Can't get on with Borax Cone

[Joe]

That sounds worth-while on simple joints Carlton, but I'd have to grow a third hand to hold the solder! I almost always have my tweezers busy. But yes.... the hard silver solder in particular has a habit of flooding if I let there be any excess.

Do you not find that your solder gets horribly oxidised and in need of pickling? My 9ct solder especially looks like rusty old binding wire after it get hot! Is there a little trick, like dipping the hot solder in the pickle pot straight afterwards?

[Tabby66]

Hi Joe

When I solder a joint I never use Paillions because they might leave residue behind, I actually use strip solder touch it on the one end and it will travel across the seam provided the temperature is correct and if I solder a jump ring ect... I pick the ring up in my tweezers run the solder onto the base first before putting it onto my piece this prevents the solder running all over the place.
Carlton

Sorry Carlton, "strip solder", I'm not sure what you mean, I use pallions - but do get a problem of excess solder - what am I missing please? if I get excess solder I file/sand the excess away.

btw, I find a cocktail stick dampened with flux (or a touch of the tongue) picks and places small pallions well.

[Moon Willow]

Hi Joe

Instead of cutting small squares of solder I roll my solder to .3 mm and using shears I cut along the length of the strip leaving me with a piece 75mm x 2 mm long I then hold them in my spring tweezers flux my joint and touch the solder to the piece when it has reached the required temperature, if it doesn't run after a few seconds move the strip away and apply more heat untill it starts to run across the seam. Never put the solder into the flame just next to it the heat will draw the solder on.

When i do pick up the pallions I use tweezers the ends are filed at a 45% angle and to a point (not round) and I place the small pallions where i want, I guess it's just practice after 40 years and like most things if we all can do things first time wouldn't life be boring !!

Carlton

[Goldsmith]

Hi Carlton, I can remember the days when I had to use lengths of strip enamel solders when loading the two halves of a CBE badge stamping, then filing them flat, wiring them together and the soldering them into the double sided badge, I must have made over a thousand CBEs in my time.
James

[Moon Willow]

Ha ha Tell me about it , only I don't think I bothered cutting the solder I just dumped it in !! those C.B.E.'s took a lot of solder I reckon it doubled the price of them and filing them flat....what a nightmare.

Carlton

[Dennis]

Dear Miabelle,

Traditionalists use borax, but I have also met some rebels who use Auflux/Auroflux for both gold and silver. It can be bought in quite small bottles, is always ready to use and as a bonus it hardly bubbles at all. (Some use the more romantic term 'flowers'.)

I am on the side of the rebels in this and go with the Auflux, but as Carlton says, for easy solder I use easy flux which becomes active at a lower temperature. I am convinced in my own mind that when you use other fluxes with easy solder, small amounts of oxides form before the flux can work and hence it has been unfairly thought of as sluggish.

If you are new to soldering I also suggest you look here http://www.cooksongold.com/forum/hot...html#post39487 , Kind regards, Dennis.

[MiaBelleJewellery]

Thanks for all the suggestions. I given my dish a bit more patience this evening and used the brush and much less flux and it worked much better. Dennis, thanks for the link I'll read that tomorrow.

Many Thanks
Belinda

[Goldsmith]

Hi Belinda, One final tip from me if you cannot get on with the borax cone, a couple of my silversmith friends use Easy Flo flux powder, this is recommended to be mixed with water but one of my silversmith friends mixes it with meths. in a small pot to a paste wich he brushes on as a flux, the meths evaporates quickly when heated leaving the flux in place, he says this is cleaner for soldering and he has made some large pieces in his time. here is a link to Easy Flo flux powder. http://www.cooksongold.com/Jewellery...prcode-PZZ-010
I looked at your website and see you like natural subjects so I thought you might like to see some of my flowers.
James

[ps_bond]

Traditionalists use borax, but I have also met some rebels who use Auflux/Auroflux for both gold and silver. It can be bought in quite small bottles, is always ready to use and as a bonus it hardly bubbles at all. (Some use the more romantic term 'flowers'.)

I've been trying Auflux for a while now, but I have to confess I keep going back to the borax cone. In part, I think it's because I feel the paillons stick in place better, but also because I can see where the metal is properly fluxed more easily. Equally, I'll dip the metal in boric acid/methanol as a firecoat rather than Argotect (or use FM solution - a Prips-like mix). As for absorbent borax dishes - yup, mine did that too. After using it about a year, I think it clogged up with borax to the point that it no longer sucked all the water out immediately! I think I'll dig out a bit of slate and try that though.