Soldering Surfaces - Soldering and Making Your Own Jewellery At Home

The surface you decide on to solder upon plays such an important part in the technique that if you choose incorrectly then you will have major problems.
Andrew Berry shows you several surfaces to choose from and whilst they all seem to do the same job, they are not all the same.
Andrew shows you many hints and tips that he has gained from his experience as a professional goldsmith.
Andrew Berry, a professional jeweller for 30 years, is the training director of www.AtTheBench.com, an award winning on line jewellery training website.

[@maangela]

You are great! You give me hope.. I've dreamt about making jewelry for a long time now, but unfortunately made the wrong choices when I was younger. Now I'm making my dream come true through wire jewelry which requires easier techniques. All I do is self taught and discovered you when I needed to learn about the use of the torch, a short while ago. Since then I've been fascinated with your videos, and clear and thorough explanations, that I am starting to follow to start slowly learning about the art of making jewelry and I know that with you as my teacher, this will one day be possible. Thank you for your work.

[@workwithnature]

That people will frown on charcoal blocks is crazy, when all they need to do is plant a tree in their back yard to compensate a life time use. We should be using more reusable resources, not less. By the way have looked at a lot of your videos. You do a great job, thanks. One thing that may be interesting for the viewer is showing how to make more difficult items, like rings with elaborate designs.

[@mellio9077]

Andrew: kiln bricks work great, I use them for soldering all the time. I make mini ovens out of them too if I’m annealing large pieces of metal. There is more than one kind of brick: You have to get the soft bricks used in ceramic kilns which reflect heat, and not the kind used in wood stoves, which absorb heat, and are harder.

[@dalulacolour]

What kind of material is the 6"x4"x1" soldering brick that you favor at the end of the video? Is it Silquar, Solderite, Vermiculite, Megnesia, what? I'm looking for a thicker solder brick than just the average 1/2 inch or so without using charcoal. By the way...I just recently came across your "At The Bench" channel. Awesome instruction, I have really learned a great deal. Thanks Andrew.

[@allanthompson9695]

Thanks Andrew and All. Lots of options.

[@BellaCollezione]

Please, can you give us the name of the blocks. Its really hard to find only under Soldering Boards and blocks. I really would like to have a hard one that could last forever, thank you.

[@annettecroshaw7641]

Always useful videos Andrew! Thank you, I learn loads from you!

[@parissoliz658]

Which is the solder board you chose named? Link!? Please ty.

[@tammygurl64]

Hi. I've been studying and now I'm finally ready to buy a solder block. I'm going to try my hand at fusing Argentium (it's cleaner) or Fine Silver wire with a butane torch to make a Peacock Link Bracelet but when I Googled "Solderite" there's 2 kinds (hard or soft) to choose from. Also the bracelet tutorial says to use kiln bricks and that absorbs heat instead of reflecting it (IF I understood you correctly). I want to get a block that can be used for both soldering or fusing. Which block is best? Hard or Soft Solderite or kiln brick? Or does it matter? Thank you so much! Cheers! 🙂

[@chiarabianchi8545]

What about safety? Fumes from soldering and pickle? Do you use an extractor fan and mask? Thanks

[@corinabluland6355]

Hi Andrew Thank you for your informative videos. Can the online graphite ingot moulds be reversed and used as a charcoal block or will it react differently to heat/soldering than charcoal?

[@shinobidef]

Thank you! Love your videos. I use a fire brick for annealing - is that unsuitable for soldering? A US video recommended a fire brick for beginners (though perhaps they're referring to something else)? Also, what do you think of soldering wigs?

[@BruceBrandt59]

Hi Andrew, I truly am learning a great deal from your videos. I have a question that I hope you will answer. Can I cut and resize a cast made bezel. Will the cast made bezel solder well?

[@saltymemesmith]

Hi Andrew, Will the Honeycomb reflect the heat as efficient as one of the regular blocks? Do you use More energy soldering on a honeycomb? Thank you.

[@WomansMidlifePeace]

Great video, Andrew! Very thorough. My only question is whether I should buy soldering board that's hard or soft. Can you tell me the difference, please? I solder and braise copper only.

