18 carat white gold solder

[Peter Farrow]

After forty years making jewellery, I still sometimes get tiny pin holes in 18 carat white gold solder joins. I use borax and it particularly happens with EWG500 solder. Has anyone got the magic answer ?

[Dennis]

I hesitate to offer advice to someone obviously more experienced than I am Peter, but when I hit a snag I do test pieces with scrap to look for a solution.

My first recourse would be to add a generous pinch of Tenacity No5 to the borax, which helps to prevent oxidation at higher temperatures.

Whatever you come up with, please let us know how you get on. Regards, Dennis

[Gemsetterchris]

I hesitate to offer advice to someone obviously more experienced than I am Peter.

Rubbish Dennis, time isn't a guarantee of expertise..you could spend 40 years doing it wrong
Then some bright spark finds a solution on their first week.

[Dennis]

Well, we'll see whether Mr Farrow replies Chris, but I do worry that in my eagerness to post here I'm spreading a lot of you know what. Dennis.

[Peter Farrow]

Thanks Denis, I'll give it a go, and don't worry, I've got a 14 year old son who already knows far more than I do !

[Gemsetterchris]

I've got a 14 year old son who already knows far more than I do !

I know that feeling when it comes to technical gadgets.
Mine are 12,10 & 3 & even the litte one can work the DVD remote better than me.

[edward soye]

Clean it and clean borax and alcohol and don't premelt the solder I have started to give the solder a light sand to clean it and if I can have the pieces really flush no gap. Prep then clean then borax then solder...

With busy days we can sometimes skip a step or two but then we end up adding more steps trying to fix our oversights.