Solder won't flow

Hans is right with the order and flowing solder on then removing
some to fit. One thing that helps me is a good paste flux. You can
even let it dry out and just melt it on the joints as a powder. Flux
is big.

Greetings Lois.

Have been following your story with interest and note that you are
using an Acetylene torch with a # 0 tip.

If you have a larger tip like a #1 then you should be able to do the
job with that. Hold the torch up high and vertical onto the side of
your hard charcoal block and practice getting a ā€œbell jarā€ type of
flame working for you. Then start working the flame over to the
piece you are working on. You will see the flux, like your handy
flux, just starting to melt and as you start moving the torch around
the piece the flux will become more liquid. The solder will start
balling up and then you keep working the flame and the solder starts
running all in slow motion then lower the flame down a little and
quickly move your torch around the job.

All the other tips, you have received have been excellent but that
torch you have now is just so good for that type of work, donā€™t give
up on it.

Regards. John Stapleton
"down under"

Dear Shannon,

I ordered some paste flux and will start to experiment with it.
Thank you.

Kind regards,
Lois

Dear John,

Hold the torch up high and vertical onto the side of your hard
charcoal block and practice getting a ā€œbell jarā€ type of flame
working for you.

Thank you so much for the support and sharing your knowledge. I have
been experimenting with the #1 torch top and see that it gives me
much more flexibility. Now if I can only get over being timid about
using it.

Would just like to clarify the direction of the flame. Would that be
parallel to the bench top? And if you will indulge me further, not
sure what bell jar flame looks like.

Any and all help greatly appreciated.

Kind regards,
Lois

The solder will start balling up and then you keep working the
flame and the solder starts running all in slow motion then lower
the flame down a little and quickly move your torch around the
job.

I believe itā€™s much better to preheat your workpiece a little bit,
then flux itā€¦

The liquid flux willl immediately turn into a powdery white
substanceā€¦

Turn the heat back to this place and watch the coloring and melting
of the flux.

When the flux turns clear the soldering temperature is almost
reached (depending on which type of solder you useā€¦ soft, medium
or hard) Place a solder chip where it is needed. The solder will melt
when the correct melting temperature is reached (and all other
conditions are provided)ā€¦

within a secondā€¦

No need to run around with your flameā€¦

Heat controle is done by removing the flame into (more heat) or out
(less heat) from your workpiece not by moving it around.

When you leave the flame on the place where you work, youā€™lll create
a reduced area with a lack of oxygenā€¦

This condition is made by using a reducing flame (lack of oxygen in
the flame, yellow tip in front of your flame).

The benefit is that you give firestain no chance to develope (if
your workpiece is covered with a protecting agent)ā€¦

If you move your flame away from that area, oxygen has more access
to it, firestain is a direct result.

Firestain will be created by prolonged heating of a piece, tomuch
heat (high temperature) and not covering the piece completely with a
flux.

Anyway, thatā€™s my opinionā€¦

When solder turns into a ball (bailing) zinc will start to evaporate
and melting temperature will raise making it harder to meltā€¦

Some people complain that solder donā€™t flow. One of the reasonss is
that they keep-on heating (overheating) the solderā€¦

Zinc will evaporate and melting temperature will go upā€¦

A chip of solder needs much less heat then your workpiece (in terms
of time) so it reaches the melting temperature much faster then your
workpiece. In a perfect solder operation, the workpiece itself
provides the solder for the melting temperatureā€¦

Your flame is just there to reach that temperature and hold it for a
few secondsā€¦

Those few seconds are needed for a stronger bound in which you like
to evaporate the zincā€¦

Why? Because the next soldering operation will not melt this earlier
solderpoint at the same melting temperature as your solderā€¦

In plain imple words it means that solder will melt as soon as it
comes in contact with your correct heated workpiece.

I solder for many years now and ALWAYS use hard solder except when I
need to repair something I donā€™t know aboutā€¦

I aply the same rule for soldering goldā€¦

It takes more practice to learn it but ones youā€™re familiar with the
procedure itā€™s very easy and no need for all soldertypes.

One more thing to knowā€¦

Solder operations need to be done quick (especially for silver) but
long enough for a strong bound.

With respect to other soldering procedures.

Best regards

Hi all at Ganoksin. Thank you to all of the well Experienced teachers
who share thie knowledge with us ā€œnewbiesā€ When I was shown how to
solder it was, as an example place a basket on a ring. To do the
following, after setting up with a third hand to hold piece upright
ā€¦

1 Make sure there is no dirt in the site to be joined, by a simple
sand with 1200 grit paper.

2 Melt the solder in to balls.

3 Place the solder balls in the bottom of the basket were it is in
contact with the rind and the basket.

4 Flux the same spot.

5 Start to heat the ring making sure the ā€œblue tipā€ of the flame is
closest to the piece.

6 Watch the piece paying attentionto the flux as it goes from
"bubble"to"cloudy"to"clear" Once ā€œclearā€ the solder will flow as the
piece has reached temperature and hopefully you have not melted the
basket by miss placed heatingā€¦

Remove the binding wire used to hild the basket in place after
quenching in water. Then drop the ring in the pickle to remove the
flux and the ā€œblackā€ on the ring.

It was also explained that as there was another piece in the mix, I.
E. the third hand, it will take londer to reach solder heat as the
third hand is a heat sink.

This method is used as some members do not have all the tools or
solder blocks, yet. Most also use the ā€œcooking"micro torch and are
at this stage terrified of the " big torchesā€ I find this method
interesting, one question though.

When you speak of a yellow flame is this acheived by adding the more
or less air to the mix, is it possible to get the yellow flame from a
"cooking"Micro torch This is a bit detailed but if any one has a
better way that i can show members of the club please feel free to
pick this to pieces ā€¦

I thank you for the feed back

Suzanne Newcastle
Australia

Dear Pedro,

Thank you for taking the time to offer in detail your soldering
method.

Greatly appreciated. My experimentation will definitely include your
advice.

Orchid is the best!

Kind regards,
Lois

Greetings,

Just wanted to give all the kind people who helped me with my
soldering difficulties an update. My student decided less is more
and will make earrings out of the two accent sapphires instead of
adding them to her ring. Photo below shows finished ring.

I then worked with another student and applied all of the fresh
soldering info I gratefully received and we enjoyed super easy
soldering.

Here are some of the changes I implemented:

  1. Scrub the solder with a fine brass wire brush before cutting.

  2. Scrub the areas to be soldered with a fine brass wire brush.

  3. Use paste flux.

  4. Work quickly.

  5. Stop using ochre.

  6. Concentrate torch heat near solder keeping in mind solder flows
    toward the heat.

Thank you.

Warm regards,
Lois