[Jewelry making - Article 00102] - Re: [Orchid] Selecting solder bricks

[Helen Hill]

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    Different types of solder blocks seem to have different advantages/
    disadvantages so it is one of those personal preference situations. 

    I have a soldering board that looks like the old asbestos type but
    has no asbestos in it at all. I like it because it holds heat from
    the torch and can bounce the heat back up into the piece. This works
    really well for large pieces where I have had difficulty getting
    enough heat into such a piece when using other surfaces to solder
    on. 

    Fire brick - same as above really, in that you can use its heat-
    holding properties to your advantage. Also easy to carve so that you
    can support components being soldered using custom-made holes. 

    Charcoal blocks. I've not used them yet myself but from other
    people's comments have gathered that the best ones are the dense
    kind made from hard woods as opposed to the cheaper, less dense type
    made of soft woods. They can be bound with wire so that they last
    longer - otherwise they fall apart after a while. Advantage of
    charcoal is that the charcoal reacts with the oxygen in the
    atmosphere, thus helping to prevent excessive oxidation of the piece
    being soldered and thus going a long way towards preventing
    firestain. I'm not sure of their heat-holding properties. I'm sure
    others will comment. 

Helen
UK
http://www.hillsgems.co.uk
http://www.helensgems.etsy.com
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