Holding pieces while soldering

Jewelry Discussion
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This time I turn to you to ask you about a subject that has been discussed previously on Orchid, holding pieces while soldering. One option I considered is super glue, which I used but as soon as the piece heats up the part I glued falls unless I secure them in some other way. These days I watched a video of Bobby White and he is using some technique which I don’t know how to copy. In the video (Handmade Jewelry vs Mass Produced - YouTube) you can see that he attached two arms to the ring and after heating them up they don’t fall. Does this look like superglue or something else? As there was no other support to them, I would expect them to collapse under their own weight if it were superglue.

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Have you tried titanium soldering clamps, knewConcepts sell titanium strips for you to cut and bend into any shape you require to hold items in place while soldering.

57b%20UK%2C%20Ti%20clamps%20sheet%20low%20res
57b UK, Ti clamps sheet low res.jpg4219×3600 1.04 MB

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I see the arm you describe at 7:21, then the flame obscures what happens, so how do you know it doesn’t collapse?

At 7:15, it looks like there are cuts into the shoulder where it will attach to the halo. Or maybe it’s just a reflection on the white gold.

But maybe the arm could actually be solder.

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The titanium clamps are fantastic! I have bent them and trimmed them in so many ways to hold my pieces that have a mind of their own.

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Here’s another use for Titanium, my surgeon is using them in my three spinal fusion-surgeries!
The next one is March 22nd…:wink:
Gerry, On my iPhone!

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Someone recently asked me if they could use titanium soldering clamps to hold chain links when making or repairing chains, so I took the photo to show how I would use the clamps, it may be useful for others to see.

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80 Holding chain links for soldering.jpg2400×1751 152 KB

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I will get me some of these to try them out, looks promising. Thank you for your answers!

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Thank you for posting this picture! I bought some of these and wasn’t impressed. Now I find I was just not using them correctly!!!

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My surgeon uses only Titanium screws and rods, in fact there was a sale on these at “Home Depot”. He’s gonna use them on my Spine this coming Friday morning. He told me that he got them on a “special volume” price. He likes them so he can keep using them over & over as he goes up my Spinal column…:wink:

“I like them too as they won’t rust”…LOL!

Gerrysdiamondsettingessays

.blogspot.ca

Gerry, On my iPhone!

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Here are some more of my photo tips on making the clamps,

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33 T shaped clamp example sheet.jpg4568×6150 1.69 MB

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43 Making and using a standard shape clamp.jpg3900×4500 1.1 MB

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I have use several of Jims titanium soldering aids for some time now and they have saved a lot of heartache and anglo saxon words. I also have a number of titanium offcuts of various thicknesses and shapes which i use as shims when I’m soldering. I scrounged these bits of scrap 35 years ago at collage and still use them.

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12

Hi andriet, don’t see a problem with this jeweller just getting on with his day job.
Everything is just as it should be polishing everything, as he goes and using solders that do not show join lines or solder that will be polished out of the joints with the final polishing. Look for more of his work.

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Home depot! Love your sense of Humor Gerry! Wishing you well!!!

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Thanks for all these great ideas! Really good stuff:)

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James,
Have you come up with a design that opens like a clothespin? I have tried some of these and when I get them to hold the pieces tightly I find them to be difficult to insert surface enhanced or “fragile” pieces without scratching and still holding.