IT solder is what I have been told to use on pieces to be enamelled.
can anyone tell me the formula for this ? None of the suppliers in
New Zealand have ever heard of IT .
PS. I have been very impressed with the quality of some of the
advice given lately
IT solder is just “Hard” solder (depending on the company making the
solder, some melts at a slightly higher temperature). I’m not sure
of the “IT” word history, but it’s the same thing!
hi, I do not know the alloys however Swest at swestinc.com carries
it and ron amos would be able to help you.
Phil, the solder sold as IT solder by (for example) the Thompson
Enamel Co these days is the silver-copper eutectic alloy 72/28 weight
% silver/copper. It’s my understanding that this alloy is the one
used traditionally for sterling filigree (and hence plique-a-jour)
construction in Russia et al.
It would seem logical that this would be the silver solder of choice
for enamellers working with sterling. It has a Melting Point of 778
deg C and since it is a eutectic alloy, also flows at this
temperature.
Up until I read in Glass on Metal some years ago that Valery
Timofeev made and used the silver/copper eutectic alloy as his solder
for plique-a-jour work I used Johnson Mathey’s JM11 extra hard IT
solder, and for some jobs still do. I bought a coil of it 20 years
ago from Silvercraft in Sydney (now long defunct) and still have a
metre or two left. Despite sporadic enquiries of JM and their agents
over the intervening years I’ve yet to find anyone who knows what I’m
talking about when I read them the label ( which is still affixed to
the original container ) - ah well!
Opi Untracht in “Jewelry Concepts and Technology” gives a formula
for and definition of IT silver solder: “IT - this is the solder
with the highest melting point. It is used for casework, and on an
object that will be enamelled after soldering. Enamelled metal
requires a solder that melts at a temperature higher than that needed
to fuse enamels, as otherwise the solder will reflow and interfere
with the enamel, possibly creating tensions that will cause the
enamel to crack. Care must be exercised in the use of this
high-melting solder as its flow point is close to (that of) sterling
silver.”
Composition of typical IT solder: silver/copper/zinc : : 80/16/4.
Melting Point = 721 deg C, Flow Point = 810 deg C.
Allan Heywood
Hello Phill, IT solder is very hard silver solder. easy to make
yourselve in weight % Melting point 771 degrees Celsius (extra hard
, White)
80% Ag
16% Cu
4% Zn
greeting
martin Niemeijer