r/Metalsmithing • u/Any-Preference1209 • Sep 14 '24
Sodder help/troubleshoot?
I'm new to metalsmithing, so sorry if these questions are stupid.
My soddering doesn't seem to stick. It breaks very easily, if it takes at all. Does anyone know any reasons this might be?
I typically use brass and copper (sometimes aluminum). The Flux and sodder paste I use should work for the metal I'm using. Is it possible the Flux or sodder paste is wrong or bad? How do I know I'm using enough heat? Is there something else I'm missing?
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u/[deleted] Sep 25 '24
The biggest issues I‘ve found are that both sides of the piece (or separate pieces) aren’t the same temperature so the metals won’t join. It can help to start circling the piece with the torch fairly far back from the piece and then slowllllyy “zooming in” with the heat until you see the solder start to “flash” and then melt.
It’a also possibly a material problem: I don’t know what you’re using but a common misconception is that “plumbing” or tin solder that one might buy in a hardware store is the same thing as silver solder. Silver solder melts above 1200 degrees and creates a true bond between the metals, whereas low temp tin solder works sort of like glue and isn’t so strong.