WHY SOLDER PITS

The most common causes of pitting or porosity in soldered seams is overheating the joint or using too much oxygen in the torch flame. Micro torches and water torches can create a very hot concentrated flame causing oxidation at the solder joint. The Batterns type flux commonly used in workshops can burn away very quickly when overheated leaving the metal unprotected from oxidation. Once the joint is oxidized workers will often continue to heat the joint to force the solder to flow, this leads to pitting and porosity in the solder. Keep in mind that solder will not flow properly into an oxidized joint or bond properly to oxidized metal. Use a softer reducing flame for soldering with an adequate amount of flux, adding more flux if needed. All areas to be joined should be clean, free of oxidation and properly aligned for best results. A steady even heat should be applied to the object being soldered. Always let the heat of the parts to be joined flow the solder. Don’t try to flow the solder with the flame of the torch.