Roma Buchanan's quicky jumping soldering guide.

Info from the Romazone!

I will have a instructional DVD on Soldering & Setting available in May 08

If you find this guide useful please vote yes at the bottom of the page. Tools needed for this guide are a micro torch, solder pad, heat shield so the table you are soldering on is not harmed with excess heat. Silver solder paste Extra Easy. Locking tweezers with fiber handle. Quench dish with water. Soldering should be done in a well vented area. You can use a small fan near by facing away from your work area if you plan to do several solders. It is  a good ideas to have a fire extinguisher handy too.

The silver items you want to solder must be completely clean. No body oils, tarnish, oxidation etc. All these things act as a solder resist. Solder will only flow onto clean silver. The easiest way to accomplish this is with pickle solution. However,  you can clean the item if needed with fine steel wool then rinse with soap and water then dry well.

I suggest you use Extra Easy solder paste because it has the flux already mixed in and the lowest flow temperature of 1205 degrees. In order for the solder to flow, the jumpring and the solder must reach the flow temp at the same time. First make sure the jumpring is firmly and properly closed. The torch must have a sharp blue flame not a soft fluttery one. On the micro torch the tip of a sharp blue flame is the hottest & what you want to use. If you use the flame too close or too far away from the sharp tip you will overly oxidise your silver during the solder process.

Put a dab of solder on your solder pad. Place the joint of the j-ring on top of th dab but do not squish it all the way down onto the pad. Move the torch flame in small circles dime to nickle size to a waltz tempo Making sure the flame travels over the j-ring with each pass. If you hold the torch in one spot you risk melting the jumpring. Heat the ring in circular movements. The moment the solder flows remove the heat. I suggest practicing on some scrap wire to get the feel for how solder flows and how quickly small items heat. I teach one day intensive workshops in wire and metal arts in Dallas Texas.

Thanks

Roma Buchanan