[Jewelry making - Article 00113] - Re: [Orchid] How to live without a torch

[Len and Judy Bjorkman]

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>     But no small things like earring posts. Perhaps I'll solder with
>     the inexpensive hardware-store propane tanks on the creek bank
>     behind the house, and then dispose of them. I'm thinking outside
>     the box, outside the house 

    Linda, I can sympathize with your dilemma, which is similar to mine.
    Here's what I did -- bought a big old second-hand propane grill (one
    with shelves on both sides), filled it with tufa chunks, and set my
    soldering equipment on various soldering surfaces on top of the iron
    grill. The grill top comes down over all this, and with a black
    plastic grill cover over it, it just looks like anybody's (somewhat
    shabby) grill. 

    I bought a big plastic garbage can with one of those "lock" tops (so
    the wind could never blow it off), put a few bricks in the bottom,
    and set my acetylene tank & hoses in there. It's right near the
    grill. I also bought one of those Rubbermaid tall plastic cupboards
    to store miscellaneous things (this actually can be locked). It fit
    in a little alcove behind our house, near the grill. 

    This arrangement works reasonably well because we live in a safe
    neighborhood. The drawbacks are that it is nearly impossible to work
    in the winter weather, the rain, or when wind speed is over 15 mph.
    It is also tedious bringing the things to solder, up and down from
    the basement where the rest of all my "stuff" is. But, as you say,
    solderless connections are limiting (although, working on those
    showed me that there is more scope there than I thought). 

    As for things like earring backs, if you use low-temperature solders
    like Tix, it will melt with a heat gun (which will also char your
    wooden bench top if you don't protect it) or with a candle flame,
    both which I assume you could use indoors. Someone just gave me one
    of those Radioshack Cold Heat guns, but my early experiments with
    using it with Tix are not very encouraging. 

    All the best! I'd love to know what works for you. 

Judy Bjorkman
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