand - this light gauge brass doesn't require a lot of wattage. I like to pre-clean all surfaces to be soldered with fine sandpaper - the wet/dry type, used dry, and about #600 or finer works well - then, where possible, pre-tin the contact points. This allows you to use needle files to remove any excess solder before beginning the actual construction process.
Once assembly begins, clamp or pin the parts to be joined in proper alignment, and a quick touch of the hot iron will make a strong joint. Before moving on to the next one, place a small wad of wet tissue or paper towel over the just-made joint - this will ensure that heating the next contact point won't cause the previous one to separate. The wetted material can follow along as you work, but make sure, as other pieces are added, that all previously-made joints are thermally isolated from the point where you're working. This should result in a strong assembly needing little final clean-up.
The parts for that turntable should have been a one-piece full ring etched from a sheet of brass, with a second piece of strip to form the rim. It then would have been relatively simple to pin the parts in place to solder the two pieces together, with no worry about having to make sure that it was truly round. Lutz, I admire your patience for getting that together.
Wayne