# How to silver solder band saw blades



## hydro (Aug 9, 2013)

*How to silver solder band saw blades*

This will assist in repairing a broken blade or in making your own blades from coil stock or auction site blade stock. First, you will need some blades. I like to buy coil stock if I can get it for a good price, or I buy blades in bulk that are a little longer than I need. I will cut these down to length.










To solder the blades, you will need silver solder and flux. I use silver solder that I got at the hardware store, and a boron modified flux that I found at McMaster Carr. The boron modified flux gets a better bite on ferrous materials like blades.










You will need to know the finished length of blade that works on your saw. To get the measurement either check the owners manual or take a used blade and cut it to measure. I add 1/8" to the total length to allow for the solder joint. Cut the blade to length using a snips.










To make a strong solder joint you will need to grind the ends of the blade at an angle to create a "scarf joint". Ideally this should have a ratio of 6:1 joint face to blade thickness. It's not really critical so I usually shoot for about 1/8" solder surface in the joint.










To ensure alignment of the finished blade, I use a jig that I welded up put of a piece of angle iron and a couple of steel strips. The center is cut out to provide room to solder the joint.










Slightly bend one of the blade ends to make the pieces spring together and ensure a tight solder joint. Clamp the prepared blade into the fixture and apply flux to the ends. Pinch the ends together and feel to be sure that there is no "bump". If so, adjust until the transition is smooth. Cut a piece of silver solder the length of the joint and place it between the blade ends.










Heat the joint to dull red with a propane torch and watch for the solder to flow out. Hold the heat for a bit to make sure everything is hot enough. The solder will sweat the joint and flow where there is flux.










Let the blade cool in the fixture and grind the face of the blade smooth. Remove from the fixture and grind the other side smooth. Feel to be sure there is no lump at the joint. Last, grind the back of the blade and smooth the edges with a file.










The finished joint should show as a narrow band of solder. The blade is now done and ready to use!


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## smitdog (Aug 20, 2012)

hydro said:


> *How to silver solder band saw blades*
> 
> This will assist in repairing a broken blade or in making your own blades from coil stock or auction site blade stock. First, you will need some blades. I like to buy coil stock if I can get it for a good price, or I buy blades in bulk that are a little longer than I need. I will cut these down to length.
> 
> ...


Great post hydro, you make what seemed incredibly hard before actually look doable! Might have to try it out some time. Thanks for posting this.


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## HillbillyShooter (Feb 15, 2012)

hydro said:


> *How to silver solder band saw blades*
> 
> This will assist in repairing a broken blade or in making your own blades from coil stock or auction site blade stock. First, you will need some blades. I like to buy coil stock if I can get it for a good price, or I buy blades in bulk that are a little longer than I need. I will cut these down to length.
> 
> ...


Thanks! I've often considered doing this but have never seen anything as straight forward as your explanation.


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## stefang (Apr 9, 2009)

hydro said:


> *How to silver solder band saw blades*
> 
> This will assist in repairing a broken blade or in making your own blades from coil stock or auction site blade stock. First, you will need some blades. I like to buy coil stock if I can get it for a good price, or I buy blades in bulk that are a little longer than I need. I will cut these down to length.
> 
> ...


Nice blog and very helpful. Thank you!


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## TopamaxSurvivor (May 2, 2008)

hydro said:


> *How to silver solder band saw blades*
> 
> This will assist in repairing a broken blade or in making your own blades from coil stock or auction site blade stock. First, you will need some blades. I like to buy coil stock if I can get it for a good price, or I buy blades in bulk that are a little longer than I need. I will cut these down to length.
> 
> ...


great blog, thanks


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## NormG (Mar 5, 2010)

hydro said:


> *How to silver solder band saw blades*
> 
> This will assist in repairing a broken blade or in making your own blades from coil stock or auction site blade stock. First, you will need some blades. I like to buy coil stock if I can get it for a good price, or I buy blades in bulk that are a little longer than I need. I will cut these down to length.
> 
> ...


Thank you


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## Blackie_ (Jul 10, 2011)

hydro said:


> *How to silver solder band saw blades*
> 
> This will assist in repairing a broken blade or in making your own blades from coil stock or auction site blade stock. First, you will need some blades. I like to buy coil stock if I can get it for a good price, or I buy blades in bulk that are a little longer than I need. I will cut these down to length.
> 
> ...


Hi Hydro

Thanks for the link, I do have a question that I've managed to pick up from others in another thread that I posted which is called annealing, this is new to me but after looking it up it means to temper the weld, is this another step that needs to be done and if so what is the process?

Thanks


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## Grandpa (Jan 28, 2011)

hydro said:


> *How to silver solder band saw blades*
> 
> This will assist in repairing a broken blade or in making your own blades from coil stock or auction site blade stock. First, you will need some blades. I like to buy coil stock if I can get it for a good price, or I buy blades in bulk that are a little longer than I need. I will cut these down to length.
> 
> ...


What I remember from my metals class in college about annealing is it is a process to soften the material and not to temper it. There were 3 processes. Harden, temper and anneal. To harden you heat the metal cherry red and cool quickly usually by dipping it in a liquid. I saw a guy, making a cold chisel, let his chisel roll off a table after it was hardened and it shattered. to anneal we heated to cherry red and allowed the metal to cool slowly usually by laying it up and letting it cool slowly. In this state you could work the metal with hand tools. you could easily file it and shape it. When it was tempered it was "toughened". This stage made a tool usable. it was durable. To do it in the shop we had pretty crude methods but we tried. We hardened the metal then we reheated it to a straw purple and quenched it in water. It was crude like I said but it made some tools usable. If we had used temple sticks we would have probably made better chisels but they were not mentioned at the time. I have since learned about these. They are available at welding shops. Get the temperature range you want and need. It changes when that temperature is reached.

