Where can I get non-vehicles soldered?

[Bayum]

I’ve bought a chair today, but I’ve found the arms are very loose. The thread to screw the chair in isn’t connected to the frame, so no amount of screwing in is going to tighten it up. The chair is non returnable. I’ve tried using some epoxy, but there just isn’t enough metal on metal for it to work in different areas. Soldering should at least make it sturdier. Where could I take the chair to get it soldered?

 

[Crossover]

I presume you mean welded rather than soldered? Soldering I tend to associate with electronics!

 

[Cowley]

I presume you mean welded rather than soldered? Soldering I tend to associate with electronics!

Definitely. Or plumbing...
Go and take some donuts and a smile into your local friendly garage Bayum.
You could help them by cleaning up the area that needs welding by scraping off any paint where the joint needs to be and giving it a sand back to bare metal so that they can just clip the welder to it and do it quickly without having to get a grinder out to get the paint off themselves.

 

[Bayum]

Definitely. Or plumbing...
Go and take some donuts and a smile into your local friendly garage Bayum.
You could help them by cleaning up the area that needs welding by scraping off any paint where the joint needs to be and giving it a sand back to bare metal so that they can just clip the welder to it and do it quickly without having to get a grinder out to get the paint off themselves.

The person I was speaking to does a lot of old car type work, and he definitely said solder as opposed to weld. It’s not a huge job by a long shot! Thank you!

 

[Cowley]

The person I was speaking to does a lot of old car type work, and he definitely said solder as opposed to weld. It’s not a huge job by a long shot! Thank you!

Is it copper or aluminium then?

 

[AM9]

The person I was speaking to does a lot of old car type work, and he definitely said solder as opposed to weld. It’s not a huge job by a long shot! Thank you!

He could be talking about silver soldering which is similar to brazing and works well on steel. This type of bonding involves a copper/silver of more commonly copper/zinc solder that takes a temperature much higher than a soldering iron to melt so it is usually performed with a gas torch. The bond is much stronger than electrical/plumbing solder based on lower melting point metals such as tin/lead alloys (and their more complex lead-free replacements). Silver solder bonds are similar to brazed joints where the 'solder' (or spelter as it is called) is more akin to brass. These bonds can be very strong, e.g. most hand-made cycle frames are of brazed construction.

 

[Bayum]

Is it copper or aluminium then?

No idea. It’s a metal chair arm, so whatever they’re made of

 

[DarloRich]

No idea. It’s a metal chair arm, so whatever they’re made of

knowing what it is made out of will have an impact on the manner of work undertaken.

 

[AM9]

No idea. It’s a metal chair arm, so whatever they’re made of

If it's steel then brazing/hard solder is OK, if its aluminium, then welding (specialised) or fabrication/epoxy resin are the only practical options.

 

[lyndhurst25]

What exactly is broken? Can you post a picture of the broken part(s)? There may be ways to fix it without resorting to welding or brazing.

 

[najaB]

No idea. It’s a metal chair arm, so whatever they’re made of

Try sticking a magnet to it.

 

[Smethwickian]

This is clearly now too late as you have attempted a repair but for future reference simply saying something is 'non-returnable' does not have any legal status if the items are not as described, or not fit for purpose, and the fault was not pointed out or labelled when it was sold. You are still entitled to return it for refund, replacement or repair at the seller's expense if appropriate.

 

[Bayum]

This is clearly now too late as you have attempted a repair but for future reference simply saying something is 'non-returnable' does not have any legal status if the items are not as described, or not fit for purpose, and the fault was not pointed out or labelled when it was sold. You are still entitled to return it for refund, replacement or repair at the seller's expense if appropriate.

It was a Facebook purchase, so definitely not able to be taken back!

What exactly is broken? Can you post a picture of the broken part(s)? There may be ways to fix it without resorting to welding or brazing.

The arm has a long screw which tightens through an internal female thread which should be connected to the main frame of the chair. Because the female thread is no longer attached to the main frame of the chair, I am unable to screw the thread through the female thread.

 

[lyndhurst25]

It was a Facebook purchase, so definitely not able to be taken back!



The arm has a long screw which tightens through an internal female thread which should be connected to the main frame of the chair. Because the female thread is no longer attached to the main frame of the chair, I am unable to screw the thread through the female thread.

I'm thinking that the female thread on the chair frame is a captive nut that has come adrift? Could the "long screw" be replaced by a slightly longer screw or piece of threaded bar? You could then, drilling through the frame if necessary, hold this in place with a nut on the far side of the chair frame? It's hard to imagine what exactly is going on without pictures though.

 

[krus_aragon]

When the luggage rack on my bicycle separated into two pieces a few years back, I looked up a local welding firm, rode the bike over, and asked them what they could do. As the rack was formed of an alloy, the charge was ~£20. It's done at least five years service since the fix. The firm's name was "Express Welding" iirc, if you want to look for similar-named firms in your area.