Yet another soldering question

[Russ Nobbs]

Hi Luann!

Yes,  you can solder sterling silver jump rings with a simple soldering iron but ONLY using soft (tin based) solder. A fine tipped electronics type electric soldering "pencil" is perfect for this. Just use a new tip or element for jewelry and save the other one for rosin/electronics solder. The acid flux is NOT good for electronics work and vice versa.

A soldering gun or electronics type temperature controlled soldering "pencil" is sufficient  for soft soldering jumprings. In fact, a torch produces too much heat and too wide a flame for the precision control needed for soft soldering a jump ring.

The soft tin based solders like StaBrite and Tix are adequate for jump rings. But, as I keep warning, they will cause problems on sterling silver jewelry that might need to be repaired with a torch at a later date.  It's worth experimenting sometime with a small piece of scrap silver sheet. Put a drop of StaBrite flux on the silver. with a soft flame or with a soldering iron, melt a little StaBrite solder onto the center of the scrap sheet. Now take your torch and heat up the whole scrap of silver.  Just before it starts to get a little cherry color you will see a ragged hole appear in the sheet. This is the tin making a low melt alloy out of the silver and melting away!  Until you see this it is hard to believe that a tiny contamination from tin solder can do so much damage to a sterling silver piece.

For HARD soldering with silver based solders (easy, medium and hard) you MUST use a torch, even for a tiny jump ring. HARD soldering like you did with the acetyline/air torches can only be done with high temperature torches or lasers.  

Does that clear up your question?

--Russ

[Russ Nobbs]

Quote

Quote: from Luann Udell on 3:45 pm on April 19, 2004  the difference between "soft" solder and the soft end of the hard solder spectrum (also called soft solder), which confused me.

That's IT!  That's the really confusing part of this whole discussion.  That's why I talk about the 3 types (or 3 temperature ranges) of HARD solder as "easy," "medium" and "hard" and only use the word "soft" when referring to tin based soft solders like  Tix and StaBrite.  I'll try to make that distinction more clearly from now on. Thnak you!

Tim's McCreight's books are very helpful. I strongly suggest them and Bruce Knuth's "Jeweler's Resource."

[Luann Udell]

Flush from the excitement of my first jewelry soldering class this weekend, I've been tearing through all the older posts on soldering.  They say there are no stupid questions, but this one may qualify.

I plan to use only very simple techniques to supplement my current level of jewelry-making.   I work mostly with sterling silver and some gold-filled findings & wire.  I want to 1) solder sterling jumprings closed; 2) make my own ear wires; 3) make simple clasps by melting "beads" at the ends of wire and shaping & possibly soldering into simple S hooks.  

I was introduced to many wonderful tools and techniques I'd never mastered as a self-taught designer, but now I'm confused about soldering options.

We used acetyline/air torches to do hard soldering.  I recognize I will need this amount of heat (perhaps starting with the small butane torches at first, then building up to an actual torch set-up.)

But after rereading these older posts, I'm still not getting something.  Can you solder sterling silver jump rings with a simple soldering iron?  Can you only use soft solder with a soldering gun and is that sufficient for the task?  And will I need a jewelry-specific soldering gun, or will a finer tipped one for electronics soldering work as well?

Thank you,
Luann
aka "The More I Learn, The More I Find I Don't Know...!"

[Luann Udell]

Yes, Russ, especially since I took Polly's (?) advice from another solder post and bought Tim McCreight's book yesterday.  

I just learned the difference between "soft" solder and the soft end of the hard solder spectrum (also called soft solder), which confused me.  Also, we used the big acetyline/air torches to solder jump rings in the class, which did indeed seem like overkill!

It's weird to me that such a physically-straightforward technique (as in science physics) could result in so many versions of how to proceed.  I guess, like anything else in life, the variables are infinite, and thus the problem.  

I'm guessing the trick is to practice, practice, practice, ask questions, ask questions, ask questions, read Tim's book, read Tim's book, read Tim's book and KNOW YOUR MATERIALS.

Am I getting warm?  ;^)
Luann

[Metalman]

Luann,

The trick with 'hard' soldering is to do a lot for a while.  Once you get the trick, you'll have it pretty much for life.
The other hint I have is cleanliness.  Clean shiny bright metal makes a big difference in soldering [soft or hard]