soldering headpins

[Metalman]

You will probably need to get a torch for this.  There are small butane fueled torches you can get  [ฟ to ุ]  They work well as a small torch. You need to get the wire right at the tip of the inner bright blue part of the flame.  It will turn black - this is called fire scale.  If you used a borax flux, the sterling won't scale as bad and will clean up better.  The black without the flux should polish out although it will leave a bit of grayness in/on the metal.
I would recommend the Tim McCreight book 'The Complete Metalsmith' (R&T cat. #62-010) as a reference for you.  It has information on balling wire, torches, fluxes, pickling, and polishing - should be a help

[Russ Nobbs]

Borax flux is NOT the same kind as the acid flux used for stained glass.

For earwires you probably need 20 or 22 guage wire, for head pins for small hole gemstone beads you could use 24 or thinner.

Even with a torch, making clean looking balls at the end of a wire is not easy. Rings & THings co-owner, Dee Mueller, used to make them for her line of fine craft jewelry. She says they were never very uniform looking. Even with flux they tended to be pitted and rough. The pressure of the torch flame blows the 'blob' at the end of the wire away from you so it isn't quite centered. Her best ones were made with a small oxy/propane torch and the wire hanging down from a third hand.

Hand made ear wires on turquoise and silver earrings we used to sell also had a problem with pits on the teardrop balled end.  

If anyone reading this has better suggestions or tricks we'd all like to hear them!

[Christina]

I am trying to find a way to make little balls on the ends of sterling wire to create headpins, or earwires. I have tried a soldering iron and solder, but even the thinnest- 28 gauge wire- wont melt or accept the solder. I have melted the wire to create the balls with my gas stove, but the wire turns black, and it seems to waste a lot. Any info would be mucho appreciated. Thanks

[Christina]

Hi,
Thank you. I actually have this book, but havent checked it out for a while.Is borax flux pretty standard? The kind used in stained glass? Thanks for the help,
Christina