[Jewelry making - Article 00004] - Re: [Orchid] Chain mail - to solder or not to solder

[othrside]

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    The general concensus seems to be that all links should always be
    soldered, all speed ahead and damn the torpedos.  Is there a point at
    which this becomes lunacy?  My Byzantine chain uses 20ga rings at
    5/32" ID, with a density of approximately 35 rings per inch.  I can't
    imagine soldering such a piece without reducing it to a mass of
    solder glops, filled rings, melted silver and screams of frustration. 
    Furthermore, I feel as though I would need to -triple- my prices if I
    were to solder my pieces in this way.  Who is going to pay me $750 for
    a simple sterling silver byzantine chain?  I'm discouraged to the
    point of anger, and nearly to the point of quitting altogether, to
    find that on top of my government snubbing entrepeneurs, some
    sweatshop in Taiwan undercutting my prices by a disgusting margin,
    and a population that has nothing but compliments for my work -
    including money, that so many fellow artists would consider my work
    sub-standard. 

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