Source of spring-steel plate

[VK4WDM]

I need a small amount of thin tin-plated spring steel sheet to make some new battery contacts for a restoration project. Does anybody know a source of supply? I have been told it may be used by model makers.

73

Wayne VK4WDM

[VK4TI]

Battery contacts ?
biscuit tins , oil cans and some other containers spring to mind

[VK4MIL]

Hello Wayne just use some stainless steel same properties as spring steel

[VK4WDM]

Can you solder to stainless steel plate? That is essential with this job.

Wayne VK4WDM

[VK5ZD]

Can you solder to stainless steel plate? That is essential with this job.
Wayne VK4WDM

You could try this http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/251180455624 (not that I have any personal experience with it).

[VK5PJ]

Hi Wayne

Can you solder to stainless steel plate? That is essential with this job.
Wayne VK4WDM

Well YES you can solder to Stainless BUT you have to use some magic first. see here for details http://www.bssa.org.uk/topics.php?article=150
Simply said, clean it. apply some phosphoric acid to the part you want to solder with a cotton bud (you can buy this in a hardware store) and then solder. A friend told me about this many moons ago so I did not believe him, so tried it on the kitchen sink as I did not think it would work (it was the only bit of stainless I had on hand) and was gob smacked when I could solder a wire to my sink with normal 60/40 solder. Oh I was a single man in those days

Peter.