[Jewelry making - Article 00355] - Re: [Orchid] Cleverwerx soldering set

[David Phelps]

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    I have tried many different types and styles (and prices) of solder
    picks over the years. The very best I have found is a plain number
    two (or harder) wood and graphite pencil. Burn the wood back about 20
    to 25mm, break loose and clean the charcoal off with a dry rag or
    paper towel so that 15 to 20mm of the graphite is exposed and sharpen
    the tip with a draftsman's pencil sharpener (a round canister shaped
    device with a fixed round file in the center, available anywhere that
    carries drafting supplies). Clean the tip with the fiber cleaner in
    the top of the sharpener, heat the tip and pick up a small flake of
    dried firecoat (2mm square?) from around your firecoat jar, melt it
    onto the tip and it's ready to use. Too much firecoat and it sticks
    too much (you can either drag the tip on your solder block while
    applying heat to wipe off the excess, or swirl three or four times
    in the sharpener to redress the tip), not enough and it won't stick
    at all. The firecoat also acts as a flux on your solder, helping to
    keep it clean, and the hotter it is the less it sticks. I find it
    works best when the pencil is about four or five inches long overall,
    with about 15mm of graphite exposed. With a little care, a good four
    inch long pencil can last for years. 

    You must use good quality genuine wood and graphite pencils (I use
    Mirado No. 2.5f Premium Cedar pencils by Papermate, 12 for about $8 -
    I've used two pencils in 7 years, both kinda short, but still in
    service). There are many pencils that look like wood but are made of
    some sort of plastic or have a low grade of graphite that breaks too
    easily. These will not work. 

Dave
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