Online soldering class

[T*O*F]

For those of you who have trouble with your soldering, Rio Grande is sponsoring an online soldering class with a "today only" price of $29.99.  While it is jewelry oriented, the techniques still apply to lots of the type of work that we require.  I believe it will still be available after today, but will cost $10 more.

http://www.craftsy.com/class/solder-smarter-strategies-for-better-results/5080?ext=20150513_RioGrande_5080&utm_source=Rio%20Grande&utm_medium=Big%20Partners&utm_campaign=Rio%20Grande-Course%20Activation&initialPage=true

[Mike Brooks]

Coming from a maintenance back round I find it difficult to believe anyone would have trouble soldering. Talk to your local plumber, he'll show you in about 2 minutes flat. Clean surfaces, flux, add heat and solder, done.

[LRB]

  I fully agree with Mike. There is little that they could teach, more than what Mike said, that could be worth $30.00.

[kaintuck]

clean, flux, heat till solder melts done.............

just watch your wiskers...........

tomtom

[eddillon]

Heat just enough to melt.  Too much and you will have problems.

[Scota4570]

Sometimes I have trouble getting a surface to tin properly, say a sight, under rib, or barrel.  When that happens I take a little wad of steel wool and dip it in flux.  I get a little solder on it too.  I then use a pair of needle nosed pliers to scrub the hot surface with flux and solder containing steel wool.  This never fails to tin it perfectly.  Let them cool.   I  then wire or clamp my two parts together and heat until the solder melts. At that point add extra solder and it wicks into the joint.  This will get 100% adhesion between the parts. 

[gunmaker]

Clean means clean--  Polish both surfaces almost to chrome bright, solder hates dirt, rust 'bout anything---except Clean.....Tom   welder/fabricator 50 yr.   

[T*O*F]

It ain't about soldering plumbing pipe.  It's about "hard soldering" a variety of metals, both precious and regular, preventing fire scale, proper fluxes to use, fixturing complex designs, etc.  It's the type of work that Rolf, Jerry, Acer, Dave, et al would do to make complex sideplates, trigger guards, etc.

If you think education is expensive, consider the price of ignorance.  It's there for them that's interested.  Them that ain't can blow their bucks on a couple of 12 paks of beer.

[Ric27]

It ain't about soldering plumbing pipe.  It's about "hard soldering" a variety of metals, both precious and regular, preventing fire scale, proper fluxes to use, fixturing complex designs, etc.  It's the type of work that Rolf, Jerry, Acer, Dave, et al would do to make complex sideplates, trigger guards, etc.

If you think education is expensive, consider the price of ignorance.  It's there for them that's interested.  Them that ain't can blow their bucks on a couple of 12 paks of beer.

Every thing these days is expensive, especially ignorance. There were a few good tips in that barrage of put downs though. 

[davec2]

TOF is correct.  I do a lot of jewelry soldering...for example hard soldering (with gold) a ring made of .040 inch diameter gold wire to the end of $600 gold chain with a 50 degree difference between the melting point of the solder and the melting point of the ring / chain.  Mess that up and you owe someone a new chain.  Or how about repairing a crack in a $2000 engagement ring?  Ignorance of how to do this type of soldering properly will cost you a $#*! of a lot if you were to go at it half cocked.  As TOF says, this is not about soldering pipes.

Now, if you don't do any very precise high temperature soldering (brazing), you don't need the information and, again as TOF says, you can spend the money on other things.

[Daryl]

I'll drink to that, after I take my stuff over to Taylor to fix! Cheers!

[kaintuck]

I want to learn how to solid prongs around a opal.....
 
Tomtom

[docone]

Soldering prongs around an opal is easy.
Make sure though the opal is not in the setting.
If silver, use a charcoal block to hold the prongs. If gold, you can air solder them.
The smaller piece of solder, the better both for cosmetics, and strength.
Use a tiny tip. I use acetylene and a #2 tip for that stuff. #3 for silver.

[Mike Brooks]

It ain't about soldering plumbing pipe.  It's about "hard soldering" a variety of metals , both precious and regular, preventing fire scale, proper fluxes to use, fixturing complex designs, etc.  It's the type of work that Rolf, Jerry, Acer, Dave, et al would do to make complex sideplates, trigger guards, etc.

If you think education is expensive, consider the price of ignorance.  It's there for them that's interested.  Them that ain't can blow their bucks on a couple of 12 paks of beer.

I'm to poor to be around much gold so I'll just drink beer.

[jerrywh]

"I'm to poor to be around much gold so I'll just drink beer."
 I gave up the beer and bought gold.

[kaintuck]

Soldering prongs around an opal is easy.
Make sure though the opal is not in the setting.

or laser..........

[docone]

Laser is good for tacking, but they do not  hold pressure. You gotta solder them also.
We use  PUK and it is the same. Tack them on, then solder.