afmetalsmith (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
afmetalsmith) wrote2009-08-29 10:43 pm
afmetalsmith) wrote2009-08-29 10:43 pm
(no subject)
While I had a good day in the studio today, and got lots of stuff done...
I think I am going to give up on trying to use the tack welder for anything silver. It is just NOT functional there.
Today I tried to tack jump rings onto several of my scent lockets, to position them for soldering. One was successful; one didn't damage the piece to badly when it failed, and the third did a number on the original. (For #3 I'm figuring out ways to use it anyway, with a different way of handling the catch/bail, but it's annoying!)
And even with #1- the success- the jump ring fell off before the solder flowed- and it's not even hard solder!
So I went back to the Old Ways with complicated jigging and careful positioning, and got the jobs done... but it's really too bad that the tack welder is such a failure with silver. Now: it HAS occasionally done wonders when I work with gold; but I'm really disappointed that nothing I do seems to make it useable with silver.
Still, the Old Ways did work, and I have several scent lockets ready for finishing now. Cool!
I think I am going to give up on trying to use the tack welder for anything silver. It is just NOT functional there.
Today I tried to tack jump rings onto several of my scent lockets, to position them for soldering. One was successful; one didn't damage the piece to badly when it failed, and the third did a number on the original. (For #3 I'm figuring out ways to use it anyway, with a different way of handling the catch/bail, but it's annoying!)
And even with #1- the success- the jump ring fell off before the solder flowed- and it's not even hard solder!
So I went back to the Old Ways with complicated jigging and careful positioning, and got the jobs done... but it's really too bad that the tack welder is such a failure with silver. Now: it HAS occasionally done wonders when I work with gold; but I'm really disappointed that nothing I do seems to make it useable with silver.
Still, the Old Ways did work, and I have several scent lockets ready for finishing now. Cool!