I have a more mundane question, but is there a rule of thumb for when
you MUST solder jump rings and when you can forgo this step? I am
assuming that with a necklace that doesn’t most likely get stressed
that soldering all (but the last jump ring) is not as necessary as
say soldering jump rings on a bracelet?
thx, brenda
I solder everything jump ring. Just the way I was trained when I
began. If you work with precious metal you really want the work to be
the most durable possible.
Susan
Hi Brenda,
I always solder jump rings, I enjoy doing it, I find it very
satisfying.
If the gauge of the tire was thick enough, or if your jump ring has
more than one circuit (like a keyring), that it could resist
deformation, then you could forgo the solder. maybe.
However, your customer will not thank you, and this is why. An open
has a tendency to catch hairs, even the finest one. At best your
customer will itch, at worst hairs will be pulled. I know this from
experience.
I am rather hairsuit man, and in my youth I made a mail coat with
open links, as one does when one is young consequences weren’t
really though about. I wore it bare chested to see if it would be
cooler to wear. Putting it on was fine, moving was torture. it
snagged every hair, then the full horror was realised. I had to take
it off. I can assure you that many expletives were uttered.
Solder every jump ring 
Regards Charles A.
If you are not going to solder your jump rings, I strongly suggest
that you use oval rings cut on the long side, NOT ON THE END. This way
the unsoldered joint will lie awqay from the next ring.
You can easily make oval rings in quantity using the Jumo Ringer
with a MultiShape 7Pc Oval Mandrel Set.
Ray Grossman
Ray Grossman Inc.
Brenda- Unless the jump ring is attached to a stone that will not
take heat or a clasp that has a steel spring in it that will be
ruined by heat then yes you must solder all jump rings.
You’d be amazed at how many pendants get caught on things and pulled
off with unsoldered jump rings.
It’s just good craftsmanship to make the most secure pieces you can.
I have even torch soldered the jumprings attached to springrings. I
use extra easy gold solder and I have about an 80% success rate. 20%
of the time the jump ring will fall off from because they are
soldered on with low karat solder. Do not try this trick on silver.
It conducts heat too well to pull this off.
Have fun and make lots of jewelry.
Jo Haemer
timothywgreen.com
Hello Brenda,
IMHO - no doubt there will be others, this is what I do:
In general, if the jump rings (JR) are of 20 gauge of less, they
will pull apart too easily and should be fused or soldered. With
earrings, where there is little likelihood of a tug that will pull
the JR apart, soldering is not so important, and I usually forgo it.
Obviously, a chain bracelet is most likely to be tugged, and I always
solder or fuse the links. with ONE exception. I purposely leave one
unsoldered or weak link near the clasp. That allows the chain to
separate without injury to the wearer, and is simple to repair.
Now waiting to hear from others,
Judy in Kansas, where the snow is slowly melting.
I have a more mundane question, but is there a rule of thumb for when you MUST solder jump rings and when you can forgo this step?
My rule is, solder them all unless you cannot (i. e., on a spring
ring).
All of them. Always.
Better than soldering most of the time I can use argentium wire and
fuse them, only need Battern’s flux and don’t have to snip solder
pieces or that pesky tube solder. Didn’t really answer the question
but I hate soldering jump rings and think they should be soldered or
better yet fused 99% of the time.
Sam Patania, Tucson
I use my PUK welder - it’s quick, doesn’t need flux, and doesn’t
need cleaning up afterwards.
Regards, Gary Wooding
Hi Brenda,
In general, if the jump rings (JR) are of 20 gauge of less, they will
pull apart too easily and should be fused or soldered. With earrings,
where there is little likelihood of a tug that will pull the JR
apart, soldering is not so important, and I usually forgo it.
Obviously, a chain bracelet is most likely to be tugged, and I
always solder or fuse the links. with ONE exception. I purposely
leave one unsoldered or weak link near the clasp. That allows the
chain to separate without injury to the wearer, and is simple to
repair.
I second Judy’s suggestion.
Also, if the rings are of a larger diameter, the jr may need to be
soldered even if it is a heavier gauge.
