Newb soldering questions

OK so here is the situation. I am building a tube frame for an RC truck. I have seen too many cool things about it, and I need a cheaper hobby that doesnt require a heated garage to biuld. So, I am trying to teach myself how to solder a tube frame.
I am using 3/16" steel rod and brake line and trying to learn how to butt connect them, like a T. So someone teach me how to do this. I bought a propane torch and some silver solder. I started practicing last night, but when I heated the joint teh silver would just melt and fall off. So I have been told that it is better to use brass solder since I dont have access to a MIG.
Basically, I clean it real good, add flux, heat the crap out of the joint, remove the heat, and place my solder right? But it wouldnt flow into teh joint like it does on pipes, so I am wondering if there are tips or tricks I should know. Maybe its just that I need to get brass solder. ANyone else have ideas? Thanks for the 101.
josh

At 1st I did not see the RC part and I was gonna say WTF??

OK...use acid cor solder and make sure the tubing is CLEAN. I would use brass tube myself as it will be MUCH easer to solder, and should be plenty strong depending on the scale. If you are thinking 1/4 scale....learn to weld.


Rev

Soldering works well for metals with a low melt point (copper, brass, &c.) but for steel and the like, brazing is preferred. For brazing, you use a higher temperature and a harder metal (usually brass) for a filler. You will need a little more "room" in the join - you are not actually fuzing the metals (like in welding) and there is not enough "wicking" action in the join (like soldering) - so a slight chamfer is helpful. I typically use brazing for HP plumbing fittings (like hydraulics) and the like, as it is also useful for joining two different metals.

For lightweight stuff like you are doing, you may want to take a slightly different approach. Contact Micro-Mark (www.micromark.com, IIRC) and get some "TIX" solder and flux. I have used this stuff with excellent results on small projects like you are working on, to the point where I try to keep some on hand all the time. It has an agreeably low melt point (in a pinch, a regular lighter will work!) and has better tensile strength than you think!

If you are going to try to stick to soldering, you will want to allow for a "slip fit" in your construction - either internally or externally. This will allow solder a place to work, since it needs more area than brazing for solid joins. Something to think about...

5-90