Cheapest Rod & Flux For Basic Brazing Practice

[Ahmdo Molah]

I'd like to start brazing practice with some basics like melting bronze rod and building up "icicles"(as some call them) or stalagmite-like poles.

When I was practicing TIG welding thin steel tubing, I had (free) access to 0.035"(0.9mm) ER70s-6 MIG wire. As this type of wire is cheap and widely available, I'd like to acquire its bronze or brass rod equivalent along with a suitable flux.

The rod and flux does not have to be anything fancy or preferred by frame builders for actual frame building, just plain 'ol standard stuff that is dirt cheap and easy to get.

Recommendations would be appreciated.

[Ahmdo Molah]

I thought a good starting point would be to try and find locally available alternatives to the popular materials. As it seems that popular examples are the Gasflux C-04 Nickel Bronze Rods and Gasflux Type B High Temperature Brazing Paste Flux, I looked at their datasheets to scope out their compositions.

C-04 Rod Associated Standards
Alloy 680 UNS/CDA C68000
AWS A5.8 Class RBCuZn-B
ASME SFA5.8 Class RBCuZn-B

Chemical Composition of C-04 (RBCuZn-B)
Cu 56.0-60.0
Zn Balance
Fe 0.25-1.20
Si 0.04-0.20
Al 0.01
Pb 0.05
Mn 0.01-0.50
Ni 0.20-0.80
Sn 0.80-1.10
Others 0.50

Melting point: 1620ºF (882ºC)
Solidification: 1590ºF (868ºC)
Tensile Strength, psi: 65,000
Brinell Hardness: 92

"C-04® Nickel Bronze is a specially formulated low fuming copper/zinc alloy with additions of nickel, manganese and iron to improve flow and increase strength. It is most commonly used for the brazing of steel, copper, copper alloys, and nickel. The silicon has been adjusted to limit zinc fuming and improve flow characteristics."


Chemical Composition of Type B Flux
Boric Acid, Sodium Tetraborate Decahydrate and Water.


Off I go in search of similar materials locally online.

[Ahmdo Molah]

I'm in luck!

There's a 'local' industrial brazing tech company(SK Brazing) that offers (on the side) Gasflux (and Lucas Milhaupt) consumables(flux and wires) even in relatively small quantities. The cost of 1/16" C-04 wire and a 1lb B type flux is about the same as that offered by shops in the US, so no need to import or seek 'similar' local alternatives.

If someone has a better suggestion, I'm still all ears. Thanks.