MOTM

Well, this doesn't have anything do to with electronics, but since quite a
few of you have FAR more soliering expirience than I, I figured I'd ask for
some input.

For my fiance and I's (is that bad grammer or what?) wedding, we want to
have wedding favors of two interlocked rings.  We got a pile of cheap 10cent
rings which are more properly described as nearly-completed-circles.  We've
pair them up so that the rings are joined, but now we need to soldier up the
gap in the ring to seal them shut.  I'm pretty sure they're silver-coated
aluminum, or something like that.  As an expiriement, we tried using the
no-wash soldier, but it failed.  I'm not sure if we couldn't get the ring
hot enough (it was hot to the touch after applying the iron), or the soldier
was the wrong type, or what.

Does anyone have any advice?  I know I need to get some kind of clamp to
hold the durned thing in place, because it kept skidding all over the desk--
too light.  Is there a particular type of solder I should use?  Is a cheap
radio-shack iron going to cut it (it works A-OK for MOTM stuff!)?  

Thanks!!

--PBr

First, solder meant for electronics is not going to work on jewelry. 
Second, a soldering pencil that puts out 20 - 30 watts (ideal for 
pcbs) is not going to be able to heat the metal enough to make solder 
flow. You're going to need one of those big clunker irons, a jar of 
paste flux that you brush on, and some silver solder. Unfortunately I 
can't give you the exact solder formulation. I just know these things 
from watching my wife solder stained glass.

Moe

--- In motm@y..., "Brousseau, Paul E (Paul)" <noise@A...> wrote:
> Well, this doesn't have anything do to with electronics, but since 
quite a
> few of you have FAR more soliering expirience than I, I figured I'd 
ask for
> some input.
> 
> For my fiance and I's (is that bad grammer or what?) wedding, we 
want to
> have wedding favors of two interlocked rings.  We got a pile of 
cheap 10cent
> rings which are more properly described as nearly-completed-
circles.  We've
> pair them up so that the rings are joined, but now we need to 
soldier up the
> gap in the ring to seal them shut.  I'm pretty sure they're silver-
coated
> aluminum, or something like that.  As an expiriement, we tried 
using the
> no-wash soldier, but it failed.  I'm not sure if we couldn't get 
the ring
> hot enough (it was hot to the touch after applying the iron), or 
the soldier
> was the wrong type, or what.
> 
> Does anyone have any advice?  I know I need to get some kind of 
clamp to
> hold the durned thing in place, because it kept skidding all over 
the desk--
> too light.  Is there a particular type of solder I should use?  Is 
a cheap

> radio-shack iron going to cut it (it works A-OK for MOTM stuff!)?  
> 
> Thanks!!
> 
> --PBr

Right on. My dad used to make and restore stained-glass windows and had one
of those big irons and the paste flux. Definitely more of a fire hazard than
our wussy soldering stations ;)

> -----Original Message-----
> From: mate_stubb@... [mailto:mate_stubb@...]
> Sent: Thursday, February 08, 2001 11:51 AM
> To: motm@yahoogroups.com
> Subject: [motm] Re: [OT] Soldiering cheap jewelry...?
> 
> 
> First, solder meant for electronics is not going to work on jewelry. 
> Second, a soldering pencil that puts out 20 - 30 watts (ideal for 
> pcbs) is not going to be able to heat the metal enough to make solder 
> flow. You're going to need one of those big clunker irons, a jar of 
> paste flux that you brush on, and some silver solder. Unfortunately I 
> can't give you the exact solder formulation. I just know these things 
> from watching my wife solder stained glass.
> 
> Moe
> 
> --- In motm@y..., "Brousseau, Paul E (Paul)" <noise@A...> wrote:
> > Well, this doesn't have anything do to with electronics, but since 
> quite a
> > few of you have FAR more soliering expirience than I, I figured I'd 
> ask for
> > some input.
> > 
> > For my fiance and I's (is that bad grammer or what?) wedding, we 
> want to
> > have wedding favors of two interlocked rings.  We got a pile of 
> cheap 10cent
> > rings which are more properly described as nearly-completed-
> circles.  We've
> > pair them up so that the rings are joined, but now we need to 
> soldier up the
> > gap in the ring to seal them shut.  I'm pretty sure they're silver-
> coated
> > aluminum, or something like that.  As an expiriement, we tried 
> using the
> > no-wash soldier, but it failed.  I'm not sure if we couldn't get 
> the ring
> > hot enough (it was hot to the touch after applying the iron), or 
> the soldier
> > was the wrong type, or what.
> > 
> > Does anyone have any advice?  I know I need to get some kind of 
> clamp to
> > hold the durned thing in place, because it kept skidding all over 
> the desk--
> > too light.  Is there a particular type of solder I should use?  Is 
> a cheap
> > radio-shack iron going to cut it (it works A-OK for MOTM stuff!)?  
> > 
> > Thanks!!
> > 
> > --PBr
> 
> 
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Aluminum is a royal bear to solder - the issue is that it oxidizes in
moments and the sapphire oxidation is resistant to solder - you need to
either mechanically scrub the two surfaces or use a flux that can dissolve
this ( read: toxic as he%% )

-> -----Original Message-----
-> From: Brousseau, Paul E (Paul) [mailto:noise@...]
-> Sent: Thursday, February 08, 2001 8:45 AM
-> To: 'motm@yahoogroups.com'
-> Subject: [motm] [OT] Soldiering cheap jewelry...?
->
->
-> Well, this doesn't have anything do to with electronics, but
-> since quite a
-> few of you have FAR more soliering expirience than I, I
-> figured I'd ask for
-> some input.
->
-> For my fiance and I's (is that bad grammer or what?)
-> wedding, we want to
-> have wedding favors of two interlocked rings.  We got a pile
-> of cheap 10cent
-> rings which are more properly described as
-> nearly-completed-circles.  We've
-> pair them up so that the rings are joined, but now we need
-> to soldier up the
-> gap in the ring to seal them shut.  I'm pretty sure they're
-> silver-coated
-> aluminum, or something like that.  As an expiriement, we
-> tried using the
-> no-wash soldier, but it failed.  I'm not sure if we couldn't
-> get the ring
-> hot enough (it was hot to the touch after applying the
-> iron), or the soldier
-> was the wrong type, or what.
->
-> Does anyone have any advice?  I know I need to get some kind
-> of clamp to
-> hold the durned thing in place, because it kept skidding all
-> over the desk--
-> too light.  Is there a particular type of solder I should
-> use?  Is a cheap
-> radio-shack iron going to cut it (it works A-OK for MOTM stuff!)?
->
-> Thanks!!
->
-> --PBr
->
->
-> ------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor
-> ---------------------~-~>
-> eGroups is now Yahoo! Groups
-> Click here for more details
-> http://click.egroups.com/1/11231/0/_/529958/_/981650702/
-> -------------------------------------------------------------
-> --------_->
->
->
->