[Jewelry making - Article 00245] - Re: [Orchid] Hard soldering sterling silver

[Peter W . Rowe]

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>          I have tried Batterns, but because of the surface tension it
>     just lays there and is very difficult to spread effectively.
>     MaybeI'm doing something wrong.  I'm inspired to try Prips, but
>     wonder if it has the same problem.

    Keep in mind that the primary role of Prips flux is to protect the
    metal from fire stain and fire scale.  It works as a soldering flux
    as well,  (better, on silver, than batterns sometimes, since by
    better preventing fire scale, it removes one possible impediment to
    solder flow). but it is not as active a flux as the fluxes
    specifically sold as silver soldering fluxes.  This is part of why
    it's effective at protecting the metal.  It does not burn off
    quickly.  I often find, with difficult solder seams, that the
    addition, after the prips has been applied, of a SMALL amount of one
    or another of the white paste fluxes sold for silver
    brazing/soldering can increase the apparent ease with which the
    solder then flows.  Use too much, and it then spreads out, and you
    end up with fire scale near and around the joint, often where it's
    hardest to clean up.  But a small amount, right at the joint, can
    help. 

    But as I think others have pointed out, the most important factors
    in good silver soldering (or with other metals as well), are the
    proper fitting of the joint, and proper heat control.  Without those,
    no flux or solder choice will give you a good joint.  Both sides of
    the joint, must be at the proper temp for solder flow.  If either
    side is too cool, or too hot, the solder flows just to the heat and
    away from the cool side.  Often, the hardest part about a soldering
    operation is figuring out how to control the torch so that a larger
    heavier piece of metal, which often is also the harder one to reach
    with the torch, can be heated sufficiently without overheating a
    smaller piece of metal sitting on top.   Supporting the work up on
    pins, cotter pins, nails, a screen, or by slotting the surface of a
    soldering block to allow a flame directed at the sides of the piece,
    to travel underneath the work, coupled with moving the flame rapidly
    over the work, around the sides (and therefor underneath), and back
    over the top, is often the required technique.  Just pointing the
    flame at the joint and waiting for something to happen is a good way
    to watch the smaller piece of metal on top melt to a blob while the
    larger sheet to which you were trying to solder it, just sits there. 
    It's a bit of a dance.  Watch the fluidity and clarity of the flux to
    help judge the temps (prips helps with this, since it totally covers
    the whole piece when used correctly) 

Peter

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