A friend of mine wanted her "silver" hair clasp converted to a buckle with a loop on one side and a prong on the other. I have had no issues soldering my own bridle loops in the past but I did this weekend on this clasp! I was never able to get my solder hot enough to solder but the clasp certainly got hot enough. I melted a hole through one side! This metal acted very different from the silver I have been using and seemed to have an insanely low melting point. I'm wondering if this piece that was marked "sterling" really is sterling? Any advice? (I'm using a butane torch, and it wasn't even on high heat?) I'm stumped and frustrated by it. :beatup:
Soldering "Silver" Issues. Help?
- Thread starter cowgirlup
- Start date
Douglas
Member
I would guess it was not sterling totally but more a sliver plated tin which has a low melt point or some other alloy. I have working with some Argentium Silver which is a Sterling silver alloy and it’s melting point is less than pure sterling and that is hard to solder to sterling.
silverchip
~ Elite 1000 Member ~
I would suggest that you might try a lower melting solder or that you could post a pic to see what it looked like to help determine what happened.The first thing I teach to my students is to melt a small piece of silver to learn how hot is too hot. Your problem could be a lot of different things,without actually seeing it,it is hard to tell what happened.
Robert Jobe
Member
Sterling sliver melts at 1475 F so it is not can't be sterling.
mtgraver
Elite Cafe Member
If sterling has been soldered with a low temp solder it's melting point will change drastically, especially the lead alloys. I think you may want to specify the use of low temp vs. the actual hard solders used on sterling so it's easier to determine what is happening. For instance, what you described could have happened on sterling if it was being heat sunk and the use of a pin point type flame, ie. possible meltdown but when I saw the use of low temp. soft solder my first thought changed. As Dave said a picture would be of great help also. Good luck.
Mark
Mark
Mario Sarto
Elite Cafe Member
If you work more often on stranger pieces it could be an option to get a silver test acid. It helps a lot to know what it is. Have a look at the picture below - the more silver is in the alloy, the more it gets red.
mdengraver
~ Elite 1000 Member ~
I was given a piece of jewelry to repair a number of years ago that was brass plated much to my surprise with lead underneath. When I tried to solder it I had a meltdown. That's why I prefer to start off with my own materials so I know their characteristics. You never know for sure what your getting from someone else.
RoycroftRon
Elite Cafe Member
I would not count out that it may be base metal that was silver plated and marked incorrectly. I have co e across that before. It was a small part of the overall piece. Sometimes there are mixed components in a piece and only some are marked correctly. Sorry it puddled on you.
Douglas
Member
If it's melting before the low temp solder it has to be tin it has a very low melt point somewhere around 400 or 450
I had no idea there was testing paper. Thank you all for your input! I definitely learned my lesson about taking outside pieces. Just trying to do a friend a favor but I don't think I'll do those favors anymore. I think I'll do her a better favor and make her one of my own! 
The stamp said "VOGT Sterling Mexico". I thought for sure I was safe. Evidently not.
The stamp said "VOGT Sterling Mexico". I thought for sure I was safe. Evidently not.
mdengraver
~ Elite 1000 Member ~
When I had my meltdown on my repair I hesitated to take the job, again a friend of mine insisted I repair it. It's a thankless job if you don't know what you're dealing with and the client often won't understand the hassle they put your thru.
Another area to avoid is accepting jewelry, especially from a jewelry store if your not sure how it was made. Much of todays jewelry is hollow-filled, meaning the metal is very thin with a hollow-core. To engrave this type of jewelry, you must have a very light touch and a very sharp tool. If you press to hard and engrave to deep the piece will either dent or you'll engrave right thru it. I learned this lesson the hard way. Don't let customers force you to do jobs you're not comfortable with or ready for. If the jewelry is not good quality your level of risk increases. One must learn which jobs not to accept and flatly turn down. You're just not getting paid enough to rationalize the misuse of your time.
Another area to avoid is accepting jewelry, especially from a jewelry store if your not sure how it was made. Much of todays jewelry is hollow-filled, meaning the metal is very thin with a hollow-core. To engrave this type of jewelry, you must have a very light touch and a very sharp tool. If you press to hard and engrave to deep the piece will either dent or you'll engrave right thru it. I learned this lesson the hard way. Don't let customers force you to do jobs you're not comfortable with or ready for. If the jewelry is not good quality your level of risk increases. One must learn which jobs not to accept and flatly turn down. You're just not getting paid enough to rationalize the misuse of your time.
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