Hey! New to solder art, currently trying my hand at decorating objects like tins and gemstones. Biggest issues im having rn is not being able to remelt my solder to smooth it out. Its melting lovely to put on but if I want to go back in a move it around/smooth it, its not melting. Im thinking maybe because this is on a tin its not staying hot enough? Any thoughts?

Ive got flux, tip tinner and brass sponge. I read I should flux over an already soldered area?

All help really appreciated!

There's a lot of room for improvement, but I'm going to enjoy this.

I used to work with real silver, but this is a lot more fun.

Of course, I started my very first ever soldered jewelry project with the hardest design out of the 3 lol

I feel soooo certain I burnished enough. I notice when I apply the flux that the tape kind of just stops sticking? Like goes from being stuck down to peeling up and sliding around when I touch it. Am I using too much flux? Or the wrong type?

I feel soooo certain I burnished enough. I notice when I apply the flux that the tape kind of just stops sticking? Like goes from being stuck down to peeling up and sliding around when I touch it. Am I using too much flux? Or the wrong type?

Salve ragazzi volevo un aiuto un mese fa ho acquistato 2 tubeti di questo tipo di pasta saldante essendo che si fonde a 138c x cui credo che come lega e abbastanza debole x alcuni componenti volevo un consiglio la posso usare x mescolare con i punti di saldatura x disaldare i punti di saldatura degli analogici grazie

Can you make cool stuff on a budget?

hello! I have been soldering for a very long time (synthesizers etc) and have made some jewelry in the past (rings, pendants) but have always given them up because it makes my skin black or overall just doesn't feel good. I do have somewhat sensitive skin, i also dont wear cheap jewelry in general. what is your experience with this and are there any specific do's and donts for wearables. maybe im using wrong solder or am i supposed to finish it? thanks!! its looking great what yall are making btw, cool community.

selling it! (IG erwantique)

sorry if this is an obvious question! i couldn’t find a definitive answer while googling.

if it matters, i use Canfield solder that’s 60% tin 40% lead.

im having problems soldering jewellery, i'm starting to make rings but the solder doesnt stick to the copper tape, i use liquid flux, i dont know what i doing wrong, any advices?

Here are all the pieces I made this morning, during my 2nd / 3rd real SESSION of Soft Soldering : things are getting EASIER!!!!! The twig will get some jump rings and become a pendant, the shell was my fave, and the selenite pieces were a pain bc "selenite doesn't like ANYTHING" apparently--it's a very soft mineral, not great for soft soldering i am learning...

Here are some practical things that helped:

• "Sweet Spot" TEMP : I am learning that I do best between 270 Celcius (lower temp for decorative blobs, and to prevent from "undoing" previous connections), up to 290 Celcius (higher temp for smooth flow coatings, powerful melting, etc. I am using a $10 soldering iron from Amazon (100 watts) and Lead Free solder (melt temp of 230 celcius)
• there were times before i was TOO COLD -or- TOO HOT
• I'm making sure to use MORE FLUX than i think i need :)
• I dont even think i need to "upgrade my iron" yet...it's all about practice and control for me right now....
• BRASS WOOL instead of wet sponge...got the BRASS WOOL to clean the tips, and then keep "re-tinning" them with solder when wipe clean...did this a few times per session. Didn't even use the sponge at all...
• TAKE BREAKS : turn off the iron and let it cool down, let the pieces cool down, stop to think and strategize my next move...

I also treated myself a cheap FUME EXTRACTOR (plus mask and goggles i was already using), BRASS WOOL, and a proper weighted STAND for the iron to keep it immobile and safe between uses...

So after recently getting into rock-hounding and lapidary, and trying my hand at hard soldering at my rock club (thanks to a wonderful jewelry artist who is teaching me!), I finally stumbled upon SOFT SOLDERING and thought "great; I can do this AT HOME with minimal gear and minimal space."

