Solder Better With A Third Hand

Join Jeanette Caines, author of Soldering Demystified and owner of Jewelry Arts Inc. (jewelryarts.com) as she shares a few tips and tricks to help your soldering projects. Learn about third arms and what makes them indispensable in every workbench. Watch as Jeanette demonstrates how to utilize a third hand to let it help you, rather than interfere.
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[@marian1576]

Jeanette Caines has written the absolute best book on how to solder called "Soldering Demystified." Of my scores of jewelry-making books, it has the most in real life instruction about soldering. Did you notice how she didn't go round and round with her flame? Going right to the join and getting the solder to flow quickly saves overheating the piece, gets it done faster, and safes unnecessary effort. That's just one example of her teaching. She discusses placement of the solder and placement of the flame for effective soldering. The book has specific examples of soldering tasks that you can extrapolate to your own work and you'll use the techniques on your pieces again and again. I can't recommend this book enough.

[@audreyh6628]

I love the format of these videos - very clear and straight to the point with great camera work. Thank you so much!

[@jjsmama401]

Thank you for this!

[@RioGrande1944]

You are most welcome!

[@amberm2777]

Very good advice. Trying out my new third arm today!

[@RioGrande1944]

Thanks for watching, we happy to hear this. Let us know how it works for you!

[@Dharlanna]

Thanks! I haven some questions: 1) this is the third video I have seen recently that recommends balling up the solder. What is the reason for that? When doing that, do you need to flux it while balling it? And I noticed that when you concentrated the heat you didn't move your torch back and forth. Again, this is new to me and I wondered why? Thank you!

[@ruud4508]

Debbie Minter balling the solder is for easy and precise applying. The flux will make your solder stick to the seam. Don't do this with high temp solder, the temperature lowering metal in the solder alloy will evaporate during the balling up causing the solder ball to burn into your material. High temp solder is often useless after it has been melted once. With middle and low temp solder balling up will speed up the soldering proces with little need for corrections.

[@RioGrande1944]

Hi Debbie, Thanks for asking. The reason for balling up the solder is that it gives more surface area for the heat to re-melt the solder. You can flux it before and after. Our Jewelry Tech Team says, they will ball up without and then flux the granules so the flux makes the solder ball sticky and easier to place. They recommend concentrating the heat from the torch in a specific area by keeping it stationary. Hope this helps!

[@JewelryArts]

I ball up most of my solder, all the way up to 20k and it leaves less of a scar to clean up. I normally don't flux when balling but you could if you wanted to. The faster my seam gets hot, the better the solder flows so I move very little. :)

[@millybells]

Any tips to stop the third arm moving the ring band during the solder process ?

[@audreyh6628]

Clamp it tightly and don't touch it. It shouldn't move because of heat?

[@ruud4508]

Put a heavy block of metal on the foot of the third hand.

[@Brian-cw9pp]

Am I crazy, or is she using an enormous amount of solder?

[@ruud4508]

Brian like Beck i go crazy with the cheese whizzzz

[@jeanniemarie2877]

I was thinking the same.

[@Ladysmith925]

Way too much!

[@audreyh6628]

Maybe it's because the ring band is circular, not flattened at the point of contact with the base, so the way she's done it here its drawn a ton of solder up around the sides? That's the only reason I can think of!

[@JewelryArts]

Ha! I think I must have had those balls laying there so I used them. Could have certainly used less! In general, I'm in favor of less solder and I did a video with Rio about it. :)

[@johncrosley1]

That flame was far too big.

[@user-sh4pl2pv6x]

Криво препояла.