Top 5 Silversmithing Questions Answered

[@kathybowman3259]

I am not a metallurgist but the explanation from the previous comment is what I learned. You can see the evidence if you sand a bezel join nice and flat immediately after soldering, you will see a "ditch" in your bezel at the join after you solder the bezel to the back plate. Every time you reheat, the ditch is more pronounced. This is the 25% of the hard solder alloy that is not silver burning away. I was finally taught never to sand the join on the bezel until all soldering is completed and why. It solved the problem.

[@flyingcheff]

You are absolutely on point here! The zinc in the solder alloy burns away during soldering. The longer the piece is heated, the less the solder will flow. Correlated, the flow temperature rises. This is exactly why we can solder over and over again using only hard solder. Zinc also has a yellowish color and contributes to scarring/pitting on the metal. Speaking of scarring, I've found that placing pallions of solder on sheet metal leaves solder scars unless I am pick soldering. Using balls of solder (from sheet solder or wire) reduces scarring when placed against both backplate and bezel wall (or other join), creating a cleaner meniscus. It's actually quite fascinating to understand what is going in when soldering. So much is simply not explained; students just get the constant rhetoric of H,M, and easy.....

[@kathybowman3259]

@flyingcheff This is why I use wire solder to attach bezels. It snugs up against the bezel wall. I warm the piece and spray my flux. If you put a little liquid flux on your wire solder pieces before placing them, they stick to the warm fluxed metal and don't roll.

[@chadssilversmithing]

Thank you Kathy! That seems to be the consensus so far:). I’m just curious where the alloy metals go since people always describe them as burning off. Thanks for your input:)

[@kathybowman3259]

I have always been under the impression that it changes from a solid to a gas when heated to a high enough temperature.. People say not heat galvanized metals since the zinc vapors it gives off are toxic and can cause nerve damage if a person has a lot of exposure. It would be the same issue with melting brass which I have been told is not good. I assume the quantity of zinc in solder is so small it isn't enough to be hazardous. I have no scientific reference so I may be totally wrong.

[@malcolmthompson9848]

@@kathybowman3259" Metal fume fever: Inhaling zinc dusts or fumes can cause metal fume fever, a short-term disease that presents as an upper respiratory infection." Except for very high levels of exposure, the symptoms from zinc fumes disappear relatively quickly.

[@malcolmthompson9848]

Yes, every time you step on a solder joint (ie. melt it) you burn off some of the alloy (nickle or zinc) The more alloy in silver, the lower the melt temp. Therefore removing trace amounts of alloy from solder raises the flow temp. This is why you can get away with doing multiple assemblies using the same solder. I use both hard and medium esp. when doing bezel cups. I use hard for the bezel and medium to solder it to the plate because it's too easy to cause the bezel joint to become starved. I rarely use easy.

[@flyingcheff]

Exactly! I wish teachers would explain this to students right from the start. It's such helpful information for fabrication. 👏

[@chadssilversmithing]

Thank you Malcolm! That is useful information! My only question is where does the secondary metal go? Does Zinc go from a liquid to a gas at the temperatures we are using?

[@malcolmthompson9848]

@@chadssilversmithing My understanding is that it volatilizes.

[@chadssilversmithing]

@@malcolmthompson9848 I looked up the general temp of volitalization of Zinc, and it is about 907 degrees C, easily within the range of heat being applied during soldering silver. Interesting:)

[@torstenneuer1560]

That and the diffusion of base metal and solder within the solder joint.

[@bjones4097]

Thanks for this video Chad. The answers to the questions you addressed were excellent. Then there are the comments and replies to the comments that are extremely interesting and helpful. That is what I love about the Chad’s Silversmithing community!! So many talented and knowledgeable people that follow you and share their knowledge. Thanks ALL!!

