[Jewelry making - Article 00101] - Re: [Orchid] Copper colored solder

[Len and Judy Bjorkman]

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    Michael, I can offer the following advice, for what it's worth. 

    --There is no need to use oxy-acetylene; it's much hotter than
    needed, especially since you are using 22-gauge wire and tiny
    paillons. Acetylene alone (or even propane) is hot enough. 

    --If you must pre-clean the solder, wiping the sheet with alcohol
    should be enough. If there was buffing compound on your wheel, you
    probably added greasy material, rather than removing it. Maybe that
    would explain the difficulty you had in getting the solder to melt
    properly. 

    --If the Rio copper solder is the one I think it is, you'll notice
    that Rio says that the join will be greyish in color (which is true
    of every "copper" solder I've seen), i.e., they're all greyish, in
    the end. Personally, I prefer the gold color of brazing rods, if the
    join is going to be at all visible. It's a little trickier to use
    because its melting point is higher, but practice makes perfect!
    Incidentally, I use the smallest-diameter brazing rod, hammer it out,
    and cut it into paillons with my aviation snips. Don't get the
    copper-colored brazing rods; they are grey inside. 

    --Why not try fusing the copper jump rings? Set up more than you
    need, and if you have some failures, you'll still have enough to use.
    I like Grifflux, but you might also try the black flux (available in
    welding stores) which is meant for higher temperatures than the
    silver-soldering fluxes. 

    --Have you gone into the Orchid Archives and searched for copper
    solders? Lots of info there, including the pre-1980 penny
    suggestion. 

HTH -- Judy Bjorkman
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