Electrode Resistance Heating is widely used in soft soldering and silver brazing applications, since the joint area can be heated quickly and locally thereby causing minimal distortion or oxidation. It is particularly suitable for high conductivity materials like copper and copper alloys.

The electrodes are normally special grades of carbon or graphite held in robust metal holders. These in turn are held in machine heads and can be moved to make contact with the workpiece by hand, foot or pneumatic linkage. Pressure of contact is adjustable and the power available is varied by use of transformer tappings.

Solbraze Resistance Heaters come in two popular forms, either a fixed station where graphite electrodes are mounted so that the workpiece may be presented to them or the electrodes are made to be part of a handtool with extended flexible leads which may be taken to the work.