[TheForge] repairing silver

Thu Jan 10 22:30:01 2002

At 03:05 PM 1/10/02, you wrote:

Harry has it right Ray. An inexpensive air/propane  torch will reach silver 
soldering  temps just fine.
Silver solder can be had in a succession of temperature ranges but you will 
only get a color match in the higher ranges.
To get the dinky pinpoint of flame you need, set the torch flame up next to 
the work, and blow gently across the flame ( near the bottom) with the 
smallest tube you can find. This will create a little jet of flame that you 
can direct exactly.
Silver solder is so sensitive to oil that even fingerprints will keep the 
solder from flowing. It is easy to overheat it too. Put a little chunk of 
solder in the flux next to the joint and heat from below till the silver 
flows into the joint.
Have fun.......Pete F

>Ray;  I make some silver Jewelry and find working with pure silver quite
>easy.  I just use some of the same material  when a weld is required and I
>just use regular plumbers solder flux and my Oxy Acetaline torch. The key to
>using silver solder I think is very clean surfaces and the right flux for
>the silver solder used.  You can get some low temp silver solder apparently
>that flows at 400 degrees and it is quite easy to use with a propane torch.
>Saw this on a knife makers video.
>
>Harry Foster
>Rusty Dog Forge
>
>
>
>-----Original Message-----
>From: [email protected]
>[mailto:[email protected]]On Behalf Of Ray Baker
>Sent: Thursday, January 10, 2002 10:26 AM
>To: theforge
>Subject: [TheForge] repairing silver
>
>
>I know it is not a material we usually use, but wondering - - -
>
>My son has a couple of inexpensive silver chains from which the clasps broke
>off. Can these be soldered (silver solder) or is the heat requirement too
>high for an ordinary soldering iron? Will the plumbing version of "silver
>solder" actually hold silver?
>
>Thanks!
>
>Ray Baker
>Frontier Forge
>Olympia, WA
>
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