[@chadssilversmithing]

Thanks Bill! I think the conversation in the comments was super interesting as well:)

[@malcolmthompson9848]

The main advantage with wire solder for me is that wire pieces can be placed simultaneously in contact with a bezel and the back plate when making bezel cups whereas flat soldier has a tendency to melt away from the bezel when heating from the bottom. I use solder snip pliers that produce wire and solder pieces of a standard size and the flat solder pieces are best when I only need a tiny amount of solder. Flat solder is best for sandwiching between two sheets of metal to be sweat soldered. I use paste solder for small jump rings though I also use solder core sterling wire for this esp if I'm doing chains. Paste is expensive and often moves into a ball away from the seam when heated.

[@chadssilversmithing]

Really good information Malcolm! Thank you for sharing it:)

[@seanmcguire6998]

Thank you, Chad. You remind me of some of my COOL teachers in high school who took the time to understand the questions asked, to better answer them and the patience to make sure the students understood. Seems that more students passed their classes with higher grades. Always great just to hear your voice while I’m working - kinda like Mr. Rodgers. 😊

[@chadssilversmithing]

Thanks Sean! Who wouldn’t want to be the cool teacher:)

[@flyingcheff]

Excellent compliment and so true! 👍🏻

[@chadssilversmithing]

@ Aww, shucks:)

[@flyingcheff]

You can Google/research: "Does zinc burn (away)?" This will give you your physics based answer to your last question. It's a good one!

[@annjessup1670]

All great information I wish I had about a year ago! ❤

[@chadssilversmithing]

Thanks Ann! Keep checking the comments as people keep adding additional information:)

[@flyingcheff]

Sorry to weigh in so much in the conversation, 😅, but I feel compelled to expand on what refiners "credit" when scrap is sent to them. Chad, you are right about the approximate 75% (value of spot price of the metal). However, in figuring out the true value, it's important to look at the difference in price for (example..) one ounce of silver at "spot" price vs. what is charged for an ounce of processed metal (i.e. sheet, wire, casting grain, etc). There is a charge for these refined metals that is far in excess of spot price. All anyone needs to do is compare the daily spot price with the equivalent weight of a refined product being sold. You can not juy a one iunce piece of sheet for the one ounce spot price of silver. So, saving and refining your own scraps is a considerably better value IF you have the ability to melt, make ingots, roll sheet, draw wire, etc. The fees charged (and believe me, they charge you fees coming AND going) are unfortunately, a far cry from "slight". The only scrap I send off for refining is scrap I am unable to clean solder off of. And since I'm not a fan of overuse of solder, I am able to recycle about 90% of my scrap myself. Plus, its a good workout, rolling and drawing!! 😅😅😅 I hope thats helpful anecdotal information. 🌺 🌺 🌺 Cheers!

[@chadssilversmithing]

Thank you Flying Chef! As always, your knowledge is really appreciated:)

[@ericericson4]

silver solder is a silver-copper-zinc alloy. (they used to put cadmium in to help it flow but they stopped because it is too toxic) when heated the zinc will burn off. As this happens the solder requires a higher temperature to flow. You can make your own solder by melting brass and fine silver together. (I have forgotten the proportions) On a safety note, if you are getting a white smoke when soldering, this zinc oxide in vapor form. Do not breath it.

[@chadssilversmithing]

I wondered why I was feeling so galvanized:). Thanks for the good info Eric!

[@malcolmthompson9848]

I have used leather for 47 years and it does not degrade. I have three thicknesses the thinnest being kid-glove. It has superb impressibility . I have heard that the tannin in leather causes more rapid tarnishing but who knows.

[@chadssilversmithing]

Interesting! I never thought to use leather:)

[@gisella1350]

Thank you.

[@chadssilversmithing]

@@gisella1350 You’re welcome Gisella!

