Help customer collecting tomorrow _ solder mare!!

[impressions]

Hi everyone, I am having trouble with the solder situation! I am trying to solder cuff links, am using the cookson gold ones and following Munrosilvers video to a tee (or so I thought....) but the backs just fall off! What do you think is going wrong? I am using solder paste, am not heating the finding but lowering it onto the solder on the silver clay piece as per the video. The solder is def 'flowing' when I put the 2 bits together. HELP!!! Should I be heating the finding and link together and in place? Or is super glue the best option and then leave the country before the customer realises.......

My pieces are now starting to look messy and I am unsure what to do to recover them - do I file the left on solder off before I start again? And on that note how do I 'tidy' up the solder once they are attached (assuming I manage it). ;(

[mizgeorge]

I don't know the video you're referring to, and I'm assuming you're soldering sterling silver to fine (metal clay?), but yes, you need to bring both pieces up to temperature before the join will be made. As the cufflink finding is going to be much smaller than the base, you'd need to get far more heat onto the base, or you risk melting the finding. You can either use a third hand to put the finding in place and then heat the base (the reflected heat will usually be enough to heat the finding sufficiently), or preheat the base and then add the finding.

There's no reason why the previously applied solder can't be used unless it's really messy, in which case tidy up with by filing. If you use the right amount of solder, there should be very little tidying up to do afterwards - I wonder if perhaps you're using too much, which is easy to do with paste.

[Joe]

I think this the one where she applies the solder to the silver clay, heats it and then brings the finding in with tweezers...

Can you see if you have solder on the finding? If you don't have enough heat (and holding the finding with tweezers can cool it) you can end up coating the piece and not getting the finding hot enough for it to adhere, sort of the opposite problem to the one George describes.

You might also need to file the finding a tad to get an adequate contact surface because they're sometimes very curved. I would be inclined, with paste, to put a bit on the silverclay and a bit on the finding. If you then heat-up the finding until the paste melts over the end before you follow Murano's (fabulous) video, you can be sure that when next the solder melts, it will adhere firmly to both sides.

Clean-up is such a personal thing and depends a lot on the shape, visibility, finish...

Before you start - file the solder mess flat; pickle; abrade with fine emery. With cufflinks, you probably don't need to remove all the solder, but it should be smooth and neat.

After - a number 4 file, 1200 emery and then polish. Left solder will polish up invisibly if smooth, but then oxidise on top of the fine silver and be a noticeable stain later... not necessarily a problem on cufflinks.

[mizgeorge]

Joe, I think we're assuming the same problem - the finding isn't getting hot enough when bringing it in late.

[impressions]

I think you may have something!! The finding as as cold as cold - didn't know it needed to be heated!! Doh! The video just shows the heating of the cuff link.....I will try again and let you know! Thank you so much for your help.