Okay, I have an electroformed object that I am trying to solder silver onto.
Hi -
I’ve had some experience with soldering electroformed objects &
they can sometimes be tricky. A couple of things to take into
consideration:
-
they should solder pretty much like any hollowform ojbect, so
those things you would have to take into consideration related to size,
shape, or material will have to be taken into consideration with an
electroformed object as well; -
depending on your bath and the contents of the solution, (e.g.
whether or not you use brighteners and when they were last replenished, or
the composition of your source metal for the electroform process), you may
have a surface that is very rough. While this is great for enameling,
it’s hard to solder. I’ve had to sand my surfaces down when I’ve wanted
to solder findings or backs onto my pieces. You may also have a very
porous surface and I’m not sure whether there is a good solution for that. -
finally, for the future, you may want to consider placing the
object you want attached to your electroformed piece into the bath along
with the model, so that the process of electroforming will include
developing the ‘attachment’ needed to keep the two together. It’s tricky,
but can be done. I’ve used this method to attach my findings to
electroformed pieces. You just have to make sure that you use a good
solid resist on the piece you want attached. If you’re interested in how
to go about this, I’ll be happy to try and describe the process I’ve used
in another posting. Just let me know.
Laura Wiesler
Towson, Maryland