A Selection of Basic Jewellery Making Techniques

Sweat Soldering

                Apply flux to both of the pieces of metal you want to join. Place the smaller piece on a soldering pad and then heat it until the flux is a white crust. Place solder pallions on the smaller metal piece, and heat it until the solder flows. Using soldering tweezers quickly position the smaller metal piece solder side down on the larger piece, then heat both pieces from above and below until the solder melts again. A bright line of silver may appear at the edge where the two metal pieces meet, or the smaller metal piece may slightly drop to indicate that the solder has flowed. Quench the piece in water.

Tumble-Polishing

                Place steel shot into the tumbler’s barrel. Although you can use any shape of steel shot, a combination of shapes works best; the various shapes polish crevices and contours differently, ensuring an even polish.

                Pour in water to cover the shot, then add a pinch of burnishing compound. Place your handmade jewellery into the tumbler and seal the barrel. Turn on the tumbler and let it run for 2-3 hours or more. Pour the contents of the tumbler into a sieve over the sink, and then rinse. Remove your handmade jewellery and dry it. Dry the shot before storing.

Soldering

                Clean the metal you plan to solder by sanding it with 400-grit sandpaper. Surfaces must be clean and in complete contact with each other for solder to flow; solder will not fill holes or gaps. Flux all the metal you plan to solder to prevent oxidation and to help solder flow. Heat the entire piece, not just the solder, keeping the torch moving in a circular motion.

                If there is more than one solder join in a piece, solder the first one using hard solder, the second using medium solder, and the third using easy solder, as hard solder has the highest melting point and easy the lowest. To keep the solder in a previous join or joins from flowing when you heat the metal again apply an anti-flux to those areas.

                During soldering, the solder will flow toward where the heat is greatest. If your solder is flowing in the wrong direction, adjust the direction of your flame.

                Once the solder flows, quench the piece in water, then place it in a pickle solution to remove oxidation and flux residue. Rinse the piece handmade jewellery in clean water.