[@torstenneuer1560]

1) Well, one should not use wire solder in the way you've shown. It would just lead to too much solder to be used, making the cleanup a lot of work. You just cut the wire into more or less long snips, similar to what is done with sheet solder. Where wire solder shines is, when you solder e.g. a bezel setting: It just about squeezes itself into the corner formed by the two sheets you're going to solder. Yes, one can do that with sheet solder as well, but since that is flat, it will lead to a bigger area that you have to clean up. So in any case of soldering two pieces together that form an angle, wire solder would be my favourite choice. Wire solder can also be used for pick soldering without any problem. The only advantage of using sheet solder that I can see is, that you have better control over the size of your solder pieces, especially when you need a lot of them in the same size: You just make a number of parallel cuts into your sheet and then cut off a number of pieces of the same size in one go, whereas with wire solder, you have to cut off each and every piece separately. As for paste solder, it is much more expensive that sheet or wire, and the binder you mentioned can cause some unwanted effects, like pushing a chain out of the end cap when the binder burns off. It is also harder to dose since it contains flux and this binder which adds to the volume. 2) I really like my "crème brulée" torches for any quick soldering or annealing process on smaller items. Like you said, they cannot be used on things like bracelets, but for rings, earrings, pendants, etc they work just great. And they are always quick and ready to use. No fiddling around with the gas valves on the bigger torches and fuel containers. This saves a lot of time when working on smaller objects. I do love the Proxxon and the new Durston torches as they can be completely controlled single-handedly, both with your right or your left hand. 5) Like you, I go for dead soft material, except for ear wires or similar. The most logical reason for that is, besides you want it to be malleable, that when you take your metal and solder it, you automatically also anneal it - so why buy it hard in the first place ? 6) There is some information on your question in Prof.Dr. Erhard Brepohl's "The Theory and Practice of Goldsmithing" (I would recommend that book to anyone working with jewelry). Your question is covered in Chapter 8.1.2.c (I've got a German issue, so I'll just summarize that part): The solder flows between the two pieces. In between each piece and the solder, two diffusion zones are formed. One is the diffusion of the base material, the other the diffusion of the solder. The first being thinner than the second due to the different melting points of the base metal and the solder. The actual solder layer would be about 1/3 of the total space formed by the solder joint. So you get 1/3 diffusion layer (again about 1/3 base metal diffusion and 2/3 solder diffusion), 1/3 solder layer, and again 1/3 diffusion layer. Both diffusion layers have melting points above the solder but below the base metal. If now the solder area is large enough and there is no spring tensioning on the two pieces joined by soldering, which, since the solder job will anneal the whole object, should be unlikely, then the two pieces will still stick together when you solder something else using the same type of solder due to adhesive binding. Also, you will burn some of the non-precious metals in the solder, which raises its melting temperature, but that can only take place where the solder seam is in direct contact with the flame and oxygen, so it will only be effective on very small seams. Therefore in many cases it is safe, although one needs some practice, to use the same solder over and over again, even when the solder joints are very close together. I have done so on many occasions and it leaves a lot of freedom to someone who has to repair a piece of jewelry.

[@chadssilversmithing]

Thank you Torsten! That is great information that I, and my subscribers can benefit from. I appreciate you taking the time to share your knowledge:)

[@flyingcheff]

Love the comments, I always learn so much! Great episode, Chad! 🌺 🌺 🌺

[@chadssilversmithing]

I hoped to stimulate some metallurgical knowledge:)

[@ElinHaugan]

I only buy wire solder. Some of it I keep as is, some I've draged through a hole plate to be even thinner and some I've rolled foil thin. The foil thin I can place between layers or in the seam when soldering thicker rings. The thin round ones is nice to sneak in between curly wires when I make delicate jewelry from 1mm wires. The thicker pieces when soldering large bezels or boxes etc. As someone else mentioned, they wount roll away from guey flux, and I find them leaving a nicer result with less clean up than what I see others get when useing large squeres 🤷‍♀️ But, I've never practiced pick soldering and with that tecnique I think it does'nt matter what type you're useing as both will ball up 😅

[@chadssilversmithing]

Thank you Elin! I love to learn other people's process!

