Habaki resisting me

[Geoff Keyes 672]

I cannot get this copper habaki to solder up.  Maybe I'm just not holding my mouth right.  Tips, good Juju, prayer?  Help?

 

Geoff

[Alan Longmire 3,773]

What solder, what flux?  

[steven smith 109]

i use 50/50 table salt and borax (SALT WILL MAKE HYDROCHLORIC ACID VAPORS WHEN HEATED AND EXPOSED TO MOISTURE) with a little water and whatever cat hair and crud falls in the jar, ive got some kind of silver braize rod that files like its glass and i much prefer just using silver (its only like $.25 per habaki or less)

 

i use a bernzomatic ts4000 and a little kaowool nest, the nest really helps. 

 

the flux i use cleans the copper really well and i dont think i even need to clean before braizing, i get the habaki hot with the to-be-braized side facing up in the air so the braize rod will flow down into the joint.

 

make sure your flux works and make sure everything is close enough, i like to close the habaki a bit so it has to be forced up the tang then i get it to where i want it and insert the machigane and give it all a couple smacks with the hammer to squish it all together. you can leave extra on the machigane so that when its in the habaki the extra can be folded over the habaki to kind of clip it in place. 

 

heat, fit, and flux is all there is to it. also, the temperature at which the braize will flow is hotter than its melting temperature.