[@Iknowonlywhatimtaught]

A large juice can makes a good source of material make a great block holder. I cut the can bottom and top off and split the can down the seam and hammered in flat. It real easy, tin is not hard to bend flat with little tapping with a hard rubber mallet. I transferred the measurements to the now flat tin and cut a square in each corner and score the tin to make a fold. Once flooded I took some lead free solder and secured the corners. I file and sand the edges and install my block in. Keeps bench clean

[@fhorst41]

Charcoal is Sequestered Carbon that is not currently reacting in any great way with the atmosphere. I'm not sure where or when you've been taught to think of it in a negative way, but most charcoal is made from recyclable or repurposed or byproduct material, so its not environmentally unsound, but quite the opposite. Love learning from your videos, but I think you've got the wrong impression about charcoal being unsound.

[@AnneAndersonFoxiepaws]

Oh me my sister and I have a large area of inherited woodland and when we get some of it logged to plant new indigenous trees the most disheartened thing is that the majority go for pulp. I would be happy to think charcoal blocks for jewellery making was the end result. Anyway I use charcoal, I am not very experienced but I do know what works for me and believe me, as an owner of forestry I for one don't frown upom you using charcoal!

[@soledadverduga6015]

I use pumice for soldering and it's great too so far 👩🏻‍🏭👩🏻‍🏭

[@brittanywitt640]

You can take those charcoal and solderite boards outside, get some 80 grit, or so, sandpaper and sand down the dirty surfaces making them like brand new again. Save you money and less waste!

[@mellio9077]

Good tip! Thanks! If you use soft kiln bricks (which do reflect heat, I use them all the time) you can rub two of them together to “sand” off the crusts of flux that accumulates over time.

[@gabrielcornea9119]

and if you do that under water, that prevents you from inhaling the dust

[@shirleymason7697]

Very useful. Picked up something new. Thank you.

[@garethbaus5471]

Honestly I don't understand why people have an issue with charcoal blocks, they are produced with an essentially negligible amount of environmental damage relative to what a normal person causes going about their day to day life. If you were really worried about it jewelry is probably the wrong hobby or job for you, and if you just wanted to minimize your evironmental damage while still creating jewelry you are probably better off getting some solar panels and an electrolysis setup to power an oxyhydrogen torch instead of using butane or propane.

[@keyakamat]

Hi Andrew, Thank you for your wonderful videos. Would you say a turntable/lazy susan soldering surface is a necessity? And if yes, what kind would you recommend? What do you use? I haven't seen you use one in any of your videos thus far...

[@jerrythorpe5540]

Hi Andrew, could you provide a link for the UK or Europe for purchasing the ceramic chips you mention in the video - I can't find them on sale in my useful online suppliers?

[@flyingcheff]

Can that "retired" block of Solderite be sanded down and refreshed?

[@mikema9311]

The last 4x6 block was it solderite ?

[@ronwuertley4435]

After using a charcoal block and you can still feel heat coming off it, do you wet the block to stop it from burning up?

[@shannonhamblin9892]

Do you have a video that shows all of the tools you need to start making fine jewelry?

[@kazoosc]

one of the playlists on his channel > > kzbin.info/aero/PLv9bA6sQ0iWEfQQlhUwbz7l8fGj1il9gT or his web site/educational program linked in the description

[@mary-annkieckhaben5026]

Thank you

[@winterdreams274]

In place of the ceramic chips which we do not have, some of us place kitty litter in a disposable pie tin and wet it. It serves the same purpose, though being a beginner I don’t know yet if there is a negative to using such.

[@gabrielcornea9119]

it can work if it doesn't explode in your face. Wear safety goggles and stay safe

[@lenastiward8657]

Why do you wet it?

[@jude1515]

Are the bricks also called condensed fiber blocks.

[@mrbellman01]

Hi guys. Can I use perlite in my annealing pan instead of vermiculite?

[@luchovera2464]

Thanks so much. Love from y

[@jeannettesalazar6442]

Thanks😊

[@flyingcheff]

what is the EXACT name of the ones you love?

[@FranconiaFriend]

Is the charcoal made from some rare tree? Seems use of trees for building purposes must far outweigh use for making charcoal bricks.

[@davecowart7647]

you did not say what those last blocks were made of. Vermiculite ?

[@mikema9311]

Was the last brick..a magnesia board...??

[@BlueSkySusan]

Yes, I think so, I have some like that and they were the magnesia ones. Great for digging holes in, but so much mess.

[@dancingwithnature5303]

@@BlueSkySusan True! You can easily carve little channels in it to hold your work. The dust really becomes a problem for me though.

