Dear Everyone
I'm a newbie jeweller so please bear with me! I am trying to solder a post to a fine chain, actually two posts (one on each end) and a 'U' shaped piece of wire in the middle. I haven't been successful on flat surface (the chain keeps moving), well I haven't been successful at all. Does anyone has any tips on how to do this? it's funny - I can't seem to find any online tutorials even though these earrings are incredibly popular...
Sometimes you can make life easy and buy the findings!?
I take it you are talking about earring posts. With the U-shaped wire you might solder it while straight and bend the U when finished.
So first of all flux and melt a little solder onto the ends of the wires to form blobs. I prefer a liquid solder such as Auroflux, which does not expand and bubble.
Then, lay the wires flat on or very close to the fluxed end of the chain, preferably in a long shallow groove scratched into the block.
This will keep them all aligned. Heat with a smallish bushy(not fierce) flame until the solder just flows, joint by joint. Don't be in a hurry. The long wire will need to be heated all over before concentrating on the ends, first one and then the other.
Work in semi darkness so as to see you are not heating one part more than another.
By holding some tweezers in your dominant hand and your torch in the other, you can also nudge a wire closer if you detect a separation. Dennis.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Dennis
Hi Denis,
Thank you for that, I have just tried this past weekend and it worked 3 out of 4 - so much greater success rate than previously. I will try and practice more until it is easier and they look perfect (at the moment they are slightly uneven) but big thank you for the tip!
Good, practice is everything, provided you don't do the same thing over and over when it's not working.
For fine work it is often easier to use a softer flame, by reducing the air hole. This makes it cooler and slower, but the solder flows more evenly. Dennis.