If there is someone here who is capable of firmly soldering (Or maybe spot welding?) two coins together for me, Please drop me a PM. I would be looking to have a bunch of sets made. Would be a Penny and a Dime, joined at the edge so as to form a figure 8- sort of.

Dean

Dean,
I'm a metal worker, foundry, welding. What you describe would be a candidate for a silver solder joint. You would need to have small flat surfaces ( 1/8" - 3/16" )at the joint. A belt sander would do this. The joint must be tight The silver solder sucks into the joint and is very strong and thin. A competent jeweler in your area would be very capable.
Good luck,
David

Dave, I also am a metal worker (hobbyist blacksmith), I have had lots of success with TIG welding coins. My favorite is welding high carbon mason nails to quarters and hammering them into soft asphalt in parking lots. TIG is the best for coins, I have tried all different joining methods and even combinations of some. In my experience solder is too soft and the nail would pop off the coin with even a little bit of tapping. But our friend Dean here isn't asking about coin pranks, the more I think about it the silver solder is a good idea. TIG welding would leave a visible bead. Dean, does this coin combo need to be two sided?

Check Lowes. They used to have a solder paste in a plastic syringe type container. The flux was mixed in with it. Flatten both edges a little, put them on another piece of metal, add a little solder and hit it with a torch. let cool and there you go. I've soldered quarters into stacks using this stuff. It's called SOLDER.IT
If you feel like this is out of your scope I may be able to help.
Ray

Thinking more about your project, if it is what I envision it you are saying two coins laid flat on a table, one above the other, not stacked. This means the point of fusion is only where the two radii of the coins meet. Yes? If so, this is a really tough thing to do without additional support. You are in essence creating the weakest joint with high risk of failure at the point of contact. If both sides of these coins are to be viewed, then even more so. BUT... if you are only presenting one side, then the back of the coins could be re-enforced with a strip of steel.

I agree with the greatnippulini about TIG. Strong joint, but leaves a bead no matter how skilled the welder. If you are welding two coins flat, in one plane, end to end as in my above post, use hard silver solder, not the paste available at Lowes. Stay away from this stuff. It is used for copper plumbing. It would work ok for quarters in a stack in which you have lots of surface area. But I am envisioning a small contact area. Am I picturing this correctly?

Hard silver solder is expensive but goes a long way. If you have a tight joint, then, after soldering, only a hair line of solder will show between the two coins. The silver will match the dime, so invisible..! Hard silver solder looks like a wire, maybe 1/32" thick. Also you need a special flux, not the paste available at Lowes and Home Depot. Silver solder paste is usually white in color. A jeweler would know about this and could do the job for you.

However, If you choose to do the project yourself, buy the flux and solder at a welding shop or jewelers supply. You would then need a torch.

I'm curios what the effect is??? Sounds interesting.

Good luck,
David p

I think you probably need to bore a small hole in the edge of each coin and use a steel dowel to give strength to the joint.
That is if I understand your specifications right...Two coins,flat,side by side (looking like a figure eight),and fixed together where they touch.A weld alone would be unsightly,on one side at least,would that matter.
Ray.

Well, this is for an effect in an upcoming book, and as it was one of the most exotic items in it, I was considering having 50 - 100 sets made for the first folks who bought from us... that is why I am trying to find someone who could do the silver soldering and such for us.

The creator said the originals are indeed silver sildered as described, and yes, they need to lay flat AND be showable on moth sides. (Minus say a tiny bit at each side of the joint.)

I had not thought of the idea of the wire "Dowel" to give extra support. Would add a ton of effort, but might be worth it... dunno.

Again, if anyone decides they are up for such a job, drop me a PM. and thank you, as always for all your input, ideas and sharing your knowledge.

Dean

Drill each coin and crazy glue a thin wire in.

This not going to be a cheap project if you use silver solder. Regular solder is about $28 a pound. You can double or triple that for silver solder.

Richard

With a tight fitting joint, An ounce of silver solder would probably do a hundred. The real cost will be time. First I'd try the silver solder without a pin.

David P

I saw this post so I went out to my shop and started experimenting. I first tried soldering the penny and dime with 45% silver solder. The problem I ran into was that the penny started to melt before the solder. I have attatched a picture of the penny. After further research I found the that the newer pennies are made of mostly Zinc which has a melting point of 787 F. 45% silver solder has a melting point of over 1400 F. I also soldered another penny and dime with 5% silver solder which has a much lower melting point. It worked but it is not very strong. If you were able to get older pennies that were made of copper this may work with 45% SS as the melting point of copper is over 1900 F well over the melting point of the SS. Hope this helps.

http://i729.photobucket.com/albums/ww300......2920.jpg

http://i729.photobucket.com/albums/ww300......2919.jpg


Nick

Remote guy,
I hadn't considered the zinc content in newer pennies. You are right that the older copper pennies are necessary and should work fine with the 45% silver. In your photo where you used a 5% SS, there is no tight fitting joint ... so the solder is basically filling gaps. I'm guessing leapinglizards does't want that look.

To use the 45% SS...You need to carefully file or sand a small (1/8") plane on each coin end so that you get a tight fit. I would use a belt sander with a fine belt (220 grit) The ends are fluxed, then the coins clamped together, heat applied ... and that solder will suck right in. Very little solder is needed. Done correctly you will be left with a hairline joint. This may sound like a rather lengthy process, but once you are set up, assembly line style, it should be possible to move right along.
Again, good luck with your project.
David P

Some years ago there was a gag item called a 'Polish Quarter' I beleive. It was 5 Nichels soldiered or welded together perfectly. There was no flat spots or visible joinery whatsoever apparent. It was very strong and did not break in any easy manner. Don Alan among others used this gag item, and was sold through magic shops.

So connecting coins is possible. The how is the problem.

It's looking more like the support pin (steel dowel) will be the strongest and best option. Miniature wargamers use the technique all the time to give extra support to heavy pewter models. I'd experiment with a 'pin vise' and the smallest drillbit you can find. Maybe use a tiny bit of metal epoxy to cement the pin into the holes. It will take time and patience, though.

Dear leapinglizards,

have you tried just using 2 part epoxy that comes in a tube to join your coins together?

Donnie

I've worked with that, Donnie. JB-Weld is great stuff, but doesn't take lateral stress too well. The way he wants to weld the coins, they'd pop apart under normal usage.

Use CA (Cyanoacrylate) available on line and at any hobby shop, not the old super glue, this is way beyond that, it is water proof too, and easy to use, it will never come apart.

Yep, that's the ticket. Be sure to get Medium viscosity or "gap filling" to glue the coins together. Use just a little and squeeze together tightly holding for about 15 seconds. Buy professional grade. Go to Micro Mark and order it online. A little goes a long, long way. Get 2oz and that should do your project.

Good luck with your idea. It sounds like a good one.

Hmmm. I was thinking they were stacked on top of each other but on second reading I see the picture. Im not so sure the CA would do this and be durable, or any glue or solder for that matter. The area of attachment would be very small.

The idea of putting a small pin in the edge of a dime would be possible too and probably the strongest. You COULD secure the pins with CA.

I think Ill head into the shop and see how hard it is to drill the edge of a dime and penny. Sounds like a fun test.

Id expect somebody like Joe Porper with a shop full of precision gear woule be able to give you the low down if nobody here wants and is able to take it on.