Gold solder meting the gold/ item?

[Gold grace]

Hi I have recently started working in gold and have had a few problems with my soldering, it either seems to not have got hot enough so hasn't worked or suddenly gets too hot and the solder appears to melt the gold and into the surrounding area. It happens really quickly and leaves the join in a right mess with a big dip. Can anyone help advise? I have been using easy solder.
I thought it woud be the same as silver soldering but I have never experienced anything similar with silver solder.

[Goldsmith]

You didn't say what size item you are soldering. In the past when I have seen people with this problem it was caused by them using too fierce a solder flame on their gas torch and heating the solder joint mostly so that the solder and joint get hot before the rest of the metal. I always use a soft flame on my torch and heat the whole of the item slowly bringing the solder seam gradually up to the solder melting point temperature. I also use a borax cone and water to mix up my flux for soldering and make sure the whole soldering joint is covered as well as coating the solder piece in flux before applying it to the solder joint.

James

[Dennis]

Yes James has sussed it out and there is little to add. Your torch is too small for the size of the piece, so you are over-heating the solder, but it won't flow. Dennis.

[angmc]

I thought when soldering gold you didn't need to heat the whole piece like you do with silver and could just aim the flame at the area to be soldered? I've not done any gold to gold soldering yet so just wanted to clarify?

Angela

[Dennis]

I thought when soldering gold you didn't need to heat the whole piece like you do with silver and could just aim the flame at the area to be soldered? I've not done any gold to gold soldering yet so just wanted to clarify?

Angela

That's what they say say in books, but James is a professional with a lifetime of experience and treating gold just like silver has spared me a pot of waste. Dennis.

[CJ57]

I don’t really work in gold but having been trying out something with thin gold sheet in an effort to melt it into fine silver if you aim the torch at it it does melt and if you heat the whole piece it behaves completely differently.
I would take James advice above anything else on working with fine metal

[angmc]

Very interesting. I'll definitely bear this advise in mind when I do get around to working with gold.