Ashes pieces.

Hi,

I wonder if someone could advise please, really desperate for some help. I have made ashes pieces for a long time, though not so much recently. I make them by doing a base layer, then doing a middle piece with a cut out centre which I solder to base leaving a little area for ashes, then solder another layer to the top. Depending on the type of piece I might then add another layer. All sweat soldered.

Mostly it goes without a hitch, though have on the odd occasion had doming of the piece after soldering the top layer on and not really understood why, it's like it blows up. However am trying to make a piece now and have just had three attempts at it and the same thing has happened each time with it doming/blowing out. I have a couple of pictures here to show what I am doing. This is a bit messy, from a long time ago but this was a piece that worked fine. The only thing I can see that I am doing different there to the pieces I am doing now is I have added more ashes there than the pieces I am doing now, I left a little gap all around the edges as was worried about it being near the solder when I closed the 'lid' obviously didn't worry then! Would that make a difference?

I have always used paste solder and wondered if micro air gaps might be causing it - so tried with strip, if anything it was worse.

Can anyone shed any light please as is really disheartening and have someone who has lost their dog waiting for a piece that I seem unable to make when I have been able to do them generally fine before.

Thanks,

Edit to add, having done a search, and should have thought of this, I realise this can offend or is not to everyone's taste so best to avoid pictures and apologies to those who don't like the idea.

Karen

After doing a bit more searching on here, relating to other types of pieces but relevant, I'm guessing that it is about leaving edges around the ashes and therefore leaving air gaps that has caused the problem.

I think looking at that photo above I left a really tiny little channel - something I just thought about and then saw on the picture. I swear half my brain has melted since chemo! Don't know why I wouldn't have remembered doing that before. Not sure how I filled it though, if it was very small and in a discreet place, would a little glue inserted into the channel/hole after the piece was finished work just to seal the tiny gap off?

When you heat a chamber with contents of uncertain composition, steam and/or gasses will be formed and they have to escape somehow. So I would say a channel, say of 1.00mm diameter is essential, Karen. Without it certainty some internal pressure on heating might cause bulging, or incomplete soldering of the lid.
You can close it afterwards with a little gel superglue, such as Loctite Powergel, using the end of a fine saw blade, or if you are averse to that, tapping in a short piece of tapered wire, or both. Dennis.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Dennis

When you heat a chamber with contents of uncertain composition, steam and/or gasses will be formed and they have to escape somehow. So I would say a channel, say of 1.00mm diameter is essential, Karen. Without it certainty some internal pressure on heating might cause bulging, or incomplete soldering of the lid.
You can close it afterwards with a little gel superglue, such as Loctite Powergel, using the end of a fine saw blade, or if you are averse to that, tapping in a short piece of tapered wire, or both. Dennis.

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Thank you, as always, for your advise Dennis. I did go ahead and do this today before I got your reply and got much better results. Though my little channel was not as big as you have suggested so whether I get away with it for the final solder time will tell but so far much better. I will do it a little bigger next time. Thanks again. Karen