Soldering?

[anditsinthefish]

I wasn't sure where to put this, but I wondered if anyone knows anything about soldering?

I am looking to do pieces where a silver headpin needs to be soldered onto a silver base with a glass bead on it, I was just wondering what effect the soldering torch would have on the bead (I'm guessing it won't get hot enough to ruin it...:S) and also if anyone had an soldering irons and/or solder that they would recommend? I have seen a few on screw fix and such, they seem awfully cheap?!?

Thanks,

Sarah x

[mizgeorge]

You don't actually solder silver, you braze it - with a flame rather than a soldering iron, which doesn't get nearly hot enough for silver solder, and is used for lead/tin soft solder (the sort used for circuit boards or stained glass windows). For silver soldering, a microtorch (like a cook's torch but a bit more of a pinpoint flame) is enough for smaller pieces.

You can solder (braze) with a bead in place, but you have to protect the bead with wet sand or a damp cloth or cotton wool, or with heat protection paste but you still can't get too close without the risk of cracking the glass.

It's usually better to come up with a solution where the beads are added last and use a cold connection if possible.