Solder Paste HELPPPPPPPPPP

[Boo]

I think I'd sweat solder something like this.

I just did a pair of hammered rings with a nugget each, to match the circular nugget pendant in my albums and your technique worked a treat thanks - much more controllable solder this way. I did one that way yesterday by accident - in that the solder flowed but the nugget jumped out of position and didn't adhere properly, so I broke it apart and sanded the surfaces and re-fluxed and heated, hence asking about the soundness of putting solder between the surfaces and if paste was suitable for this sort of application.

I did it deliberately this time and when I came to join them I fluxed both surfaces and applied a little modest heat until the flux went gummy and stuck the pieces together enough to move them and removed the heat. I flipped them over so that the ring was on top of the nugget and the other side resting on a tuppence (I saw someone else make that suggestion here, so thanks) to keep it level and I could then apply the heat from the ring side which is much thinner and the solder flowed without risk of melting the thinner of the surfaces.

Worked a treat, nice neat join and no solder over the outer surface of the nugget.

Many thanks for sharing your knowledge, it's appreciated.

[Di Sandland]

Great when things work, innit

[Green Monster]

for what its worth. This works for me.
I only use the pastes, they can set into a hard ball if you heat the ball of paste to rapidly ( it oxidizes in some way and sets) as others have said once the paste is applied, warm the ring away from the joint, using reflected heat of your solder block if possible,, the heat working through the metal to the join allows a slower warm up of the paste allowing the moisture in the flux to evaporate off safely, it seems to be the rapid boil of moisture that causes the "setting effect", you will see the past then start to soften and flow and at the point swiftly move the heat towards the joint and the paste solder should "flash" over and into the joint, remove the heat as soon as it does, prolonged heating after flashing will weaken the solder.

hope that makes sense.

[Boo]

Great when things work, innit

Indeed. Felt like another rung up the ladder yesterday - still a long, long way to go though.

The finished earrings are in my album - the Sterling silver round nugget earrings on the maple leaf that should show first. Polished them up and finished them late last night.

I will definitely get some paste for rings, I find it impossible to cut a pallion small enough when you get a really good flush join, then you have to file all the excess off. So thanks for the various tips on it. We're going on holiday next weekend, so this is something I'll address when we're back.

[Di Sandland]

They're beautiful, Boo, and worth the small amount of anguish they caused.

[mizgeorge]

They're lovely Boo

[Emerald]

beautiful, very classy

[Boo]

Thank you kindly. The round earrings worked like a charm, everything went just right, it was a previous pendant I was making for me that I'd been unhappy with my solder control on. I was only even working on that because I'd made a mess of something else and was trying to rescue the materials and using it as an experiment. Testing with scrap never works for me as I know it doesn't matter, so I do my learning on proper pieces, if only for me to wear.

[Emerald]

you can also hammer (or if you are lucky enough put it through the roller) the strip solder to make it flatter and easier to cut into small pieces (this also helps to make it go further)

[Boo]

I do already hammer it, but find that cutting it is a bit of a hazardous experience. They either fly all over the place never to be seen again, or if you try and cup it with your hand, the blade-like slivers of solder tend to embed themselves into your flesh - unless anyone has any tips for doing a better job of it - it's possible that I'm missing a technique that they cover on day 1 at jewellery school And then I'll be all embarrassed in my incompetence.