First, please let me thank everyone who helped me with my wire
annealing question. I successfully annealed my various scraps and
the process worked just fine with my little butane torch.
So I have finally experimented with some gold solder paste. I
soldered a large jump ring (oh boy!) with the same torch; worked just
great! Once it was soldered closed, I wrapped it with 28ga 18k wire.
My question is this: I want to attach a second wire-coiled
“flourish” to the circular wire-coiled armature. I could wire-wrap
them together, but I’d like to experiment with soldering them. I
think I can get the coiled sections to touch enough for my paste
solder to flow.
You may ask why don’t I just go ahead & try it? Well, it it’s a
ridiculous idea, I’d prefer to hear it first rather than waste all
that time I have invested in the coiled armatures. If it isn’t, then
I’ll go ahead and experiment.
If you can ensure that they touch then go ahead and solder. The size
of the fillet will, or course, depend on the amount of solder you8
apply. As the solder melts, capillary attraction will try to
minimise the surface area of the solder which can cause small,
lightweight, items to move a little. It also tends to pull the items
together slightly. The only way you’ll gain experience is to, little
by little, push your own barriers. Trying something new, especially
on something valuable (either in terms of money or time invested), is
scary, but there’s a first time for everything.
Another problem you might encounter would be if the molten solder
winds its way round your coils by capillary action, such that you’d
end up them all filled in rather than having the nice, crisp look
you’re going for. If that happens, it’s usually pulled itself away
from the joint you’re trying to achieve too, which obviously defeats
the object and ruins the appearance. I’ve soldered coils onto other
parts before and it’s just about pulling the torch away before the
solder travels where you don’t want it to.