Hey all … quick question regarding solders used in fabricating with the Stuller Continuum silver alloy. For those of you fabricating with this alloy … What have you used and what would you advise? Regular silver solders or Argentium solders? Or, is there something else?
Or, should I open a Budweiser and not overthink this?
Looking for any advice you may have to offer!!!
Paul Cobet
Where the sailboat is winterized and it’s time to work at my bench.
Hi Paul
If you don’t learn anything here you might just ask the metallurgists at Stuller. They are usually very helpful. Although they don’t actually make jewelry themselves they understand their product.
How’s that for a non-answer?
Mark
I use IT solder or just fuse for my first solders. If I have a bunch to do on one piece really close to each other then I’ll use regular silver solder after my first wth IT.
Call Shan Aithal or John Butler at Stuller if you have any questions. They’re really nice guys who invented the alloy.
I so love this sterling and won’t use anything other alloy. It works like gold and platinum and is very durable. It’s not totally tarnish proof but is very very resistant to oxidation.
Have fun and make lots of jewelry.
-Jo Haemer
www.timothywgreen.com
Thanks guys … I will be talking to the folks at Stuller right after the new year.
I made a ring using argentium but incorporated a band off the edge of a sheet of mokume (copper and sterling) I had made in a workshop. The edge of my rolled patterned billet was plain (should have been more aggressive with my patterning) and I took a 3 mm slice off the plain edge and by twisting (slowly and many careful annealings) i got a nice candy cane pattern. So, with argentium top and bottom bands and an argentium liner I was very happy with the result.
So, I thought … how about setting a stone in this design … reading about the Continuum alloy on this fantastic forum, I am thinking that’s better for setting a nice stone due to it being harder than the other silver alloys. But, the Continuum solders seem to be too high temperature for final assembly and keeping the mokume band intact. So, I was hoping to hear that lower temp silver or argentium solders would work for my final soldering joins.
Jo … you just gave me some hope. I have never worked with Continuum but this project and your encouragement seems to make me want to jump over and have a go at it.
Thanks so much!!!
Paul Cobet
I would not overthink it we at Stuller sell sold for this metal… Here is the part number…. SOLDER:011:P
Andy “The Tool Guy” Kroungold
Director Tool Sales & Stuller Bench
Stuller Inc.
P 1-800-877-7777 ext 4191 or 4194
per a cursory at the altar of google 
i found that a medium or hard
sterling solder should do the job. was the first choice after the
stuller sites and this ganoskin posting. so im pretty confident that
this will work.
Aaron
I think that this is not a good option Aaron.
The reason why is because regular sterling silver solder will oxidize in
time leaving a dark seem behind exactly where you made the solderpoint.
I don’t know about the colorshift between sterling silver and continuum
silver, never been in the position to work with continuum.
Theoritically, continuum is a mix of silver and palladium which makes the
alloy nice white.
Sterling silver solder is a alloy of silver, copper and zinc producing a
jellowish color.
If you like to go for sterling silver solder, then stick with hard solder
and forget medium.
I whould think to chose for hard argentium silver solder if you don’t like
the continuum silver solder.
Just my opinion, do as you please.
Best regards
Pedro
