A soldering iron joins two pieces of metal together in combination with solder and flux.
Creating metal art pieces or jewelry requires more than just an artist's eye for design. It requires mechanical soldering skill as well. Understand use a soldering iron, a propane plumber's torch and solder before you begin that piece of artwork or jewelry. It's important to know what kinds of metals to use and the types of solder that will work with the metals you use.
Solder Types
Create your art piece with a variety of solders categorized into two types: hard and soft. The categorization determines at which temperatures the solder melts. Use hard solders that melt with a torch for making jewelry or when working with precious metals. Soft solders easily melt with a soldering iron as these have low melting points.
Lead and Tin Solder
The low melting point of soft solder is due to the lead in the solder. You'll find lead in combination with tin, in different quantities depending on the solder type. Use less heat for the solder when more lead is present, but these joints are not as strong. More tin in the solder provides greater strength to the soldered joint.
Lead-Free Solder
Comprised of alloys such as silver, copper or antimony and tin, these are the types of solder used by plumbers when joining copper pipes in a household water distribution system. Use more heat when applying these types of solder because they don't melt and flow as easily. Lead-free solders make a stronger joint, thus the use by plumbers.
Flux
Soldering metals for art also requires flux to complete the solder effectively. Flux transfers the heat of the iron to the metal to create a chemical bond with the solder. It acts as a catalyst between the metal and the solder.
Core Solders
Hobbyist and electronic solders use flux built-in to the solder, made up of rosin and flux. The rosin works to hold the solder together until it melts. Solid solders require flux application during the solder process, but core solders do not.
Acid Core Solder
Metals that need help in bonding together often bond better when using an acid core solder. It is similar to rosin core solder, except for the distinction that the flux contains an acid. An issue arises with solders that have flux within them. If you apply heat too long to the joint, the flux burns off and the solder does not bond or flow onto the metal. Applying flux separately from the solder avoids this problem.
Metals to Use
Use tin, copper, brass, bronze, nickel or an alloy with these solders to create good strong bonds. Avoid iron, stainless steel, steel and aluminum, as these require special solders and fluxes to bond the metals together properly, and generally advanced welders and techniques. Before working with any metals, clean the metal thoroughly to avoid any problems while soldering. Use steel wool after cleaning to remove any oxidation.