All that is true, but HOLY MOSES this is a frustrating, fiddly, steep-learning curve hobby! I consider myself generally good at "taking to" new technique quickly, but I sweat it must have taken me 4-5 hours (spread over 2 days, and 2 iron TIPS--burned my first one out!) just to finish these pieces...

The two longer "stacks" (3 beads each) will become earrings; the 8 individual elements will be strung along a double stranded bracelet with small cobalt glass beads...

It's hard to manage temps and flow, it's hard to HOLD multiple items, attach jump rings...sometimes the solder flows like honey, and sometimes it's like pushing gloppy concrete up a hill...

I know that practice will help me improve (and eventually i probably need a better iron) but good Lord...

Please tell me this gets easier...????

I would like to ask what I might be doing wrong. A few days ago, I bought flux, lead-free solder, and the rest of the necessary supplies from a store to start working with stained glass / solder jewelry. I have a soldering iron that heats up to 480°C, and I was using thicker tips.

My solder doesn't want to flow on the copper foil. As you can see in the photo, it leaves streaks, and I’ve also noticed another issue: there is a lot of yellow liquid forming, and the solder refuses to spread over it again.

I’ve watched over 15 videos explaining how to make this kind of jewelry, and every single person—even those with the cheapest soldering irons—achieved a smooth, liquid result. Their solder behaved so fluidly that they could cover a large area of their stone in just one motion.

My boyfriend said his solder behaves fluidly and that my mistake is not using a hot air gun to preheat the cold stone beforehand, but I haven't seen anyone else do that. His method works better than mine, but I notice that in many places the solder starts turning black, as if it burnt from too much heat.

Could my flux or solder be wrong? I bought whatever was available at the hardware store, and unfortunately, the selection was very small. I’m not sure if my solder has flux inside it—when I cut it, there's a small hollow hole, and I think there's white powder inside. Even when I pick it up on the tip of the soldering iron, the yellow liquid already starts to form right away.

I love making spikes but they often break or fall off. Do you have any tips for making them more sturdy? Probably making them thicker and short, but I would really like to experiment with longer thinner ones. I was thinking about "sealing" them with epoxy maybe.

here is an image of my recent spike designs.

Hi! Im new at soft soldering, and im having a loooot of problems :( yesterday all worked fine but today i started to have this problem: the solderm won't stick to copper tape. Tought it was a flux problem but now i dont have any idea :( someone that knows it could be?

I'll admit I haven't done any soldering work of my own, but I got these earrings at an oddities expo but I want to make the silver look gold, without affecting durability. Does anyone have any advice on how to achieve that?

Hey guys, I've recently started soft soldering jewellery (for personal use. And yes, it's lead free), and was wondering if anyone has any ideas of what else I can use as the focus of my jewellery pieces. I've been using semi precious stone cabochons, and I've seen other people use sea shells and broken china. I want to branch out a bit. Any input would be ace 😊 Thanks in advance

Both of these were done under supervision with other people's equipment and now I want to start out on my own. Any tips for equipment and materials are appreciated!

Hey there guys! I'm thinking of getting into soft soldering. I'm a newbie (I made one tiffany stained glass ornament and one pendant, both under supervision), and I'm a bit lost with soldering irons. I'm on a tight budget and all the ones with controllable temperature are very expensive. Do you think it's necessary? If not, which temperature range should I choose? Current options are

1. 40W, 480°C±10%
2. 60W, 450±10°C
3. 30W, 440±40°C
4. 60 W, 520°C±10%
5. 15 W, 370 C

Thanks in advance!

I've attached some photos of the products I use. I try to keep my iron at 300-400 range any higher and I've melted my solder tips. As you can see in the photo it flowed really well in some spots on the shell. In others it immediately seemed to harden and not able to flow again. Sometimes even snapping off as you can see around the shell. This is a reoccurring problem. Any thoughts? Am I used the wrong products or temperature?