For soldering jump rings I’ve found that using paste solder works
best.
Paste solder has the flux already in it. It usually is sold in
syringes with 2 different size applicator needles. When applying the
solder I’ve found it usually works best to apply a dab about the
diameter of the wire to the inside of a joint that has been closed
flush & tight. Then apply the heat to the outside of the jr.
One other technique that can help to keep a jr closed if you don’t
want to solder the rings is to harden the wire first. Hardened wire
will be a little more difficult to close into a flush, tight ring.
Also when winding hardened wire on a mandrel the coil being formed
will usually be larger than the mandrel when the coil is cut from the
wire supply. This may necessitate using a smaller mandrel to wind the
coil. A little experimentation will show what size mandrel to use.
Dave
In general, if the jump rings (JR) are of 20 gauge of less, they will pull apart too easily and should be fused or soldered. With earrings, where there is little likelihood of a tug that will pull the JR apart, soldering is not so important, and I usually forgo it.
Sterling silver neck chains can have a spring ring with an open jump
ring that is as thin as 24 ga. that is open and attaches to the
chains jump ring. We know silver is soft, and yet amazingly, it
seems as if few people have problems with the chains coming apart. I
have been selling these chains for 20 years and do the repair on what
we sell. The usual situation where a chain breaks is when a child
pulls the chain, not always, but usually, they are box chains.
Sometimes the jump ring on the spring ring comes open but usually
when a sterling chain breaks, it is usually from being worn over a
turtle neck sweater, when the sweater was taken off, the chain was
not removed first. It usually breaks in then middle section or along
one side.
My custom work is always made with soldered jump rings and use
clasps where the jump ring can be soldered.
Richard Hart G. G.
Denver, Co.
Obviously, a chain bracelet is most likely to be tugged, and I always solder or fuse the links. with ONE exception. I purposely leave one unsoldered or weak link near the clasp. That allows the chain to separate without injury to the wearer, and is simple to repair.
Dave-I’m sorry but I have to disagree with you about leaving one
link unsoldered. I can’t begin to imagine sending out a bracelet I
made with an unsoldered link. If it breaks and is lost because of my
workmanship, then I have to replace it. We work with very expensive
materials. I do not want to replace diamonds, gold, platinum, etc.
Even if I made it out of copper and beach rocks I’d still solder the
links. My reputation and income are defined by fine craftsmanship.
And yup I even solder links on earrings.
Have fun and make lots of jewelry.
Jo Haemer
timothywgreen.com
Jo brings up a good point- about her name and reputation- but I have
a different perspective I would like to offer to the collective
based on BOTH Jo and the original poster’s comments…
I work in healthcare and public service- and necklaces are a
liability and a risk- all ID badge holders and neck-worn devices by
my company’s policy MUST be “Break-away” for personal safety
reasons.
SO- I started offering necklaces with that option- as a sales move.
and it WORKED! Here is the caveat- Like Jo said- with the copper and
pebble necklace- or the sterling persian weave- I want all pieces to
be solid for consumer-wear. BUT- the “WORK-APPROVED” sales tactic
and the demo on the tag of the “Break-away” link has done 2 things:
1- the consumer KNOWS up front the piece is safe for work wear, and
the chance of loss is higher (and is not covered for that link
failing per the label) And I stamp WkSf on the piece so I know if it
ever comes in for repair or warrantee work
2- the customer KNOWS that any WORK SAFE piece can be upgraded to be
covered under warrantee (I replace the safety link with a soldered
link) FREE OF CHARGE (Minus the wait of 2 days)
No- Im not selling a million of them- Im a part-time jewelry fellow
with a ful time job that happens to make a good side income from
exposure in a primarily feminine environment with repairs and custom
work. but it definitely adds a dimension to any marketability!
Jo- you are absolutely right- I want my pieces to be solid. and the
Original Poster- YOU are right as well. its ALL in the perspective
and HOW you chose to market the item!