Bear in mind I graduated college almost 50 years ago and this is what I remember doing. We also welded our band saw blades in the shop for metal cutting band saws. We have a machine that cut it, we ground it on the same machine and it electrically welded it together. I never felt like we had great success but we did have fair success. I Looked a the process above and think this looks like a good one. The only improvement I would suggest might be the cut on the end of the blade. This is cut at approx. 90 degrees. If it were cut at a 90 or 60 degree angle it might be stronger. There would be more surface to weld together so it should be stronger.

Hydro, thanks for sharing this process with us. This is something more of us should try. I do have a question. Why buy longer blades and shorten them? Did I miss something? If you are buying blades why not get the correct length? Can you not buy the correct length for your saw?


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## hydro (Aug 9, 2013)

hydro said:


> *How to silver solder band saw blades*
> 
> This will assist in repairing a broken blade or in making your own blades from coil stock or auction site blade stock. First, you will need some blades. I like to buy coil stock if I can get it for a good price, or I buy blades in bulk that are a little longer than I need. I will cut these down to length.
> 
> ...


Grandpa- I buy longer blades on Ebay because I can get a great deal on them. Less expensive even than buying the coil stock. They are usually surplus industrial blades.

BTW, your essay on hardening, tempering and annealing is spot on. Thanks!


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## Grandpa (Jan 28, 2011)

hydro said:


> *How to silver solder band saw blades*
> 
> This will assist in repairing a broken blade or in making your own blades from coil stock or auction site blade stock. First, you will need some blades. I like to buy coil stock if I can get it for a good price, or I buy blades in bulk that are a little longer than I need. I will cut these down to length.
> 
> ...


OOPS! I meant to say a 45 or 60 degree angle. there would be a longer cut for more holding surface. I was just curious why you would buy a 180 inch blade when you needed a 144 inch blade and have another weld. I suppose you cut them on the first weld??


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## hydro (Aug 9, 2013)

hydro said:


> *How to silver solder band saw blades*
> 
> This will assist in repairing a broken blade or in making your own blades from coil stock or auction site blade stock. First, you will need some blades. I like to buy coil stock if I can get it for a good price, or I buy blades in bulk that are a little longer than I need. I will cut these down to length.
> 
> ...


Yes, I cut out the original weld to shorten them. Also, the 90 degree solder joint has proven more than strong enough over time. If done right the blade eventually just wears out, gets dull, or fatigues and breaks some where else. Its much easier to fabricate a 90 degree joint as well. On the last set of blades (131") I was able to get 10 Lenox Woodmaster blades for a little more than $6.00 each.


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## Grandpa (Jan 28, 2011)

hydro said:


> *How to silver solder band saw blades*
> 
> This will assist in repairing a broken blade or in making your own blades from coil stock or auction site blade stock. First, you will need some blades. I like to buy coil stock if I can get it for a good price, or I buy blades in bulk that are a little longer than I need. I will cut these down to length.
> 
> ...


Hey! don't mess with perfection. If it works then use it. You are doing great at $6 per blade. Maybe you should go into business….ha

I am sure the 90 deg. cut is easier to solder and easier to match. I just remember the blades we made in school from roll stock. We were a bunch of college age kids and cutting metal most of the time so that probably tells me we got a decent weld. Thanks for sharing your experience in this blog.


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## a1Jim (Aug 9, 2008)

hydro said:


> *How to silver solder band saw blades*
> 
> This will assist in repairing a broken blade or in making your own blades from coil stock or auction site blade stock. First, you will need some blades. I like to buy coil stock if I can get it for a good price, or I buy blades in bulk that are a little longer than I need. I will cut these down to length.
> 
> ...


Great blog lots of great info
Here are a couple things on line covering the same subject . your approach works great.

http://www.leevalley.com/us/wood/page.aspx?cat=1,41036,41048&p=41049


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## Dal300 (Aug 4, 2011)

hydro said:


> *How to silver solder band saw blades*
> 
> This will assist in repairing a broken blade or in making your own blades from coil stock or auction site blade stock. First, you will need some blades. I like to buy coil stock if I can get it for a good price, or I buy blades in bulk that are a little longer than I need. I will cut these down to length.
> 
> ...


I see you are using 35% silver. Is there any particular reason or will 45% or 15% do?

The only silver soldering I have ever done is on HVAC systems.

How thick is the solder you use? How much heat? Will a real propane torch work? Like the kind using a 20-100 lb tank? or does it need MApp or the 14 oz. butane torch?


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## hydro (Aug 9, 2013)

hydro said:


> *How to silver solder band saw blades*
> 
> This will assist in repairing a broken blade or in making your own blades from coil stock or auction site blade stock. First, you will need some blades. I like to buy coil stock if I can get it for a good price, or I buy blades in bulk that are a little longer than I need. I will cut these down to length.
> 
> ...


Dallas, The solder is just what the hardware store had. If you want to try another alloy, do some research as to how applicable it would be for joining steel. I use a regular propane torch, no need for anything hotter. You just need to get the blade/solder to a red color to allow the solder to flow.


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