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Thread: Tix solder and possible skin reactions.

  1. #1
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    Default Tix solder and possible skin reactions.

    My wife has a much loved pair of earrings on which the post of one has broken off. Replacing normally would be no problem, but the design is the problem. The post is soldered to a small flat area just adjacent to and a part of a lattice of silver which has tiny semi precious stones embedded in it. I am sure the heat involved to silver solder would ruin the structure. I can’t see how to heat protect the lattice in any way. Thus I thought of TIX solder that I use for clock repairs. I can’t find any definitive advice on its allergy risk. Other alternative is to drill out the base of the post inserting a wire and epoxy resin glue the back of this new post. This wouldn’t be seen as there is a gap between the post plate and the lattice...like a pocket. Advice please.


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  2. #2
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    A picture of the back of the ear stud would help to show us the area available. Also what is the metal? Dennis.

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  4. #4
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    Default Tix solder and possible skin reactions.

    Right! Now I have seen the earring! In fact the post isn’t broken in either earring, but the posts have been bent repeatedly to get it to unlatch! I have had to re bend and straighten these posts so often over the years to give them sufficient contact with the other half of the earring so it can latch that now the receiving hole is worn so the earring post won’t latch. My idea is now to fix a longer post so that it will extend through the other half of the earring and out the other side! Then a normal butterfly can be used.
    The metal is 925 silver.

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  5. #5
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    Well David, it looks to me as if by straightening the post by a small fraction (moving it outwards) and possibly burnishing the edge of the rim to be sharper, the notch of the post will again engage the rim of the hole?

    If not I think I would immerse the fronts in a generous amount of protective paste and sweat solder a perforated disk over the hole, using extra easy silver solder solder, to renew the grip. Dennis.
    Last edited by Dennis; 07-09-2019 at 09:24 PM.

  6. #6
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    Errr yes....but...I think the problem will repeat itself. As you can see the earring is quite small and in the “struggle” of getting the earring off by depressing the post to unlatch, it will get bent yet again. With a longer post and a butterfly (which won’t be seen as it will be behind the ear lobe), this can be avoided. I know you are artistically and aesthetically correct. I am looking at this in a purely practical way.
    Either way I will need this protective paste....your recommendation please! I take it you certainly don’t like the idea of TIX solder!


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  7. #7
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    You can test the effect of Tix solder, by melting some on a small smooth edged piece of silver, cleaning off all flux and pickle, and taping it to your wife's inner arm for a day or so. Look for a red reaction.

    Heat pastes work well, but also make it more difficult to get enough heat to the soldering area, unless you have a smiths little torch, for instance. I prefer Technoflux, which comes in a tube.

    The reasons for my previous suggestions are:
    1. The difficulty of soldering on a new post without damage.
    2. Geometrically the length of the post and size of the hole are directly related. You might need an impossibly large hole to close the hinge over the post, but you might succeed with just a slot (in effect a two pronged fork). Dennis.

  8. #8
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    Thanks for you thoughts and advice. I will ponder further before I do anything.


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