How To Solder Jewelry

By: Natalie Bodily

Soldering

Soldering is the process of joining two metal components through the addition of a filler metal. Interesting piece of trivia: The word solder comes from the Latin word solidare, meaning to make solid.

Where To Start

Things you need:

1.
2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

Soldering brick Welding torch Small tweezers Silver solder (wire) Borax flux Pickle

Soldering Brick

A soldering brick is a soldering surface that can withstand the high heat of the welding torch.

Welding Torch

Use a butane pencil torch for precision and pinpoint accuracy. Flames reach very high temperatures so practice safety and use caution.

Tweezers

A basic household item, tweezers come in handy when dealing with small and delicate jewelry pieces.

Silver Solder

Silver solder is a fusible metal alloy used to join together two or more metal pieces. Silver solder usually comes in a spool of long, thin wire and can be found in most craft stores or jewelry supply stores.

Borax flux

As the word flux suggests, borax flux is an agent which allows the molten solder to flow evenly over the joint of the metals Borax flux may be found at jewelry supply stores

Pickle

Not the food! Pickle is a weak acid that is used to dissolve oxides and flux from the metal after soldering

Getting Started

Cut solder into tiny chips using wire cutters Position your pieces on the soldering brick exactly as you would like them joined (tweezers may come in handy)

Let the Soldering Begin!

Apply flux to joint using small paintbrush. Be careful to apply it only where you need the solder to go (the solder will flow wherever the flux is applied) Position the solder onto the joint using a pair of tweezers. Place it directly onto the joint between the two metal components

The Fun Part

Fire up the torch! Move torch in small circles gradually moving flame closer to joint Focus on the silver solder until it reaches its melting point and moves into the fluxed areas

Pickle Bath

Sounds delicious but dont drink! Use a jar or bowl and mix a few drops of pickle with water Using string or copper wire lower metal pieces in pickle bath Never use steel with pickle bath Avoid getting pickle on skin and clothes

Rinse

After pickle bath, rinse jewelry off with water Pat dry with clean cloth

Conclusion

Welding and soldering can be a valuable skill that can be applied to many hands on and do-it yourself projects This skill takes practice but is not as difficult as it looks I like to use soldering for jewelry and look forward to expanding this skill set to larger projects