Soldering Mixed Metals

Soldering Silver to Copper

pg. 103

Materials

Copper Disc (1"/2.54 cm diameter - 18 gauge/1.02mm)

Sterling Wire (14 gauge/1.63mm)

Soldering Equipment: flux, torch, pickle, tweezers

Hard Solder Pallions (silver)

Easy Solder Pallions (silver)

Mandrel

Needle File or Flex Shaft

Stainless Steel Binding Wire

Mallet

Cutters (super flush)

Safety Glasses

Steps to Success

1. Cut the silver wire to the desired length and shape it into a circle on your mandrel using your hands and mallet. Overlap the ends of the wire and then cut the wire so that the two ends sit flush against one another.

2. Place a pallion of hard silver solder under the seam, flux the join and solder your ring together.

3. Pickle your ring and make sure your copper disc is clean before proceeding.

4. Flux the copper disc and place the silver ring into position with pallions of easy solder under and inside the ring. - as you will see I used WAY TOO MUCH solder and ended up with a solder mess!! Take care not to put too many pallions inside the circle; placement under the wire is much better and keep the pallions small - please learn from my mistakes!!


5. Place the disc on the coiled binding wire (you can coil your binding wire with a  pair of round nose pliers and then connect the two ends together to create a sort of 'nest' for your piece)

6. Heat the disc from underneath until the solder flows. Again - please learn from my mistakes here and do not heat the piece on the top or the sides as this allows the solder to create little pools of silver all over the copper disc!


7. Pickle - rinse and clean up the excess solder with your file or flex shaft.

Well, I surely did not master this one! I had a lot of fun though and am sure that my next attempt will be much cleaner in its finished form. I have not applied the resin yet, as promised; and may not do so seeing as my finished piece is not exactly what I had in mind as far as the look of it!!! See you next time!

art is sexy,