Wholesale Jewelry-Making Supplies for Professional Craftspeople
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How do I use the silver solder listed in the Rings & Things catalog?
What kind of solder is used to assemble costume jewelry?
The terms "soft" solder and "hard" solder are confusing depending on the context in which they are used.
Much costume jewelry is held together with "soft" solder — a tin based low melting temperature solder, applied using an electric soldering iron. This is similar to the rosin core tin/lead solder used for electronics and the acid core tin/lead solder used by plumbers.
Silver and gold jewelry is assembled using "hard" solders and a torch — usually oxy/propane or oxy/acetylene. "Hard" solders are alloys of silver or gold that melt at slightly lower temperatures than sterling silver or the various karat alloys of gold. The confusion arises because the lowest temperature "hard" solder is sometimes called "soft" solder. A better term might be "easy" for the lowest temperature hard solder. "Hard" solder typically comes in "easy," "medium" and "hard" grades. A complex piece would be started with hard solder, the next elements would be applied using "medium" solder an the last parts tacked on with "easy" solder. This way the solder holding the first elements would not flow or move when the rest of the parts are assembled.
The "hard" solders we carry are listed next to the sterling wire in our catalog. You DO need a flux to use them. Flux is available separately.
The "soft" solders used in the home or the electronics industry are not formulated for use on jewelry. Instead, a silver-bearing tin-based solder made specifically for jewelry is available. Rings & Things carries the Staybrite® soft solder (R&T item #69-092). Staybrite comes complete with a special flux that cleans the surfaces and makes for a strong bond. The other common brand is called "Tix" solder.
Staybrite jewelry solder is available in the Rings & Things showroom and can be sold to any customer. Staybrite can be used with a small electronics type soldering iron, a soldering gun or iron, or, very carefully, with a torch.
A note of warning: If you use a tin-based "soft" solder on a piece of silver jewelry you can never use a torch and hard solders on it again. When you heat silver that has had tin based soft solders used on it, the area around the tin solder amalgamates with the tin and melts away. The tin and silver combine to become a very low temperature melting alloy. Your piece can be destroyed under heat as the metal melts away from the soft solder patch.
By the way, the correct spelling is SOLDER, although we always pronounce it "sodder."