Using Lead soulder to smooth welded joints?

[OneHorsePower]

Hey guys !
Any reason why i don't see any frame builder use lead soulder to smooth the welds ?
i always see brazing used to make a smooth joint , but never lead ..
my welds are strong but not so beautiful , and thought about led to be able to make bare metal frame with nice looking joints
they used to do this on cars back then ,hence the name 'led sled' why not on bike ?
http://www.hotrodscustomstuff.com/OLD_SITE/1968-firebird-13.html

 

[Kruez]

A couple of my old frames are clearly smoothed out at the weld joints. Could be as you describe. Or a good round file. The additional finishing makes for nice work, but not so profitable, right.

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[OneHorsePower]

Its more about creating rolling art than making profit , but yes that is what iam describing , custom frame builders still do it , with brass or Bondo... just wondering why not with lead ?

 

[jamesdart]

I'm thinking it would be very tricky to build up the lead all around without having it melt off the other side that you already built up.

 

[Duchess]

Toxicity along with the easier alternatives of modern epoxy products (which have toxicity issues, as well, but not like lead). Disposal of waste may also be a consideration, but that's a guess. I looked into this to restore a car because I feel that the lead would be a more durable fix than epoxies, but every auto body guy I talked to or read anywhere pretty much told me to forget about it, mainly for the toxicity, but also time savings and, after watching my mother die of a horrible lung disease (yeah, I'd wear a mask, but still), I guess I'll defer to them and allow nature to maybe reclaim the metal Duchess sooner and the flesh one no sooner than the time the Fates had already determined. Bikes generally spend less time exposed to bad elements (like New England coastal winters), so I would expect potentially lower durability would be even less of a concern.

There's also newer no-lead solder, but having worked with frustratingly transitioning lead to lead-free on an SMT assembly line (particularly reflow oven profiles), I'd almost rather risk my health than use that! Not the same thing as smoothing a weld, but I thought I'd throw in the minor rant to share a bit of my pain as my mind recalled the traumatic annoyance of the time.

 

[SSG]

Like Dutchess said, lead bodywork is basically a lost art these days. The problem comes from the filing/smoothing, which creates lots of lead dust that goes everywhere. Polyester fillers are quicker, easier, and safer which is why they pretty much took over. Typically I dont think most builders add anything on top of the structural joint to smooth it out. With fillet brazing the nice brass bit you see is the structural joint that holds the tubes together. You can go back over a weld with a small round stone on a rotary tool to get a similar smooth rounded joint. Jb weld could be used, but is dull gray, and wont polish up.

 

[5speed]

there is acid in the flux when using lead,the metal will oxidise[rust]b4 you can coat,all the other negs have been covered here

 

[OneHorsePower]

I'm thinking it would be very tricky to build up the lead all around without having it melt off the other side that you already built up.

Toxicity .

2 pretty good reasons , thanks guys!
ill try perfecting my welds finish and forget the bare metal finish till then

 

[deorman]

Perhaps you could weld shaped thin square rod pieces on top of your joints and grind/file them down?

 

[The Renaissance Man]

Just build up your weld and file it down the same way the guys file the brass. It's harder material, but with a good file it's not that hard.

Here's a seat post that I filed and polished with a wire wheel.

 

[GuitarlCarl]

You don't want to use flux core. But not all solder is flux core. I found some old Stearine lead solder, and used it to fill in some dents when I removed the brake cable eyelets on ALiEN FiRE. Worked really well. Check it out HERE, post #108...

Carl.

 

[OneHorsePower]

You don't want to use flux core. But not all solder is flux core. I found some old Stearine lead solder, and used it to fill in some dents when I removed the brake cable eyelets on ALiEN FiRE. Worked really well. Check it out HERE, post #108...

Carl.

yes , i did this as well to fill a rust hole where there was s shifter mount on my brothers Ross , but it was lead free soulder wire and i had a hard time