[Jewelry making - Article 00241] - Re: [Orchid] Afraid to solder

[kenton stevens]

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Hi Todd!

    First off I'd like to compliment you on your willingness to
    persevere. That's pretty much a pre-requisite to being a jewelry
    maker! 

    I have a few questions- and some of my answers- for you. 

    (1) Do you sand and clean your peices before soldering? Solder flows
    much better over a 320 or 400 grit sanded surface than it will over
    a polished one. The flux won't bead up as much either. 

    (2) Are you using pallions and wire solder snippets, and are you
    using the right size pieces of solder for the components you're
    soldering? That, and spacing, is important as is using roughly
    similar sized pieces of solder for the job you're doing. 

    (3) What kind of torch are you using? I notice you said you melted
    the bezel. Were you heating the piece from the bottom or the top? I
    prefer to sweat solder the top piece (see below) and then heat the
    entire entire assembly from the bottom, heating the cup only enough
    to ensure it's up to temp. I also switch to the oxypropane when I'm
    heating such an assembly- I find it isn't necessary to bring the
    whole piece up to the flow point of the solder when I use that much
    heat in a localized area. 

    (4) As to pieces moving, if you're talking about stacking sheet
    silver I always drill a tiny hole through the bottom sheet to allow
    the heated air to escape. Also, when I'm doing 'sweat soldering" I
    always use pallions aound the perimeter of the upper piece and
    several more pallions towards the center. I space my pallions-
    usually small ones- close enough together so that the solder flows
    all around the perimeter of the top piece. Then, and I've found this
    critical, I sand the solder down to where only about a quarter of
    the original thickness of the solder is remaining. Then I clean,
    pickle and flux both pieces and set it up for the next soldering. 

    Well, that's my two cents worth! Hope it helps! 

Kenton in Los Alamos!
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