Hi There,
is it possilbe for me to assembly cut out pieces of silver and then
add paste solder and then put them in a kiln to weld them pieces
together, thanks, rodney
Rodney,
In order to solder in a kiln, you need an inert atmosphere. In
other word, no oxygen. In commercial applications there is a
special atmosphere created for soldering. The pieces can be
soldered by using a belt system, where the belt moves the objects
from one temperature to another, then completes the soldering
action and passes it on to mass finishing, taking all the steps to
make the pieces as a final product. The pieces can also be soldered
on an individual basis with a heat proof mold being utilized to
hold the parts in place while they are being transported to/from
the kiln. They are taken out in one batch and then mass finished.
Keep in mind, the commercial people have the correct atmosphere to
make the solder melt and flow, in other words… not a process
available to anyone without this type of equipment. You can solder
with paste solder very easily by using a torch. I prefer to use an
acetylene/air setup, but it can be successfully soldered with paste
solder using oxygen/propane or butane. I find it way too hot to use
an acetylene/oxygen for a small piece; great chance of melting the
metal. It is important that you pick the correct melt and flow
temperature (formula) for the items you are going to solder with
the paste solder. In silver, many different formulas give you an
opportunity to select the proper temperature for the object(s) you
are wishing to solder and are available in a larger range of
formulas than the sheet or wire.
Beth Katz
http://www.myuniquesolutions.com
Paste and Powder Solder for Jewelers and Metalsmiths