[@reidsmith9575]

I ordered some spring hard sterling sheet from Rio for a particular hand engraving project I was doing. It said "mirror finish" in the description. It was absolutely FLAWLESS. I was amazed. It worked great in my case, although it was not quite as perfect after I buffed it post engraving.

[@chadssilversmithing]

Thanks for the good info Reid!

[@malcolmthompson9848]

Hardened silver will take a superior polish as compared to dead soft. Part of the reason tumbling silver in steal shot works so well is that the micro surface of the metal is work hardened as it tumbles and simultaneously becomes burnished. As Chad said, this is not the same as hardening the entire piece through forging and I suspect that here lies the confusion between silversmiths about the effect of tumbling and why we do it.

[@itsashleyporter]

Awesome info!

[@chadssilversmithing]

@@itsashleyporter Thanks Ashley!

[@aropals672]

Thanks for the video!

[@chadssilversmithing]

You’re welcome Aropals!

[@JustME-ft4di]

I think the person I learned that the solder flows at a higher temp when reheated was Andrew Berry on the ‘At The Bench’ YT channel. You could contact him to see what proof he has.

[@chadssilversmithing]

Thank you Just Me!

[@guntherclemenz7416]

Hello chad; I understood tha you set the stones out/back during a repair of asilver ring etc. I do so also because silver is a very good heat conductors Günther Clemenz

[@chadssilversmithing]

I do Günther! I do try to avoid doing repairs if I can though:)

[@sherhardgrave3664]

I live in Canada and we are on the metric system but I was taught imperial and you mentioned at the beginning of the video that metric is more logical could you explain why please and thank you.

[@chadssilversmithing]

Hello Sher! The metric system is all based on 10’s, so conversion from various metric units just involves moving the decimal point:)

[@torstenneuer1560]

@@chadssilversmithing It is also more logical since all math formulas will automatically apply. It is quite awkward to compute e.g. a ring size based on imperial values.

[@jay8353]

Ummm,i am extremely new to this and am only making jewelry for family and friends at this stage but listening to Chad i think ive made a boo boo. Ive set a few cabs in closed back bezels but ive put nothing behind them as i only thought you needed to do it if the stone was sitting uneven in the bezel. What will happen to the ones ive set like this.? I feel a bit of an ignoramus for not knowing this step

[@chadssilversmithing]

@@jay8353 As long as your stone is tight and secure Jay, it is fine. Adding some sort of backing isn’t always necessary.

[@jay8353]

@chadssilversmithing oĥh ok whew.,yes my stones were definitely tight fitting. Im finding, cutting and setting my own stones.. but now I know this information I'll be adding a backing for the stone

[@ElinHaugan]

​@@jay8353the only reason to put in a backing that gives a bit is that if you don't have the right tools to get the silver pushed down hard enough, you'll end up with a stone that wiggles a bit. If your stones does'nt move at all, you don't need it 🙂 Saw dust or simular is functioning like a spring so when the silver is pushed down but then rises up a tad again, the backing will push the stone up to the silver.

[@malcolmthompson9848]

In most cases (provided the bezel height is correct for the profile of the cab,) setting w/o cushioning is fine. In cases where the cab is transparent say a moonstone or carnelian, I will polish the back plate or even insert polished fine silver to brighten the stone's color. Cushioning cabochons is only essential for delicate stones or those with strong cleavage set in rings or belt buckles since these if unsupported are more prone to chipping and cracking from impacts.

[@jay8353]

@malcolmthompson9848 it's ironic you mentioned carnelian as i have just finished a pendant and ring set with some carnelian i found on 1 of my rock hounding adventures. I made an open back bezel for the pendant but a closed bezel for the ring. The idea of polishing the silver or adding polished fine silver is brilliant. Thank you so much for the knowledge it's much appreciated.

[@TravisBowen-q3y]

The main reason we use backing in a cab is to make the stone look larger than it is.

[@chadssilversmithing]

Interesting. I use it to add some compressibility for a tight fit on the bezel. I actually like to have my bezels as short as I can get by with:)