Kerri
Even though I work with less expensive materials (silver, CZ’s and
lower quality gemstones), I have to agree with Jo. I couldn’t send
anything out with unsoldered jump rings. Yes, sure you might want a
weaker, sacrificial link ona child’s necklace (or better still a
magnetic clasp), but I don’t feel it’s necessary on adults’
jewellery. Besides which, to me it looks ugly and unfinished, as well
as being a weaker product. Unsoldered jump rings jump rightout at me
when looking at pictures of jewellery.
Helen
UK
I was taught that the main reason for leaving one link on any chain,
bracelet, etc. was safety. If caught in some way, it will open
before it can injure the wearer. The advice was to use a heavier or
double ring for the safety ring.
I’m sorry but I have to disagree with you about leaving one link
unsoldered. I can’t begin to imagine sending out a bracelet I made
with an unsoldered link.
Yes, Jo, all of them, all the time. The curious notion about leaving
an open link because somebody, somewhere, somehow might snag
something hard enough to injure themselves, as opposed to easily
losing the piece because it’s just poorly made, is justanother one
of those poorly thought out school things that get propagated
through ignorance. If I can pull on it between my hands and break
it, then you need to do it again.
have to agree with Jo H.- it is incomprehensible, if I’m reading it
right, to leave a jump ring unsoldered for ANY reason-Therein lies
the rub with Orchid- Some people make their living metalsmithing, and
making jewellery with quality materials fabricated by hands run by a
brain containing a strong knowledge base/skill set- others are
hobbyists that are just learning themselves, and may have heard
something in a class and pass it on here- with good intentions,
though hardly good or good habits to get into.
Discerning what is a “best practice” and what makes absolutely no
sense becomes easier with time spent visiting this forum ! this "tip"
is a prime example of a really bad idea.
Using Orchid’s archive is a grossly overlooked reference: a wealth
of lies within the archive. Topics that have been hashed
and rehashed, debated to death and revisited can be found there. I
urge new visitors to check the archives with their questions as
opposed to dashing off a quick post without doing any research on
one’s own to see if a topic or a specific technique has been covered-
Often you will find in-depth descriptions, instructions and the pros
and cons of a material , brand, vendor or fabrication method and from
there you can get clarification if necessary. Of course Orchid is an
ever growing and changing community primarily composed of
professionals that come here to answer novice’s inquiries, and
everyone is welcome, and all opinions are allowed- it’s just that
some opinions should be dismissed- like this one, I can assure you no
professional would ever let a piece leave their bench or be sold to a
client without all the joins in tact and checked! There isn’t a
short-cut in fabricating a quality piece of jewellery whether or not
one’s livelihood depends on it!, My reputation would be seriously
affected if I missed something like joining a jump ring,
particularly where the stress is on a bracelet, necklace, etc. or
that there is no mention of that poster suggesting a safety chain or
mechanism after that comment…-Personally I am stunned, once again,
when i think of the work that must be out there after reading things
like intentionally leaving unsoldered links on, well, anything. When
fabricating a byzantine link bracelet out of work hardened heavy
gauge material I solder each link closed - painstakingly!! I believe
not making certain your work is the absolute best it can be
illustrates either laziness, a lack of training or is purely
amateurish. it was “obviously” bad advice!..rer.
Hi
I solder all jumprings, solderpaste is quick and easy.
except i always, on neck chains, use a catch that has an un-soldered
link.
if the chain is pulled and does not break the link comes open.
I recently did a PART course, Predict Assess and Respond to
Aggressive students, NOT JEWELLERY.
Neck chains can be deadly in the hands of an attacker. Or so they
say.
I have seen a chain that was broken, when a home invader tried to
choke the home owner.
A dumb thing to do in front of the family’s pit bull cross (usually
very tame and friendly), you can guess the rest.
It was a heavy chain and broke in two places.
Also accidents can happen, chains can choke. OK 1 in a million.
Better safe than sued. Also cheaper to replace a clasp than fix a
chain.
In my experience young children are the most likely culprits in
chain damage.
I believe safety of jewellery is up to the wearer.
Shiny earring + small child = ouch!
Richard
I made an assumption and should have been more clear. I do not work
in silver, bur use the base metals (brass, nickel and copper). Does
this change some of the feedback that has been offered?
thx
brenda