Balling up brass?

[FVT]

Having tried a bit of silver balling up, I wondered how easy it is to do the same with small bits of brass? Any advice appreciated, before I do any damage to myself or the furniture?! I only have a butane torch, so not sure if I need something more powerful, or any other safety precautions...also any advice on soldering brass with copper/silver would be much appreciated

[Dennis]

In response I went straigt to my bench and balled about 1mm of 1mm dia. brass wire using a mini torch. I don't have any borax handy , so I added a small pinch of Tenacity No 5. If I Wanted a good crop I would make tiny jump rings (not soldered) and melt those, so that the balls were of matching size. Kind regards, Dennis.
Balls roll, so work in a metal dish to contain them.

[FVT]

Hi Dennis,

Thanks very much for being my guinea pig :-) I did try to reply last night but it seems to have vanished. I've not heard of Tenacity No.5...sounds like a perfume ;-) I have a borax cone, would I just paint a bit onto the wire first? Is brass like copper in terms of firescale etc? Someone pointed out to me that the fumes can be pretty nasty with brass...should I work outside?!

Cheers again :-)

[Dennis]

Yes, borax will be fine. I am not aware of any caveats regarding brass, but heating, soldering and pickling should be done in a ventilated area. I also use the base of a cheap barbecue for a hearth. Kind regards Dennis.

[mizgeorge]

Just to repeat what Dennis mentions last - if you're heating brass to solder or melt, ensure you have really good ventilation, and ideally extraction.

[Lindyloo]

I also use the base of a cheap barbecue for a hearth. Kind regards Dennis.

That's interesting Dennis. Did you have to cut through the front of it to create an opening? How did you do it?

[Dennis]

Hi Lida,
I'm too lazy to take a photo and post it tonight, but it is like an outsize roasting pan, rectangular and made of heavy metal. In addition it has a higher back and sides which have been slotted in.
It is big enough to hold a number of soldering bicks and other gear and looks a right mess. I do not use the grill and legs that came with it.
To solder on I have a tripod with the legs cut down, so that the top is just above the rim of the pan. On the tripod I usually have my brick, or some metal gauze, or a larger refractive board.
Kind regards, Dennis.

[Lindyloo]

I get the picture. Perhaps one of those lazy susan (swiveling) style soldering boards might be a good idea too. Great idea for melting metal and keeping the heat in.