Autumn Specials - Save up to 30% off !

Save up to 30% OFF with our Autumn Specials! Here are few examples:
Padded Garage Creeper: ONLY £25.65 (was £27.57)
Pry Bar Set: ONLY £12.66 (was £15.83)
Hideaway Security Box: ONLY £18.00 (was £25.52)
More great offers on the special offer & bargains section of the Frost website, click here...

Lead versus Lead-Free Body Solder

Body solder has long been the choice of custom and restoration shops for filling seams, leveling uneven body work and blending in custom features. Even the best polyester body fillers available today cannot match the superior adhesion, strength and overall durability that body solder provides. Both our lead type and lead-free body solders can be applied with a commonly available propane torch.

Body solder melts at a relatively low temperature and is pushed or spread into position with a hard wood paddle to get the basic contour. Further shaping is usually done with a coarse file. Often a skim coat of polyester body filler is applied over the solder for final shaping.

See the differences between Lead-based and Lead-Free Body Solder, click here...
See the similarities between Lead and Lead-Free Body Solder, click here...

Both body solders are applied in basically the same manner. The Lead-free has the advantage of being stronger, safer, and suitable for powder coating.

Make you own choice! Frost.co.uk sell Lead Body solder Kit and Lead-Free Body Soldering kit!

The Differences between Lead and Lead-free Body Solders

Traditional lead-based body solders have been the choice of restorers and custom vehicle builders for over 80 years. Lead solders are commercially available with tin concentrations between 5% and 70% by weight. The greater the tin concentration, the greater the solder’s tensile and shear strengths. Frost body solder kits use bars consisting of 30% tin and 70% lead, which give the widest spreadable temperature range.

This mix produces a solder that is easily applied to vertical and horizontal surfaces with a long spreadable working range. Tensile strength is 6140 psi which refers to the amount of force required to pull a substance apart (In this case if we have a soldered joint that covers exactly one square inch, it would take 6140 lbs to pull it apart). Body solders containing lead must be levelled by filing -- never sand lead-based body solder because sanding puts toxic lead dust in the air. Furthermore, grit from the sand paper may embed in the solder and cause corrosion.

The lead-based Solder is easier to use
The low melting temperature makes the 30/70 lead-based solder slightly easier to use than our lead-free solder.

Lead-Free Body Solder is suitable for powder coating
With a better Tensile Strength (greater than 9000 psi), the lead-free solder is more appropriate for building up door and other panel edges, and style lines. Levelling can be done by filing and sanding since no lead particles will be dispersed (Be sure to wear an appropriate dust mask as for any metal grinding operation). This is one of the few solders that can actually be powder coated and cured at 200°C (with accurate temperature control) without deforming. The fact that the lead free can withstand powder coating temperatures is a big benefit.

Different Paddle Uses
In the case of the lead-based solder the paddle is used like a knife spreading butter.
In the case of the lead-free solder the paddle is used to push the solder into the surface. The "spreading" technique is not recommended in the case of the lead-free because impurities may become trapped

See the similarities between Lead and Lead-free Body Solders, click here...
Lead-based versus Lead-Free Body Solders , click here...

The similarities between Lead-based and Lead-free Body Solder

Both lead-based and lead-free body solders:
- are applied similarly (both can be easily applied to vertical and horizontal surfaces).
- need to be applied to clean bare steel.
- require tinning. Our tinning supplies serve the dual function of chemically cleaning the surface while depositing a thin coating of (mostly tin) metal, which provides an ideal bond to the subsequently applied solder. After wiping away the surplus tinning material, the surface is reheated and solder applied. Once sufficient solder to level the surface has been applied, the area is reheated and the paddle is used to level the repair.

See the differences between Lead and Lead-free Body Solders, click here...

Rediscover the virtues of Lead Loading

Plastic body fillers have come a long way in recent years, but there are still jobs that are best done with a good old-fashioned dose of lead.

For some time, it looked as though lead loading was a dying art. Concerns over health and safety combined with a great leap forwards in plastic filler technology seemed to banish lead from mainstream bodyshops and confine its use to a few classic workshops who were keen to recreate the original production methods on their projects. But recently it has been enjoying something of a revival in the wider trade as its virtues have been rediscovered.

The 3 main benefits of lead loading

suitability for deeper fills

greater durability

remains malleable

meaning, lead loading is ideal for finishing joints such as at the tops of rear quarter panels on today’s thin metalwork, the extra time spent in the application paying dividends in the long run with a repair that won’t sink, crack or absorb moisture.

You'll need to practice
As well as being laborious to apply, lead loading is a skill that takes practice to master. For one thing, you are applying lots of heat and this can cause more damage through distortion if you get it wrong.

What tools do you need?
You may have access to an oxy-acetylene torch, but this is very fierce and the heat is very localised. It can be done if you keep the torch moving and this can be a quick way of lead loading, but it takes a lot of practice to master. A plumber’s blowtorch is better, not least because it gives a wider flame and this is what most people will use. Alternatively, if you have access to a powerful hot air gun this will be slow, but it is a great way of learning the craft. And if you are new to the leading game, then there is a sound argument that it is better to spend two hours putting on the lead and filling it flat than to spend 15 minutes applying the lead followed by three hours coping with panel distortion.

You can see the 12 steps for an invisible repair on the Frost website, click here... (Thanks to Simon Goldsworthy from the MG Enthusiast magazine for the article).

Before doing anything, make sure your panel can be soldered. Click here, for more info ...

If you want to give lead loading a try, you can find at Frost.co.uk a Basic Body Solder Kit for £38.40, and a more comprehensive kit: the Standard Body Solder Kit for £78.13. EXCLUSIVE OFFER: For 3 days only the Standard Body Solder Kit is at £70.00 ONLY. click here to buy your kit! Offer expires 24/09/2011.

Introduction to Body Soldering

Traditional lead-based body solder has been the choice of restorers and customizers for over 80 years for filling seams, leveling uneven body work and blending in custom features. Even the best polyester body fillers available today cannot match the superior adhesion, strength and overall durability that body solder provides.

Before doing anything, make sure your panel can be soldered. Click here, for more information ...

First clean the area to be filled, back to bare metal with a Stripping Disc, Abrasive Sandpaper etc.

Brush Solder Paste over an area slightly larger than that to be filled and heat the area gently until you see the solder paint “tin” the panel.

Remove excess solder paint with a clean cloth.

Next, melt blobs of body solder onto the panel over the area to be filled.

Prepare your Paddles by warming the surface of the Tallow and wiping your paddle in the molten puddle.

With a suitable amount of body solder now deposited on the panel, heat it carefully until it can be spread like butter with your paddle.

Control heat carefully and keep spreading until body solder is evenly spread over area.

Wash with cool water to quench and to remove traces of acid solder paint. Don’t grind or sand, use a Flexible File.

How to Determine If a Panel Can Be Soldered?

STEP 1: remove all coatings from the surface to bare clean steel

STEP 2: heat the area with a propane or MAPP gas torch

If the panel sinks as heat is applied, it should not be soldered. The way the panel reacts to heat indicates the stresses that were imbued into the metal when it was manufactured. Exposure to heat can actually produce stress fractures in some steels, so be sure to only use a sufficient amount of heat to melt the solder.

Avoid soldering perforated panels because the flux residue on the back of the metal will cause accelerated corrosion. This problem usually shows up as a swelling in the repair area a few months or years later as the forming rust underneath expands. For this same reason, seams that are only partially welded should not be soldered. Seams should be completely welded to prevent acidic flux residue from becoming trapped.