Why my home soldering setup is crazy

I figure that any home with children should avoid too many things that have this label:

It's a nice acid bath for the metal- pre soldering.  All warm and cozy, getting so clean that nothing will impede the flow of the solder.

Next, I painted flux all over everything, to protect the metal through the heating.  Ooooh!  It has a warning on it that says "can be fatal if swallowed" among other things.

Now, finally, we get to the fun part.  Fire!  Maybe, when I grow up, I'll have a hood in my basement and work area, but for now, I'm using the next best thing- the one over my stove. 

The hard flow solder took Forever to melt.  And since I was working on a bunch of torch stuff at once...  Well my arm got tired.

The solder joins look OK,  I probably used a little more than is strictly necessary.

I've bent the ring into shape (not hammered yet, the little wings will be bent down).  I'll repeat the delightful soldering process with medium solder to complete the join.

I'm keeping the decoration flat so that I can attach a bezel for a stone with easy solder.

The more I learn about this process, the more complex it gets.  Three or four different types of solder.  Each with a different melting point, so that you don't melt your old join. 

How on earth do you do any really secure wire wrapping?  You cannot solder a piece if there is a stone on it anywhere, the heat conducted through the silver would crack the stone.

I still have a lot to learn.

For the moment, the chasing project is stalled, it involves even More equipment and a lot more training, but here's a bonus photo of me annealing copper.

-Simbelmyne

Comments

[plumbing]

The most important point in soldering is that both parts of the joint to be made must be at the same temperature. It’s really important to work in a well-ventilated area because the fumes from the rosin can cause damage to your lungs when inhaled. Anyone can learn to solder, it just takes practice.