soldering gun/iron recommendations?

Hi all, I'm thinking of purchasing a soldering tool for some of my silver wire work. Any recommendations? I've spent a little time on google groups but didn't find too much specific to jewelry or silver craft. Any info y'all have on brands, prices, retailers, etc would be great!

tgif : ) Jennifer

Reply to
Jennifer Moore
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Silver solder melts at too high a temperature for a solder iron to be useful. You might look at a Blazer mini torch. They run on butane (the gas used to fill lighters). They are inexpensive. They are easy to control when making small pieces (as with wire). For larger items, you will require something bigger. Like the plumbers torch you can get at any hardware store, Home Depot, etc. They also will sell the gas tank refills. They are very inexpensive. Barbara Dream Master

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Autumn is a second spring when every leaf is a flower. ~~ Albert Camus

Reply to
Barbara Otterson

vj found this in rec.crafts.beads, from Barbara Otterson :

] Silver solder melts at too high a temperature for ]a solder iron to be useful. ] You might look at a Blazer mini torch. They run ]on butane (the gas used to fill lighters). They are ]inexpensive. They are easy to control when making ]small pieces (as with wire).

okay - now i'm confused again. [no surprise there]

i have a soldering pencil and silver braze solid wire and flux. shouldn't i be able to solder jumprings closed and solder two pieces of ss wire together with these?

----------- @vicki [SnuggleWench] (Books)

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's not what you take, when you leave this world behind you;it's what you leave behind you when you go. -- Randy Travis

Reply to
vj

Is the soldering pencil the type that is filled with butane? If so, no problem. It puts out a much higher heat than any soldering iron can. Barbara Dream Master

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Autumn is a second spring when every leaf is a flower. ~~ Albert Camus

Reply to
Barbara Otterson

vj found this in rec.crafts.beads, from Barbara Otterson :

] Is the soldering pencil the type that is filled with ]butane?

no - i'm trying to avoid open flames.

----------- @vicki [SnuggleWench] (Books)

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's not what you take, when you leave this world behind you;it's what you leave behind you when you go. -- Randy Travis

Reply to
vj

Sorry, unless you are planning to buy a Sparkie welder, you will not be able to silver solder without an open flame. No solder iron will reach the necessary temperature. You can solder with Tix, or some other low-temp solder. But any solder of this type will discolor over time. And not that long a period of time........... Barbara Dream Master

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Autumn is a second spring when every leaf is a flower. ~~ Albert Camus

Reply to
Barbara Otterson

vj found this in rec.crafts.beads, from Barbara Otterson :

] Sorry, unless you are planning to buy a ]Sparkie welder, you will not be able to silver ]solder without an open flame. No solder iron ]will reach the necessary temperature. ] You can solder with Tix, or some other ]low-temp solder. But any solder of this type ]will discolor over time. And not that long a ]period of time...........

**DARN**

thanks, Barbara.

----------- @vicki [SnuggleWench] (Books)

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's not what you take, when you leave this world behind you;it's what you leave behind you when you go. -- Randy Travis

Reply to
vj

Reply to
Carol in SLC

What is the heat source? What type of solder did he use? Maybe I'm thinking of a different tool. The only one I know of uses butane. Barbara Dream Master

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Autumn is a second spring when every leaf is a flower. ~~ Albert Camus

Reply to
Barbara Otterson

Reply to
Carol in SLC

Barbara -- the kind Carol is talking about is the only kind I have seen (or used). It is electrical.

Becki "In between the moon and you, the angels have a better view of the crumbling difference between wrong and right." -- Counting Crows

Reply to
BeckiBead

There is also a type of (cheap) mini-torch that is sometimes called a pencil torch. They can be filled with butane lighter fluid. They don't hold much and don't last long. The last time I saw one it was on a rack of odds and ends tools at a car wash in CA.

Barbara Dream Master

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Autumn is a second spring when every leaf is a flower. ~~ Albert Camus

Reply to
Barbara Otterson

I haven't purchased this yet, but one of the jewelry artists on another list I subscribe to recommends the micro torch and paste solder sold at

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Mary Lind

Reply to
MaryJLind

Interesting. I would like to know if their lo-temp silver-bearing solder discolors after a period of time. I'm not talking about tarnishing, just discoloration. If it doesn't discolor, it would be a good solution for jump rings, hobby work, etc. As for me, I'm a purist. I like to work with the highest temp solder possible for the project I'm doing. Higher temp = more silver content and more strength in the final product. Barbara Dream Master

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Autumn is a second spring when every leaf is a flower. ~~ Albert Camus

Reply to
Barbara Otterson

Wow, thanks for all of the insightful input! Any retailer suggestions? I don't have a business or tax ID.

Jennifer

Barbara Otters> On 24 Nov 2003 14:25:35 GMT, snipped-for-privacy@aol.com (MaryJLind) wrote: > >

Reply to
Jennifer Moore

Er, you can! Mums friend makes Stained Glass with silver solder and he uses a VERY powerful soldering iron.It's adjustable up to something like 80W or possibly more.

Charlie.

Reply to
Charlie

vj found this in rec.crafts.beads, from snipped-for-privacy@aol.com (MaryJLind) :

]I haven't purchased this yet, but one of the jewelry artists on another list I ]subscribe to recommends the micro torch and paste solder sold at ]

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thanks, Mary! that sounds really interesting! i'm going to a class in December on chain mail.

----------- @vicki [SnuggleWench] (Books)

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's not what you take, when you leave this world behind you;it's what you leave behind you when you go. -- Randy Travis

Reply to
vj

Reply to
Christina Peterson

What kind of "soldering pencil" was it? This is what I'd love to have. But I've never heard of one that reaches 1270F, the minimum for "Easy Flo" the lowest temp solder.

Tina

Reply to
Christina Peterson

I have poor hand and finger dexterity, barely normal, so I have wished for an electric soldering iron, too. But 1270F for Easy Flo is way hotter than any soldering iron I've ever seen.

Tina

Reply to
Christina Peterson

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