Dan Kay fields a reader question about the differences between brazing and braze welding.

How can I keep a tube centered in a fitting for brazing when the dimensions of the tubes and fittings have such broad, loose commercial tolerances and the tube tends to “wobble” inside the fitting?

You mentioned that your brazing cycle was such that the molten BFM was held at brazing temperature for 10 minutes.

BrazeLet 9007/9017 water-based pastes are flux-free, contain low polymer content and prevent oxidation of the filler metal.

I recently read your blog about isothermal solidification (ITS). I want to be sure I understand how it relates to ordinary furnace brazing with the BNi-2 nickel filler metal we use, where the time at temperature is limited to only 10 minutes.

Picking up where we left off, here’s where the tiny size of the interstitial atom comes into play! Because it is so small, it is only weakly “bonded” into the BFM atomic structure and is thus able to quickly diffuse through that atomic structure.

Question: I have heard the terms "isothermal solidification" in reference to brazing, but I don’t really understand what it means or how to use it. Can you clarify this for me so that I can determine if it is something that I could use in some of my brazing operations?

A Q&A about honeycomb-seal brazing with Dan Kay.

I’ve heard people use the phrase “wiping the joint” when referring to brazing parts together. What does it mean, and when should it be used?

We want to use our vacuum furnace to braze a 6061 aluminum part to a 400-series stainless steel but are concerned about whether that can be done in our furnace, which only is used for aluminum brazing.