Flame Resistant Material for Soldering Station

Jewelry Discussion
1

Hello all,

Can anyone recommend a good flame resistant material (or good
materials) to put on the tabletop of and floor around my soldering
station?

Thanks!
Amy

Note From Ganoksin Staff:
Looking for a soldering station for your jewelry projects? We recommend:

2

Amy,

I still strongly support Homosote board and I also use fire bricks.

Jennifer Friedman
Ventura, CA
enamellist, jewelry artisan, ceremonial silver hollow ware

3

Yes Amy I can. Visit Cutter Northern Refractories in Woburn, MA They
have a website.

See my post:

on heat resistant pads.

http://www.cutternorthern.com

I have these on both of my soldering stations and and individual
pads under my crock pot. They will special cut for any size.

Nice people to work with.

-k

Karen Christians
M E T A L W E R X
50 Guinan St.
Waltham, MA 02451
Ph. 781/891-3854 Fax 3857
http://www.metalwerx.com/
Jewelry/Metalarts School & Cooperative Studio

4 
Can anyone recommend a good flame resistant material (or good
materials) to put on the tabletop of and floor around my soldering
station?

Cement board-- used for under tile floors.

–Noel

5

fire brick, Solderite soldering pads, kiln shelves…

Elaine Luther
Metalsmith, Certified PMC Instructor
http://www.CreativeTextureTools.com ™
Hard to Find Tools for Metal Clay

6

Ceramic tile… Fireproof, EASY to clean up spills, lasts 3 or 4
lifetimes? We use it around the kilns and casting bench too.

Brian P. Marshall
Stockton Jewelry Arts School
Stockton, CA USA
209-477-0550
instructor@jewelryartschool.com

7 
Can anyone recommend a good flame resistant material (or good
materials) to put on the tabletop of and floor around my soldering
station?

Amy, my hot work surfaces are covered with many different things.
For direct flame resistance I use combinations of the following

  1. 1/8 inch plate steel

  2. concrete “backer board” sold for waterproof shower backing

  3. tile backer board, a thinner smoother version of above

  4. thin, 1.25 inch thick, firebricks, called half bricks by my
    supplier

  5. a big triangle of scrap granite from a countertop producer

If these surfaces are too abrasive/rough, you could use ceramic
kitchen tile, although the grout was a problem for me. I have heard of
using a metal surface covered with plastic laminate (trade names such
as Wilsonart, Formica). The metal substrate suposedly draws heat
away, but I expect it would still discolor or char over time. I do
know that a few years ago, you could buy metal surfaced plastic
laminate, which might be a good top surface for a metal sheet, or a
plywood floor cover.

8

Hello Amy,

Can anyone recommend a good flame resistant material (or good
materials) to put on the tabletop of and floor around my soldering
station?

Since I’ve always made it a point to have a dedicated soldering
bench, I use 2 of the large (12" x 12") solderite pads as a base,
then set up my reflective pads or charcoal blocks on top of these.

When we teach classes away from Rio we use 8’ x 8’ masonite boards
over the original flooring of the room. This is great if you don’t
want to install a new floor and they can easily be cut to fit. We
use a heavy duty Duct tape on the seams, not pretty but effective.

Sincerely,

Thackeray Taylor
Rio Grande Technical Support.

Note From Ganoksin Staff:
Looking for a soldering station for your jewelry projects? We recommend: