[Jewelry making - Article 01009] - Re: [Orchid] New Experience with Pickle

[andy cooperman]

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    Leona, I beg to differ. When I was just a wee metalsmithing student
    I was working on an intricate pendant with many, many hard solders. I
    fluxed, soldered, pickled, fluxed, soldered, pickled, just like I was
    supposed to. Getting ready to polish it, every joint along this one
    structural "spine" element failed. Upon examination the failed seam
    appeared to be crystalized. We surmised, correctly I think, that
    repeated heatings and picklings changed the chemistry and physical
    structure of the solder, leaving it brittle. 

    All of the failed seams were soldered and held up for quite a while.
    What I learned from this was the the flux, solder, pickle litany was
    not really right. I never pickle until the condition of the flux or
    metal indicates that it is time to do so. Your eyes will always tell
    you when the time is right. I believe that the pickle eats away at
    the zinc in the solder leaving the alloy brittle and weak. Too many
    unneccesassary heating/ pickling operations just aren't great for the
    project.... 

    Just my two cents. 

Andy

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