Now this was more like it... (once I had got it lit - a lot harder than I anticipated! Cue a quick phone call... "Dad... how do you light a blowtorch?") it made a superb roar when it was at full flow. Having cleaned and prepared the rear frame extensions with a solder/flux pre-mix from CuP (see links) I was ready for my first attempt at silver soldering. Supported by a few bits of wood I heated the joints and before too long the steel was glowing red and the solder was flowing. Flowing everywhere in fact! Not a very clean job!
Once the blackened mess had cooled down (it made a satisfying pinging noise for a bit) I made an acid bath using a citrus-based mix (also from CuP) and half a 2-litre milk carton...
Left this for a couple of hours and then took some wire wool to it. The black stuff came off easily, having had a nice soak. The solder joints looked, well, not pretty, but strong enough. And satisfying enough for a first attempt. Still some finishing to be done though. Will have a crack at the main frames next week.
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