[Jewelry making - Article 01170] - [Orchid] Tin solder

[Linda Frueh]

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    I have made a fairly large fabricated sterling piece with a heavy
    base and slim stems for candle holders soldered on to it.  There are
    some tiny dings in the surface of the base in areas I cannot sand
    down - made from centerpunching before a design change (error number
    one.)  I can't afford to reheat the entire base to easy solder temp
    for fear of reflowing and tilting the series of delicate stems, so I
    thought of trying tin solder w/tix flux to simply fill the pits.  I
    tried it on a test piece of silver first and 1) found that the solder
    flowed everywhere except INTO the pit, even when I spread it with a
    pick, so I ended up with a shiny patch with the pit still in the
    center, and 2) the flux turned black almost immediately upon
    heating, though the heat wasn't high enough to flow the solder. 

    So, is it possible to use this type solder to fill small pits, can
    it be done with a torch (I have a an oxy-propane setup) and why did
    it stick everywhere except inside the pit?  I did learn from the
    archives that if overheated the solder will eat away at the silver,
    which explains the enlarged pits on the sample. 

    Now I have a coil of this stuff & a bottle of flux and no idea if I
    can use it in emergencies for my sterling pieces. 

Thanks folks

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