It's probably no exaggeration to say the world would literally fall apart without solder. or signup to continue reading There are more uses for soldering than we can list here, but a start would be to look at your jewellery and other decorative items. You'll find it in cookware and in stained glass windows.
It's used in roof flashing, rain gutters and car radiators. It holds your plumbing and metalwork together, often with the related technique of brazing that uses a brass alloy filler. Then, of course, there's the electronics industry.
If you're reading this on an electronic device, that is possible because solder is connecting the components. The oldest known soldering is believed to have developed early in the history of metalworking. That dates it as far back as 3000 BC, when it was used in Sumerian swords.
From there, it spread around the Mediterranean, from the Cretans to the Etruscans, to the Romans, and beyond. One of the most impressive uses was by the ancient Romans who soldered 400 kilometres of lead water pipes. Their soldered seams could withstand considerable pressure.
In 1896, the American Electrical Heater Company was granted a patent for an electric heating apparatus, also known as the 'American Beauty'. This was the first modern electric soldering iron. Soldering covers a hugely diverse range of techniques* that vary depending on need.
Heated solder is dropped between two metal points and capillary action draws it up, where it cools to form a bond. There are.