Repair Battery Posts? UPDATE-Photos
Update at end (5 Sep post) I have over torqued the threaded bolts on a couple of posts so they have come out loose. The bolts are simply set upside down with the head covered in the lead of the pos...
Forum Discussion
BFL13, go to the marine store like WEST MARINE. Buy an appropriate size BRONZE BOLT. You'll need to grind the head down because a 3/8" bolt has a 9/16" flats head. Bronze conducts heat and solders a lot easier than steel. It all shines better with a brush and shine it must to eliminate it not wanting to stick to the lead antimony post.
Next, you are going to need absolute pin-point heat control. The only tool I ever found that was easy to use was a PENCIL TYPE refillable butane torch. Of course adjustable flame type. Also get paste flux you are absolutely going to need it.
60/40 solder works great, forget about metallurgy quandary it does not exist for the type of repair you are going to do. Do not use 50/50 it melts at too high a temperature. 63/37 is only slightly better.
Prepare an empty window cleaner spray bottle with clear water and adjust it to stream not mist.
Open the caps on the battery and let it vent for a few hours.
Shine the broken post area with rough sandpaper. Try and get it as good as you can.
You are going to need "The Touch" so get ready to really pay attention to what you are doing. You need to solder the area by rote. A formula.
Apply flux paste.
Set the bolt head atop the broken terminal. If it seems tipsy fix that, you don't need a flaky work area.
Now heat the bolt head with the torch. Watch beneath the bolt head as the flux starts to bubble vigorously. Apply the string of solder. At first it is going to refuse to stick and will bubble. That's OK keep heating. This is not a three minute operation.....be patient. Once the solder starts to flow onto the bronze bolt head, play the pencil tip onto the bolt head. Watch for the moment the solder starts to capillary it's way on to the busted battery terminal. Add solder like crazy now. Build it up by playing the torch away from the work in varying amounts of time. By playing YES/NO you can actually glob solder over top the bolt head. This is what you are after.
Don't play hero with the torch and mad dog the work, you may melt the battery terminal beyond repair. TAKE YOUR TIME! This is a slow patient REWARDING process.
Tip! Keep the solder feed globbed with flux paste. It won't hurt a thing. The job is going to ask for a lot of flux. Do not use ROSIN flux for this. It is useless. Use hardware store paste flux.
I remember when I was faced with converting 102 8-D battery's posts (204) into flag posts for a customer. I lost track but the number of posts I have repaired is in the several hundreds.
When friend/neighbor/acquaintance/stranger/ asks for your help, charge them a case of suds. You have learned an art form. I just repaired a car battery last week so I guess I havn't lost the "touch". I had them carve out a mold out of a piece of ironwood. The post had broken flush to the case. The battery owner has a back hoe. Guess whose driveway he scraped level this morning? :)
Next, you are going to need absolute pin-point heat control. The only tool I ever found that was easy to use was a PENCIL TYPE refillable butane torch. Of course adjustable flame type. Also get paste flux you are absolutely going to need it.
60/40 solder works great, forget about metallurgy quandary it does not exist for the type of repair you are going to do. Do not use 50/50 it melts at too high a temperature. 63/37 is only slightly better.
Prepare an empty window cleaner spray bottle with clear water and adjust it to stream not mist.
Open the caps on the battery and let it vent for a few hours.
Shine the broken post area with rough sandpaper. Try and get it as good as you can.
You are going to need "The Touch" so get ready to really pay attention to what you are doing. You need to solder the area by rote. A formula.
Apply flux paste.
Set the bolt head atop the broken terminal. If it seems tipsy fix that, you don't need a flaky work area.
Now heat the bolt head with the torch. Watch beneath the bolt head as the flux starts to bubble vigorously. Apply the string of solder. At first it is going to refuse to stick and will bubble. That's OK keep heating. This is not a three minute operation.....be patient. Once the solder starts to flow onto the bronze bolt head, play the pencil tip onto the bolt head. Watch for the moment the solder starts to capillary it's way on to the busted battery terminal. Add solder like crazy now. Build it up by playing the torch away from the work in varying amounts of time. By playing YES/NO you can actually glob solder over top the bolt head. This is what you are after.
Don't play hero with the torch and mad dog the work, you may melt the battery terminal beyond repair. TAKE YOUR TIME! This is a slow patient REWARDING process.
Tip! Keep the solder feed globbed with flux paste. It won't hurt a thing. The job is going to ask for a lot of flux. Do not use ROSIN flux for this. It is useless. Use hardware store paste flux.
I remember when I was faced with converting 102 8-D battery's posts (204) into flag posts for a customer. I lost track but the number of posts I have repaired is in the several hundreds.
When friend/neighbor/acquaintance/stranger/ asks for your help, charge them a case of suds. You have learned an art form. I just repaired a car battery last week so I guess I havn't lost the "touch". I had them carve out a mold out of a piece of ironwood. The post had broken flush to the case. The battery owner has a back hoe. Guess whose driveway he scraped level this morning? :)
