Dear Ron: Thanks for your reply about paste solder used in conjunction
with regular solder. Tell me if I have this right:
this means: (I think) :
Dip with boric acid/ alcohol solution. Don’t flame. Assemble and
position parts. Apply paste solder. Apply solder pallions. Flame off
boric acid/alcohol (if it hasn’t dried already); proceed to solder.
Or: Assemble and position parts. Spray/ drip on boric acid alcohol
solution. Apply paste solder. Apply solder pallions. Flame off.
Proceed to solder.
I usually use borax /boric acid powdered flux, mixed with water,
rather than a prepared liquid; occasionally a paste flux like Handy.
I have quite a few kinds on hand, but use mostly the one I’m used to
(avoiding some fluorides into the bargain). With your technique,
would I eliminate all usual flux on that joint?
Dear Lin, Whoa ! How did we get so far of base ? Clarification time !
No. 1 Warm piece to be soldered with torch flame
No. 2 Apply paste solder to joint
No. 3 Apply solder pallions to op of semi molten paste solder
No. 4 Dribble boric acid/alcohol solution to joint
No. 5 Flame off
No. 6 Solder
No. 7 Quench in pickle
No. 8 Rinse
No. 9 Clean with ultrasonic using ammonia and detergent
solution
Hope this helps, Lin. One of the pitfalls of paste solder usage is
that most users try to apply it without warming the piece hence it is
perceived that it has “dried out” or is stiff and non sticking…
Ron aat Mills Gem, Los Osos, CA.
There are many types of past solder.& It is important that when you
buy a paste solder that you get one with an organic binder so that
the past solder does not dry out.& There is a compe any here in
Florida that has just this ype of paste solder available.& the
formulas are available in many temperature flows and will do lots of
different ranges of soldering jobs.& These solders do not dry out
because of the formulation.& No hassles with hair dryers, adding
flux, etc.&Send SASE to Unique Solutions, Inc., 10001 NW 50th St.,
Suite 111, Sunrise, FL 33351.& 954-747-1919.& You can also reach them
through e-mail BethKatz@aol.com and ask for a price sheet.& You will
bin love with the process and the product.& The formulations are
different from Rio, Indian, or many of the other suppliers out there
and they work great.& I am not affiliated with the company, just a
happy customer!& Maureen
Does anyone out there use paste solder? Is it good? Bad?
Indifferent? I make sterling silver, copper and bronze beads (and I
love doing it!) some with touches of gold appliqu, and I’m wondering
if paste solder would be a little bit quicker and less fiddly than
cutting pallions of solder and balancing them on the edges of the
bead halves to solder. Time is money, after all, and I’d like to
streamline my process as much as possible.
Any comments from those with experience of paste solder would be
very gratefully received.
Paste solder or syringe is awesome for granulation and also beads.
You have many types- Super easy, easy-680’C, medium-740’C,
Hard-770’C. It comes in 8 gram or 30 gram syringe.
You need just few hours to get the trick soldering with paste.
Sometimes canjust burned out and not flowing. Is it not so "oil"
like normal pallions, its flowing quick and more following the
heat/flame.
I tried using paste solder before for fine silver and Argentium.
Everybody seems to rave about it, but unfortunately it was a waste of
money for me.
The Flux and other ingredients would burn off and then I was left
with a lump of burnt metal. nothing flowed:-(I bought more than one
paste solder thinking one might have been defective, but none of them
seemed to work.
Janet, I’m not big on paste solder. In my infrequent uses of it, I
find it hard to estimate how much to use and exactly how to position
it (of course, I am probably making larger items).
It works very well and can be easier to use than the small pallions
of sheet solder. I think it would work well for soldering bead halves
together.
The downside is that it is much more expensive than sheet solder, it
can be messy and it dries out quickly if the lid is left off.
The drying problem is solved by adding in a few drops of solvent or
mineral spirits and mixing it in well
I purchase my paste from Rio Grande
The silver paste solder comes in 1 oz containers, easy or extra easy
for about $32. I believe that they also sell it in syringes, but I
have not tried those.
Paste solder is a great option for many applications. The nice thing
is you can apply a small amount right where you want it. It has the
flux already mixed with the solder so you can apply small amounts to
jump rings without accidently getting too much on the joint.
Make sure you go in hot and fast so you don’t burn off the flux
before the solder flows.
Best regards,
Phillip Scott
Technical Support
Rio Grande
1.800.545.6566
Use paste solder for small tasks only. Like ear posts and small
findings. Paste is good for production set ups. Also it is necessary
to go in hot andfast. You will mess up a few in the beginning until
you get the hang of it. If you linger too long with a cool flame the
flux burns off and you areleft with a crust and the solder won’t
flow. Paste is not a great option for long solder seams.
