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Hello everyone
I've posted a WTB cash box for my Jennings Mints of Quality. I've never heard anything so I'm assuming I may never find one.
However, I was able to use my small soldering iron and attempt to reconfigure the lid to make this existing box work. I need to do more extensive work on it and I think I can make it fit, but my little electronics iron isn't really sufficiently to melt the existing solder-welds.
Would something like a cheap 100 watt iron be better for this? And whats the best type of solder to use?
I think if I just move the lid and cut a new hole in the other side, I can make it work.

Original cash boxes were once tin-plated, but typically, the tin plating has worn off, leaving a dark, slightly rusty appearance which I believe is considered normal patina.

Get yourself a used Weller soldering gun. I believe the high setting is 200 watts:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Weller-Solderi ... rk:13:pf:0

Use 50-50 solder/tin wire solder with brush-on flux. Once it's soldered, you can bead-blast the steel box and allow it to surface-rust with salt water spray mix to give it an authentic patina. Once the surface rust is formed, lightly scour with scotch-brite, then give it a satin clear-coat spray.

The soldered joints won't rust but the steel will, and it will look about as natural as an original coin box.

Thanks for that good information.
I feel like whacking myself in the head... I've done this too many times now. I HAD a Weller soldering gun exactly like that one from eBay and got rid of it about 5 years ago thinking "I'll never need this again."

Weller soldering gun on the way!! I should have it by Friday I hope.

And it's here! Cost $14. Old but looks like it was used maybe once. Now I need the solder. Next photo should be that of my modified cash can.

You may need a torch if the iron is not hot enough.

Rich

DON'T BE USING THAT THING ON CIRCUIT BOARDS! LOL

MONTI wrote:DON'T BE USING THAT THING ON CIRCUIT BOARDS! LOL

Oh good lord! It would make them "fried circuits." !!!

Here's my sort of finished box. I've never done metal work of any kind, so be gentle...
I was about to easily remove and re-solder with the Weller gun. It worked quite well actually. I have no tools to cut really so I just tin-snipped the hole to enlarge/expand it to the side so the chute lines up. I just folded the excess to the inside and squeezed it with my flat pliers, trying to make it look symmetrical as possible. Then I just soldered big lid back on and did the same with the hinged lid. I used my dremel tool and ground my solder lumps down. I removed the pull-out tab from the side and soldered it to the front.
I can't be a perfectionist with this so I'm happy with my work. This box was painted in kind of a flat olive drab so I'm going to shoot a coating of that back on and be done.
I'll add a painted-box picture in a few hours.

You will probably never work with sheet metal again but I use a Klein Sheet metal nibbling tool for clean and straight cuts that are small and intricate to make and require a small tool to work with!
A Klein 76011B as shown below, well worth having in your tool box!
The design of the tool allows for nice straight cuts and producing a square cut corner in tight working areas!
Just a suggestion!
MONTI