[modeleng] Free Cutting Steel

Hi All,

    It seemed that whilst I was at the Midlands show recently I 
inadvertently started something of a heated argument.

    I was buying some lengths of free-cutting mild steel (what I know as 
EN1A).   As far as I know it is made free-cutting by the inclusion of a 
small percentage of lead.   I said to the seller that I had recently 
seen reference to the fact that this steel could not be welded.   I 
asked if this extended to silver soldering - could this steel be silver 
soldered?

     The seller (perhaps to protect his products) said that he regularly 
welded this material and I was silly for suggesting such a thing.

    At this moment another by-stander,  who had obviously been listening 
said that it was impossible to weld EN1A.   He was not able to explain 
just why,  or what happened if you tried,  but he did know that it was 
due to the presence of lead in the steel.   The argument started to get 
quite serious,  so I excused myself and I guess I must have been the 
catalyst (perhaps an active catalyst!),  as the discussion also 
subdued.   However there was no conclusion to the matter.

    So Gentlemen - I come back to my original question,  can you silver 
solder EN1A?    As a subsidiary - can it be welded?


       Cheers,


          Roger Mason,  in St. Agnes.

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