...Cubic zirconia turns brown when excessively heated...
So my question is this - I set a CZ into a piece and belatedly
realized I wanted to solder closed the jump rings attached to the
piece - this joint could be about a quarter inch away from the CZ
when soldering. Can I do this? Or will I likely discolor the CZ?
Perhaps I could set the piece of metal with the CZ set on it into
some water to protect it…?
Thanks -
Ivy
Ivy;
You won’t discolour the CZ, but due to the high heat of soldering
you might burn, fracture the tempermental stone. I would suggest to
"borax thoroughly" at first, or even applying a soldering jel to
cover the stone, if space permitting.
Try and keep the torch flame pointed ‘away’ for the actual stone and
use a fine pointed flame…DO NOT QUENCH TO COOL, this will
definitely fracture this delicate stone, only SLOWLY, AIR COOL! Try
not to use a “hard solder”, as this will make the whole setting item
much hotter…Moral of the story; be very careful…Gerry!
Submersing the stone in water is a method I use regularly,
especially when repairing items. What type of metal is the piece
made out of? Silver will conduct alot of heat away from the join
you’re trying to solder, as will gold, but silver will seem to
demand a hotter flame to achieve the same result.
A very hot, very fine tip flame is best that can direct the heat
directly onto the join. A broad flame will be innefficient and will
run the risk of hurting the stone. Use the easiest solder (lowest
melting point) you can to match the metal to further avoid risk to
the stone. No point using more heat than is really neccesary. And
make sure the piece is setup so that the flame will be directed away
from the stone and onto the join only.
Dale Porter
Ivy,
Yes, you should be able to solder the j ring a quarter inch away from
the CZ. I would use a #3 tip on my Little Torch with a fairly hot
flame, holding the j ring in soldering tweezers and of course making
sure the flame is directed away from the CZ.
Jerry in Kodiak
If the jump ring is an independent piece of metal (not part of the
CZ setting) you could also opt for solder filled wire and a
resistance soldering gizmo. I’m quite fond of mine - line it up,
stomp the pedal, and poof it’s soldered. No flame, no busted
stones.
-Spider
Hi:
resistance soldering gizmo. I'm quite fond of mine - line it up, stomp the pedal, and *poof* it's soldered. No flame, no busted stones.
I have never heard of a resistance soldering tool. Can you tell me
more about it and if you have a supplier?
Thanks
Kim Starbard
Cove Beads
why don’t you look into a chemical heatsink. (places like rio grande
and stuller as well as the majority of tool supply companies carry
these products.) some of the various names of this product are:
heat stop
gem shield
heat shield
cold shield
heat barrier
kool jool
sometimes a water sink is great, but sometimes it is just too close
to the stones. I once had to retip one side only of a treated yellow
diamond cluster ring. I took out the stones that needed
retip/repronging, and shielded the rest with a chemical heatsink (I
really didn’t want to risk the stones turning, so simply as a
precaution)
hope this helps.
julia potts
julia potts studios
I have never heard of a resistance soldering tool. Can you tell me more about it and if you have a supplier?
Rio sells at least one type. The one I have from them is called a
Hot Spot. I know there are others out there, but I don’t know names
offhand. They all work by the same principle: apply enough
electricity across a piece of metal and it gets hot.
Very handy!
-Spider
Thanks to all who replied to my question on this topic!
I had 4 to do, and two were not yet set, but had other attachments,
so I tried those first - shielded the parts I thought might get
damaged with a piece of tin, as it was too akward to get the piece
into water, and I didnt have any cool jewl, etc to coat it with, That
worked. I havent gotten up the nerve to try the pieces that had
stones set yet - I think I’ll wait till I get some stone shielding
goo…
Thanks again
Ivy
Ivy,
You know, you can cast CZ in place in silver and gold, so they are
really quite durable. The key is not to “shock” them thermally (i.e.,
by quenching or quick DIRECT applicatin of flame to the stone).
Even without goop you should be fine - just start by warming the
piece slowly with the torch, then get in and solder and get out. Let
the piece air cool, then pickle and clean as usual.
Karen Goeller
@Karen_Goeller
Ivy,
Make a thick paste out of casting investment and use this as a
shield. Let it dry for about ten minutes and go for it. This has
worked for me much better than the kool jool type stuff. This works
under the premise that cz can take the heat of casting in place. The
cz has to warm up slowly and cool slowly and the investment slows the
transfer of heat. Try it, it’s saved my rear more than once.
James S. Cantrell CMBJ
… So, while I was trying to solder the jumprings next to my CZ’s,
I switched to a smaller torch tip - a prestolite #2. I wasn’t able to
use it cause it kept blowing itself out, no matter how low I turned
the gas wheel. I also tried turning the black knob affixed to the
gauge, but I have to admit, I don’t know what I am doing here…
Any hints on this? Now that I tried to use it, I remember that I’ve
never been able to get this tip (or the one below it) to stay lit.
thanks again -
Ivy
Hello Ivy,
... So, while I was trying to solder the jumprings next to my CZ's, I switched to a smaller torch tip - a prestolite #2. I wasn't able to use it cause it kept blowing itself out, no matter how low I turned the gas wheel. I also tried turning the black knob affixed to the gauge, but I have to admit, I don't know what I am doing here....
CZ’s can take heat, you can retip a prong on a CZ ring, you just
can’t over heat or use prolonged heat and don’t quench. Soldering a
jump ring next to a CZ should be no problem. Some garnets can take
heat, so can some black onxy; diamonds, rubys, sapphires (not stars)
no problems and so can good quality emeralds. Remember any one of
them can crack due to inclusions. So if you dare, go for it, if not,
remove it and reset it. If it can’t be removed tell you client it’s
at their risk should something happen.
Best regards,
Jon
I switched to a smaller torch tip - a prestolite #2. I wasn't able to use it cause it kept blowing itself out, no matter how low I turned the gas wheel. I also tried turning the black knob affixed to the gauge, but I have to admit, I don't know what I am doing here....
Yes, these little tips can be a problem. Try barely turning the gas
on and see if that helps. Once it has been in use a bit, it can be
re-lit pretty easily.
marilyn