[Jewelry making - Article 00966] - Re: [Orchid] Soldering metal sheet together

[Janet Berg]

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Hi Beth!

>      For those who do champleve enameling where one sheet is cut out
>     in a pattern and then laid over a backing sheet, the soldering
>     process is very  important to the final product. This technique
>     requires a good lamination  technique. 

    Perhaps I am missing something here, but I wouldn't use any solder
    except to tack around the edges. Maybe one small tack in the center.
    I don't believe a solid bonding of the two metal sheets is necessary
    here, and in fact it is probably better to reduce stress by allowing
    them to expand and contract more easily. In all my enameling, I tend
    not to put solder anywhere near where it might come into contact
    with the enamel. I basically use the enamel itself for 'glue'. In
    cloisonne, I never solder the wires in place. I do a thin layer of
    basecoat (usually clear flux or opaque white). After fired, I place
    the cloisonne wires with a weak solution of gum tragacanth and water
    (or Klearfire) and fire again just until the wires settle into the
    enamel base. This holds them in place nicely and prevents any
    problems of inadvertant melting of the wires or solder contamination
    of the enamel. This is particularly important if you work with
    mostly transparents. For champleve with a cutout top sheet, you
    could simply paint the touching surfaces of the two sheets with
    Klearfire, sit the top piece on the bottom, pack the enamel in the
    recesses, and fire away! The enamel tends to bind and hold
    everything in place.  The top surface of the bottom layer should of
    course be roughened and surfaces very clean.  You could also do the
    piercing of the top layer beveled for an undercut to further insure
    its staying in place over time. But I would probably edge-tack with
    solder just to be extra safe. 

Janet in Jerusalem

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