Hello, can anybody help me?
I have recently started to teach myself chain making.
I’m practising with brass wire and silver solder.
I have three questions about the soldering operation.
One. How do I manipulate the tiny balls of solder with a soldering
pick? They are reluctant to adhere to the pick and the flame often
blows them away. I’m guessing there is some way of managing this
situation but I haven’t figured it out.
Two. How do I ensure that the solder flows into the joint and not
only to one side? When I do succeed a beautiful (to my untrained eye)
joint is formed. But more often than not the solder ‘misses’ the
joint completely.
Three. Should I aim for a joint that is just filled with solder or
is a bit too much solder, i.e. an amount that covers the link a
little beyond the joint moe desireable?
Some additional - I’m using a propane-air torch; I heat
the joint to what I would describe as a mid-red colour (when viewed
in a darkened room); the flux I’m using is a mixture of borax, sodium
carbonated and sodium chloride; and my joints are fairly tight, some
even bordering on light tight.
Any advice would be very much appreciated.
Regards,
Rob Jupp
Australia