I use the silver paste solder. One warning - it is super easy - so is
NOT as strong as a harder solder. So it depends on what I’m doing as
to when I use it. Next warning - it tends to be a bit messy, and
doesn’t always flow exactly where I want it to - because it is super
easy, when it does flow it tends to flow enthusiastically! So keep
that in mind too. if I haven’t used it in a while I have to re-adjust
how I heat to allow for that, and try to minimize any extra clean up
from solder in places I didn’t want it.
I find it handy to keep on hand, have it in the little jars and in
the tube from Rio. Not something I find suitable for every job
though. Would certainly be worthy you buying a container and
experimenting with it…
Hi Janet, the ONE thing that I use paste solder for is to put
together hollow forms, such as beads. I put it on the inner edge of
the top piece, so that there is gravity, as well as capillary action
helping the solder flow into the sem. Remember that most paste
solders flame up. Do not be frightened by that. Keep heating. There
is an impulse to stop heating, and wait for the flames and smoke to
die down, but it does not flow as well if you do that. DO have good
ventilation. Keep heating, and when the smoke and flame stop, the
solder is nearly ready to flow. Also, I find that you need at least
twice as much as you would expect, if you are accustomed to wire or
sheet solder—the flux is mixed in, as well as the oil that keeps
it from drying out,(and that makes the smoke and flame) I use this
for putting together two die forms, as well as dapped beads. I
learned it from Phil Poirier (current owner/operator of Bonny Doon).
Wow - thanks to everyone who replied to my question about paste
solder, both on and off site. You have all been super helpful. I
believe it’s going to be worth giving it a try.
I have never been able to get paste solder to work very well for me
and I noticed that nobody suggested using powdered solder for
soldering two halves of a bead. That is what I use and yes you have
to solder with a hot flame and get it done quickly or it will just
form a crust. I just flux the bottom half and set it in place and
then flux the top half of the bead and then dip it in the powdered
solder. I put it on a charcoal block with a depression to keep it
steady and put that on a turn table so I can keep it rotating and
just heat under the lower half for a few seconds and then heat the
top half and then aim for the seam while it is rotating and it flows
beautifully for me. I just make sure that there is no powder on the
outside and if it is a textured bead, I paint the surface with white
out and let that dry before fluxing. It comes from Unique Solutions
and they are located in Florida. One thing I forgot to say is that I
use Handi-Tak which is a sticky clay like product that never dries
out to pick up the top half and dip it into the powder and then set
it on the bottom half.
Hope this helps for those who can’t deal with the paste flux.
Rio is not the only place that sells paste solder. Many different
metal dealers sell it as well. The others carry hard, medium and the
two easy solder versions. That said I have a love hate relationship
with paste solder. In theory it sounds good, but for me it is a PIA.
Even making beads I have a problem. But this is me. I found it would
invariably have pitting. If something needs a solder like paste, I go
further and use powdered solder and paste flux. With that I never
have the pitting problem. Again this is just me.
Aggie, mostly packed and ready to leave my mountaintop this weekend.
This is great info about using paste solder for soldering bead
halves and larger items. I must try this. You are using a good hot
torch and are not afraid to apply heat and know intuitively how much
heat to apply for the scale of the project.
I have been seeing a trend… Butane torches seem to be all the
rage forbeginners and students who are setting up their first
studio. To save money some are getting these. Butane troches are
cheap and great for small projects and thin gauges. As soon as the
user tries to make something large they hit the wall of Thermal
Conductivity. Then suddenly the paste solder does not work for them.
Any thoughts?
Jo-Ann says, “Oh yeah, do paste solder, you know paste solder, I see
the joys of paste solder…” I’ve used it for years but only for
certain things. It can be messy if it’s used in the wrong places.
Basically, anyplace that you find it works best is going to be where
it works best for you. What I use it for almost exclusively is what
you might call overlay or anyplace where you need the solder in
between two surfaces. Pierce out a pattern, smear the back with
paste solder and put it on a backing sheet and solder properly and
it will be the most perfect job you ever saw. Soldering down beads -
melted metal that some call raindrops - is another great use.
Somebody gives me plain old soldering work sometimes -silver biker
club pins that get gold numbers soldered in places. Again, the
perfect place for paste.
On very important secret to this, that goes along with the heating
cautions others mentioned this morning, is that you need to heat the
base first, then come on top and heat the design element at the last
minute. When I used to do a lot of overlay I used a steel screen on
a tripod to get underneath. If you get the piercing hot first the
solder will flow onto it and there will be no hope of a good join.
It’s great stuff with a bit of practice… John
Related to paste solder, I have read about, but never tried, filling
the solder of choice and mixing the filings with powdered borax and
water (possibly alcohol), to form a paste that can be brushed into
the joint. This is probably from an older discussion of filigree.
Does anyone have experience with this practice and might a discussion
of it contribute on this thread? Thanks. Rob