[Jewelry making - Article 00629] - Re: [Orchid] Soldering metal sheet together

[James Binnion]

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>         First off, sheet solder is a great choice.  Flux each side
>     well and use lots of solder (more than you think you need).  Pull
>     the solder "out" the sides of the stack as you heat. 

    This will be way too much solder and will leave lots of voids.  The
    best way to do this is to take each sheet clean, flux and apply a
    small amount of your favorite type of solder whether it be sheet,
    wire or powder distributed over the whole sheet. Heat till the
    solder flows then with a solder pick spread the molten solder over
    the whole face of the sheet so that is is an even layer. Allow to
    cool then pickle, dry,and sand or file the soldered surface to
    reduce any unevenness. Clean flux and stack along with the other
    sheets that you have prepared this way, Bind the stack with binding
    wire to keep things from sliding all over the place and heat till
    the solder melts on all the sheets. Tap the top of the stack with a
    solder pick when the solder is molten to squeeze out excess solder,
    flux and bubbles. Allow to cool and pickle, neutralize and begin
    your carving. 

>     This is the point where you would normally start rolling out the
>     mokume stack.  A trip through the rolling mill might help you, or
>     might not -- entirely up to you.  Either way, you've got a stacked
>     "ingot" to work with. 

    Rolling the soldered sheet is best kept to a minimum ( actually best
    not done at all), all solder alloys are more brittle than the metals
    you have soldered and will tend to crack fairly rapidly due to the
    high stresses applied in the rolling process. If you need a material
    that will stand up to rolling then try diffusion bonding techniques. 

Jim Binnion

James Binnion Metal Arts
Phone (360) 756-6550
Toll Free (877) 408 7287
Fax (360) 756-2160
http://www.mokume-gane.com
jbin AT mokume-gane.com
Member of the Better Business Bureau

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