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  1. #1
    Join Date
    Feb 2011
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    1,743

    Default Soldering disaster?

    Lo all, and happy new year!

    I wonder if anyone can advise on a soldering mishap I had. I had two commissions for collars (they ordered on the 9th in time for valentines day, then the wire I use was out of stock until end of last week, so I've been a bit ) and whilst the first one went well, I had problems fitting the staple for the fastening into the holes to rivet it. I did eventually manage it though. After, I filed the back down to solder a small silver plate over the rivets. I applied the heat and it was looking good until I turned the collar over and saw the solder had flooded through to the front. It actually looked quite good because it made smooth joins between staple and collar, but I need to get it off to be hallmarked tomorrow and I'm worried about the amount of solder on there and also about the colour difference. I've filed it down loads and then I put some more heat on it and there is clearly loads more solder on there.

    So, what i would like to know is, how do I know when I'm filing the solder off when I've hit silver, or is there a better way of doing it?

    cheers, in desperation, Liz

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Jul 2009
    Location
    Romsey
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    5,256

    Default

    Hi Liz - solder tarnishes at a different rate to silver - got any Platinol?

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Feb 2011
    Posts
    1,743

    Default

    no, I don't. I have some of that liquid liver of sulfur stuff though. I could use that couldn't I? If I hold it the right way up and heat it, what's the chances of the solder running back down to the back? Or is that being ridiculously optimistic?

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Jul 2009
    Location
    Romsey
    Posts
    5,256

    Default

    More or less the same stuff in behaviour, just smells worse. The melting point of the solder is now higher than when you put it on - I'd not try to get it to flow back that way. There's a Japanese tool called a hisage that can be useful for this sort of thing - it's a scraper, but I tend to find them easier to use than the traditional Western 3 cornered variety. No idea where you'd buy them - I make my own up from scrap bits of O1.

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Feb 2011
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    meh, the liver of sulfur stuff didn't work, but I think I've got it all off. teach me to work when tired.

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Dec 2009
    Location
    Central London
    Posts
    8,845

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    Actually, just gently heating until the solder shows up as darker should do it. After all, that's how you find the join in a ring. Dennis.

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