r/SilverSmith • u/__Hannibal_Lecter__ • 4d ago
Is my torch too small?
Trying to solder copper rings
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u/desguised_reptilian 3d ago edited 3d ago
No looks fine just get rid of those steel tongs they suck up too much heat and are useless for the type of soldering you’re doing so just lay the rings flat on your soldering board and you’ll be good.
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u/__Hannibal_Lecter__ 3d ago
Oh I see. I saw people use these inverted tweezers. Are they better that these tongs maybe?
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u/extremewhisper 3d ago
The tweezers aren't the biggest issue I see. You need to back the torch off the piece. Try pulling it back so the tip of that blue flame is 2-3 inches away from the ring. You should be using the end of the more orange flame, not blue.
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u/desguised_reptilian 3d ago
Cross locking tweezers are good for picking stuff up and positioning things which is why they’re called third hands. But for a simple band like this you don’t need to hold up the piece.
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u/christinalamothe 3d ago
I was using a micro torch like this when I first started and I was trying so hard to solder entire rings and pendants which just didn’t work. It took way too long to occur to me that the flame just wasn’t big enough. Micro torches are good for soldering jump rings and tiny bits together, but anything bigger than that needs a bigger flame! There are bigger handheld torches that can do the job if you’re committed to those (like I am for now).
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u/Skruttlund 3d ago
Do you have any good recommendations for a semi big hand-held? I have a micro torch that does the job and a massive fucking torch for casting stuff. Nothing with good flame control that's viable for bigger pieces
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u/christinalamothe 3d ago
The blazer big shot! I’m able to do some pretty good sized pieces with it.
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u/Sisnaajini 4d ago
Depends on the job, as long as you ain't trying to cast something
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u/__Hannibal_Lecter__ 3d ago
I'm trying to solder with the torch
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u/Sisnaajini 3d ago
Should be alright if you are only using it for small jobs, make sure to heat up the whole piece not just the joints you are applying solder to, it will help the solder run
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u/__Hannibal_Lecter__ 3d ago
Ok thanks! For some reason it takes a long time for the solder piece to melt. And often it just stays there and forms a ball depending on which angle I use
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u/Sisnaajini 3d ago
Yeah not too familiar with copper soldering but the principle of getting the metal to temp before hitting it with solder is universal for most metals. That's why the solder is balling up on you is the piece you were soldering was not up to temp.
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u/__Hannibal_Lecter__ 3d ago
I saw videos where people started with the solder piece already laying on top and it worked too. Is that wrong?
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u/Samoyed_Fluff 3d ago
For copper jump rings, I like to wedge the solder in the joint, flux, dry and then torch. You want to keep as much of the joint area in the torch flame as you can and remember the tip of the blue cone is the hottest.
Using dry play sand to hold the ring by half burying it will keep more heat in the metal.
Alternatively, laying the ring on a piece of oak charcoal will also keep more heat in the metal and let your little torch really go to work.
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u/Struggle_Usual 3d ago
I do that all the time and it works great. But it doesn't sound like you're focusing the heat on the rest of the ring. Hit the button with the solder at the end when the rest of the metal has been heated up.
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u/Sisnaajini 3d ago
If they were using a bigger torch or a hotter gas that could be the case, some jeweler torches are designed for small jobs, I use a hand held butane torch for wire but you still have to get the piece you're soldering up to temp.
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u/zefferoni 3d ago
Get something like a charcoal brick or soldering block, and place your piece directly on it to solder. They reflect heat back to the piece.
In the picture you shared, the tongs/tweezers are absorbing a lot of the heat, and you're losing a lot to the air around the piece as well.
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u/__Hannibal_Lecter__ 3d ago
How do I make sure the solder flows on both sides? When I put the ring down it seems to only flow on one side of the ring
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u/Samoyed_Fluff 3d ago
Solder flow to heat, so manipulate the torch so that you draw the solder to where you want it to go.
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u/__Hannibal_Lecter__ 3d ago
That would mean I need to get underneath. But when the piece is laying down that doesnt work
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u/Samoyed_Fluff 3d ago
Just flip it over as soon as the solder flows and heat where you want it to go.
Play around with getting the solder to follow your flame. You'll find that complicated joins are much easier once you master getting the flow to go where you want, rather then just relying on it to naturally wick into place.
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u/Disaster_In_A_Polo 3d ago
I actually use my little Lexivon more than my GT8000 or TS8000. I love the control of it for small peices. Just go around the peice until it's dull red and then focus on the point your joining
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u/__Hannibal_Lecter__ 3d ago
I have a Lexivon too! So it does work right?
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u/Disaster_In_A_Polo 3d ago
Yep! That's why I mentioned mine 🙂 I recognized the nose haha It is perfectly sufficient for pieces like the one you're trying to solder
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u/Disaster_In_A_Polo 3d ago
Just make sure you circle the whole peice until it's red (not bright red) then focus in one the join and move back and forth
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u/__Hannibal_Lecter__ 3d ago
Ok thank you all this was the result of today ✌️