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Source of spring-steel plate
Posted: Fri May 27, 2016 10:32 am
by 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
Re: Source of spring-steel plate
Posted: Fri May 27, 2016 12:30 pm
by VK4TI
Battery contacts ?
biscuit tins , oil cans and some other containers spring to mind
Re: Source of spring-steel plate
Posted: Fri May 27, 2016 3:21 pm
by VK4MIL
Hello Wayne just use some stainless steel same properties as spring steel
Re: Source of spring-steel plate
Posted: Fri May 27, 2016 5:09 pm
by VK4WDM
Can you solder to stainless steel plate? That is essential with this job.
Wayne VK4WDM
Re: Source of spring-steel plate
Posted: Sat May 28, 2016 1:18 am
by VK5ZD
VK4WDM wrote: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).
Re: Source of spring-steel plate
Posted: Sat May 28, 2016 7:22 am
by VK5PJ
Hi Wayne
VK4WDM wrote: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.