Thank you all for your enthusiasm! - I'm touched, (Probably in more ways than one!)
Here are answers to most of the questions asked.
Oh I love it, so cute do you have a laser soldering machine?
If not bloomin eck!
Nic xx
No laser soldering, just a Smiths 'Little torch' using Propane/Oxygen, a couple of charcoal blocks,my trusty tungsten soldering pick and Auflux (fluorine based liquid flux).
Wow all that soldering!! What order did you do it in and how many pieces did you solder at one time <:)-? You should have done a pictorial tutorial for us! Do it again, do it again, do it again pleeeeeease :agree: :-D
Soldered cage ribs together at top - Hard solder
Flooded Hard solder on to cap before fitting
Soldered cap on top to cover joint using solder already applied
Soldered strengthening band around centre - at 8 points, one per rib. - Hard Solder
Soldered ring to top of cap - Medium Solder
Soldered centre wire to centre of the base - Hard Solder
threaded bead on to centre wire
Positioned Base / Centre Wire / Bead assembly in cage
Soldered top of centre wire to inside top rib - Easy Solder
Inverted cage and clipped ribs to length
Soldered each rib to base - 8 joints - Easy Solder
Buff and Polish
Finished!
you soldered it with the bead in place? how so? I would've though it couldn't stand the heat and melt/crack/break.
As long as the torch isn't aimed at the bead, it's fine - though the bead did change colour to a dull red when soldering the base on - but returned to it's proper bright red as it cooled back down.
Using a small nozzle, keeping the flame tiny and oxidising (hissy and hot!) kept the time per joint to a minimum, which probably helped.
It doesn't get anywhere near enamelling temperature or glass melting temperature. I allowed it to cool in air - no throwing it in the pickle until it had cooled right down, so cracking was unlikely - if it had been more expensive than a red glass bead, I might have been more worried!
Oh, what a cutie! Yes, tell us how you did it.........please.:xmas-):
I tried putting a pictorial tutorial in before, but found I was limited to 4 photos per Post which is a bit limiting so I didn't bother.
The message I got was
You have included 5 images in your message. You are limited to using 4 images so please go back and correct the problem and then continue again.
Images include use of smilies, the BB code [img] tag and HTML <img> tags. The use of these is all subject to them being enabled by the administrator.
Is this still a limit?
'cos a tutorial will need more than 4 images.
If there is somewhere in the forum where I can post a longer tutorial with multiple images, I could be persuaded to make another one, and photograph each stage.
Cheers
Dave