[@barryblack1411]

Just wondering if 'fire bricks' will work for this? They are only about $1.50 each here and seem to work for me but I don't know if they are absorbing any of the heat or not.

[@mellio9077]

Barry Black Hi Barry, kiln bricks work great, I use them for soldering all the time. I make mini ovens out of them too if I’m annealing large pieces of metal. There is more than one kind of brick: You have to get the soft bricks used in ceramic kilns which reflect heat, and not the kind used in wood stoves, which absorb heat, and are harder and smooth. I paid about $4 per kiln brick from a ceramic supplier. If they are only $1.5, you might be looking at the wrong kind -don’t buy from hardware stores they probably only have the wood stove kind.

[@w5cdt]

What about a refractory brick from a fireplace?

[@samantha-janekatz1638]

@Andrew Berry, Quite new to this! Can I solder on a concrete block? It's just a plain concrete slab. I'm finding that no matter how well I prep my area, flux, try different torches- my solder takes ages to flow! Could it be my surface? I am trying to 'perfect' a gallery setting but it takes so long to solder some parts that I end up melting my prongs :( Much love and light!

[@Atthebench]

Samantha-Jane Katz No. you need a proper soldering surface. Concrete will absorb the heat. You need a surface that will reflect the heat. A proper soldering surface, sheet/pad is the correct surface to use

[@samantha-janekatz1638]

Thank you Andrew!

[@bfflorida2311]

Andrew Berry , to add ...Concrete also can blow up under heat ...

[@gabrielcornea9119]

@@Atthebench what is the name of the correct soldering block material, Sir? Thank you in advance and greetings from Denmark

[@Atthebench]

Gabriel Cornea I get my boards from www.bettsmetalsales.com/soldering-boards you should be able to get the same boards in your country too

[@gabrielcornea9119]

I love your videos, Sir, but you forgot to tell us which exact materials are the good ones made of. You just flapped them around and I have to guess what are they made of and who is selling them

[@Atthebench]

These are the boards I would recommend www.bettsmetalsales.com/soldering-boards but you can get them in your own country

[@gabrielcornea9119]

@@Atthebench thank you very much, Sir. Best wishes from Denmark!

[@randymurray934]

There is no description but i think they are made from Solderite, Just search Solderite Solder Blocks

[@robinmorritt7493]

Brilliant!

[@michellezevenaar]

how do you tell apart different types of solder? I have a few that are now mixed up.

[@vwall001]

Michelle Bennett I think the only real way to know is to time how long they take to melt and compare them

[@manonhernaez3111]

Can I use granite tile?

[@lancebon2931]

A sardine can is what I use to keep blocks together

[@pijnto]

Gave up using charcoal years ago because of the ridiculous prices

[@mellio9077]

przybyla420 Yes but it needs to be compressed charcoal for soldering purposes. so it’s better to just buy it. They are only about $20. If you take good care of your charcoal block it can last a long time. wrap binding wire around the perimeter to support it, and spray it with water after soldering, so it cools any embers down. This is safer for you, and increases longevity of the block. the reducing atmosphere of the charcoal is a good choice for working with sterling to decrease chances of firescale.

[@heleenhoogenboom1793]

My little torch burns the blocks when the flame is ón the block eben the honeycomb ones.

[@leeannwilloughby9397]

Heleen Hoogenboom mine too

[@tiwantiwaabibiman2603]

How can the wood/charcoal brick be frowned on if the wood comes from trees being cut down because of disease or it's fallen and being cut up? What's not ecological is cut up tree limbs/trucks from fallen trees that go into landfills. Just sayin...

[@Ethan-uo5ff]

can i use a bag of kingsford or hookah charcoal? Lmao i just got literally everything but this

[@luckylanno]

It's probably not just that the trees have to be cut down, but that burning them also release a lot of CO2. Cutting down a CO2 sink, and then burning it to release all of the CO2 that it has absorbed is pretty nasty for the environment.

[@ladypoppercakes]

Are you going to show how to make some jewelry or just talk about it? I have not seen you make anything from all the videos I have seen of your, I have been skipping around but I don't see anything.

[@Atthebench]

Fashionable Chambers If you want to see me make jewellery then we have our online jewellery training website www.atthebench.com

[@gabrielcornea9119]

you can't make jewelry if you burn your table because you lazily skipped the lesson about the soldering blocks

[@michaelcook6242]

thank you