by Sara M. Sanford

Sara M. Sanford is a professional jeweler and founding member and past president of the Creative Metal Arts Guild in Portland, Oregon. Her detailed examination of soldering continues with this discussion.

SOLDERING BASICS

Solder Flux Flux Redux Fit and Cleanliness (a.k.a. solder will not fill gaps) Solder Joints and Placement Steady Soldering

nderlined in red and written in capital letters, the phrase “Solder will not fill gaps!” ought to be hung above every soldering bench. It is one of the most important but probably the most disregarded maxim in soldering, with predictable results.

Solder flows by capillary action. The narrower the joint, the more efficiently the solder will flow. And what gives you a narrower joint? A closer fit. This means that if you spend a little more time filing, sanding, and fitting, you will need to take less time cleaning up after soldering or redoing the solder joint. Here's one more saying to hang up there above your bench: “If you don't have time to do it right, where will you find time to do it over?”

In the past, my students have told me that my favorite phrase is: “Just a little bit more.” This applies to everything about making jewelry, but especially to making sure the fit of a solder seam is as close as is humanly possible. Unfortunately, the only way to achieve a close fit is through diligent work, which can be made easier by using the proper tools and supplies to accomplish the job at hand. Having the correct shape of file to get that notch just right, for example, or the appropriate grit of abrasive paper will make the task much easier, but it is still up to you to do it right - and the savings in time, effort, and frustration are well worth it.

The secret to a good solder joint lies in the preparation: being sure the fit is as close as possible is the first step. The second step should be cleanliness. Solder will not flow over a dirty area, so thoroughly cleaning the parts to be joined is essential. And both the flux and the solder must also be clean, or the joint may be contaminated.

Flux does not like to stick to a shiny surface, so if you are joining two polished parts, use abrasive paper or an abrasive wheel on the flexible shaft to slightly roughen the areas to be joined. Then the flux will stay in place without balling up. This is also a way to be sure that you have a clean surface, free of grease or oxides.

One of the best habits to get into is washing your hands each time you clean the metal parts you are working with. Boraxo™ or other slightly abrasive hand soap is the best I've found for removing polishing compounds and other grease from your hands. For those with sensitive skin, a less abrasive cleaner might be used, although I've never met a true “hands-on” jeweler with a perfect manicure!

Before it is cut, clean the sheet or wire solder with fine steel wool or a Scotch Brite™ pad. I keep precut pieces of sheet solder in small hinged plastic boxes on one side of my soldering bench, separated by kind of metal and melting temperature. For medium silver solder, which I use the most of, I even have different boxes for various sizes of pallions: tiny, small, medium, and large. This saves me from hunting through a box of mixed sizes when I need just one.

Because I usually dip my moist flux brush into the solder, the box and pallions become sticky over time. To remedy this, I clean them in my ultrasonic cleaner using a small, stainless steel, mesh container that is designed for cleaning tiny watch parts. Then I thoroughly clean the plastic box as well. A stainless steel, mesh tea strainer spoon will work also, but the mesh is not as fine as the watch part container, and tiny pieces of solder may fall out.

Over the last several months, we have covered the five basics of soldering: solder (“Solder,” December 1998), flux (“Flux,”April, 1999; elaborated on by jeweler Falk Burger in “Flux Redux,” June 1999), heat (feature story “The Heat Is On,” July 1999), and here, “Fit and Cleanliness,” a.k.a. solder will not fill gaps.

Let me repeat: If the optimum conditions are maintained in each of these five areas, the soldering process will go smoothly. It is when we begin to “fudge,” or get sloppy, that things go wrong. But knowing why something happens will let us solve the problem quickly. Even the pros sometimes have to go back to basics!

Next time, we will move on to techniques, and then to tools and accessories.

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