Following Richards directions being "Flux, place solder in place
and heat where you wont the solder to flow. The solder flows and
that is it!
What about preheating the piece Richard, what about solder which
doesn’t like to flow or not complete, what about solderjoints
producing pits, the generating of copperoxydul, using the correct
amount of solder, using the correct flame, distance between flame and
joint, etc?
This was the very basics. In a previous post I gave detailed
instructions, including preheating. For beginners trial and error is
the most useful experience. So Pedro if your solder does not flow you
need more heat. If you get pits more flux less solder or you have not
applied the heat correctly.
Copper oxide is too much heat for too long, not a problem if you
know how to file/sand it off, also this is what pickle is for.
Correct amount of solder a little goes a long way. Correct flame
depends on the torch + practise.
In Australia we call complicating things Bullshit and on this point
I agree with those who say try it and learn. Leonid looking at your
torch design I can see what you think soldering is difficult. So
here we go again.
OK newbies and all you experts.
Soldering 101. To make a ring.
Take a piece of sterling stock such as 4mm by 2mm half round wire
say 60mm long.
Anneal. Turn the lights out and heat to dark cherry red.
Let it cool to the point you can pick it up in your fingers. Touch
it and if you can count to three it wont burn you.
File the ends to true them up.
Bend round a ring mandrel. Into a U shape. It does not have to be
exactly even.
Still using the mandrel to hold the metal. OK you have a U shaped
piece of metal with the mandrel in it. Put it on a piece of wood.
Get your leather mallet and hammer into a D shape so the ends meet.
Anneal again to “relax” the metal, otherwise when you come to solder
the metal will relax and create a gap.
Butt metal up tight.
Cut through the join with your saw. This will give clean metal
surfaces for soldering.
Re butt the metal up together. As obviously you have removed some
metal.
You may need to use pliers etc to get the metal together again. 4mm
by 2mm sterling half round is in silversmithing land and can be
difficult for newbies to move. This is the point where you will find
if you have what it takes to be a silversmith.
Newbies this WILL drive you crazy.
If this is too hard use 2mm by 1mm half round, but the ring in
sterling will lack strength and is not strong enough to set a bezel
into.
Even though you will see these dimensions in chainstores especially
those that specialise in repairs. Yep newbies they make stuff they
KNOW will need to be repaired some time soon. The point here is
soldering technique and 2mm by 1mm half round rings are pretty and
salable. They are stackable and great as keepers to hold heavy rings
in place.
Hold up to light, if you can not see light through the join you are
ready to solder. If you see light re saw and butt up again till you
can’t see any light.
Lay it flat on the soldering block cut a piece of solder. OK newbies
cut the smallest piece of solder you can.
Flux.
Warm the ring.
Ball up solder and put on pick. If you don’t have a pick put the
solder on top of the join.
Heat the ring. Watch carefully the solder will often move a little
and need to be put back into place.
Aim flame at the bottom of the join.
Solder flows from top to bottom of join. This is due to capillary
action.
Remove heat. Turn ring over heat again on the inside till the inside
solder line gleams.
Let cool then pickle.
Put back on mandrel and hammer round. Turn ring around and hammer
again. The ring mandrel is tapered.
You now have a round ring.
Time to put in fineness mark, 925 for sterling. Use the biggest
hammer you have, not a polished hammer, a basic heavy metal mallet is
fine and cheap and available from any hardware store. Heavy hammers
will stop the stamp from ‘wandering’ and giving you a double mark. If
you hit too hard you may need to re round your ring.
Remove tool marks and firescale.
Polish with tripoli and wash clean, use dish washing liquid and warm
water if you don’t have an ultra sonic.
Give final polish I use hyperfin. Re clean.
You now have a piece of jewellery you can sell. Half round rings are
very popular, people like the simplicity.
Newbies you don’t need expensive equipment to make these rings. A
basic butane torch will do it.
Personally I use 1mm round solder wire and hold it in tweezers and
touch it to the top of the metal join to solder. This comes with
practise. If I am going to do a run of bezel set rings I can make 10
rings, pre-polish in an hour, that’s what you get after a few
decades of practise, with its many failures.
What sought of torch do I use? I use a silversmiths brazing torch
using bellows and runs on LPG gas. OK I am a dinosaur. I can use a
big low temp flame for annealing and warming metal. When I push down
hard on the bellows the flame contracts to a small point and so
concentrates heat.
To finish let me quote, like Old Bur, from someone wiser than all of
us Laozi who wrote the Daodejing (Tao te Ching)
The first line can be translated as:
THE ULTIMATE TEACHING CANNOT BE TAUGHT
Only when one does something for oneself has one really learned!
TTFN
Richard