[Jewelry making - Article 00682] - [Orchid] Soldering Argentium Silver

[Cynthia Eid]

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    Clarification and update of information about soldering Argentium 

    SOLDERING 

    Because of the lower melting temperature, hard solder is not
    recommended. Medium, easy or extra-easy solders are safest Currently,
    Argentium is supplied annealed, which is wonderful for me, since I
    rarely use a piece of metal without forming it a bit first; straight
    planes of metal are rare in my visual vocabulary. I love being able
    to get right to work, without needing to anneal first. And, I love it
    that I can move the metal farther before it needs annealing. So, for
    me, the only problem I've had with soldering is remembering that
    Argentium does not conduct heat as quickly as regular sterling does.
    This means that I approach it similar to the way that I do when
    soldering gold. After giving the entire piece a general heating, I
    concentrate the heat on the solder joint. 

    Metalsmiths who like to make soldered constructions of flat sheet
    may find that they need to prepare the metal a bit beforehand, to
    prevent the metal from sagging during soldering.  Lay the Argentium
    on a flat soldering surface, bring it to annealing temperature (dull
    red) with a torch flame, keep it at that temperature for about 15
    seconds, and then allow it to air cool. (Though it is still annealed,
    the crystalline structures have grown = a bit larger, and make it
    stiff enough for most soldering operations.---at least, this is my
    theory about why this works!)  Note that the lower the temperature of
    the solder, the less that sagging is a problem, and that sagging is
    only a problem with unsupported flat metal. 

    I did some experimenting, and found that hardening in the oven makes
    the silver hard, but does not prevent a flat, unsupported piece of
    metal from sagging when soldered, as I had theorized that it would. 
    It is interesting that the above method works better! 

All best,
Cindy
www.cynthiaeid.com

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