What and how to solder silver at home?

Silver is a precious and noble metal, used for various purposes, including the manufacture of jewelry. For example, the chain of it is an attractive and classic product that can be worn as a bracelet or necklace. True, despite the strength of silver, jewelry made of this metal can be brittle enough and even break. But many of them are easy to restore, the main thing is to know how to solder silver at home.

Features of the technology of joining metal products

To bond them together use a more low-melting metal. The soldering process may differ depending on the conditions in which the product will be used and on the type of metals to be fused. For example, repair of jewelry and fastening of printed circuit boards in electronics are performed in different ways. However, many people are more interested in how to solder silver at home.

The choice of material for connecting metal products

Solder for soldering silver can be purchased at any hardware store. It is better to give preference to refractory substances, the melting point of which is not less than 240 ° C. In this case, it is desirable to use a specialized solder paste or alloys with the PSR-2 marking.

Solder for connecting silver products can be made by yourself. It must include the following metals:

• Zinc 30%;
• Copper 25%;
• Silver 45%.

Melt these components in a muffle furnace with a flux. The resulting mixture must be poured onto a substrate, and then passed through a rolling machine to create plates with a thickness of about 0.5 mm.

To create permanent joints of parts apply strips with a width of about 1-3 mm. From them cut pieces of the necessary length. During brazing, air is attached to the seat to be fixed. To prevent oxidation and other negative reactions, one should use flux (colophony). When heated, the solder is moderately distributed over the metal, isolating the welding area.

How to solder silver with a soldering iron?

Before you solder silver at home, you must prepare a pre-flux and solder. Often, 60% tin and 40% lead are used when joining the components containing silver. This solder begins to melt at a temperature of 180 ° C.

But before proceeding to the soldering of silver, it is necessary to clean the planes of the articles and remove the film of oxides that appeared with time. In such a situation, the solder provides an internal fusion with silver.

The soldering area of the silver product must be well heated to exceed the melting point of the metals for the connection, using a powerful soldering iron. In addition, it is recommended to isolate it from the action of oxygen air. The flux that creates a protective film above the junction of the component parts will help to achieve the best result. Colophony during the melting of the solder is distributed evenly over the metal plane.

Use a soldering iron to join jewelry from silver is necessary when using high-temperature solder, which coincides with the breakdown of the metal.

Connection of silver products with a gas burner

Before you learn how to solder silver with a cassette burner, you need to take care of the presence of a fan to ventilate the room before starting work. To reduce the amount of smoke generated during the soldering process, it is necessary not only to turn on this device, but also to open the windows. During joining of metal ornaments, it is important to keep strong jets away from the work site, otherwise the cooling procedure can lead to soldering problems.

Before you solder silver at home with a gas burner, you will need a container with water to rinse the products after the fastening. And metal parts should fit in them completely.

To solder silver ornaments is better than a burner having a flat tip, since a pointed one will quickly remove heat. The process of joining a metal requires the following steps:

• First of all, soldering elements should be placed on a refractory surface. The main thing is to ensure a rigid fixation of parts, relative to each other. For this, you can use nichrome wire and clamps.
• Then the surface of metal products is cleaned of oxide films and covered with a thin layer of flux.
• After that, they begin the process of soldering. At the welding site, it is necessary to place a little bit of solder. The burner should be brought to the side of the part, gently warming up the connection area.
• To fill the cracks, you need to use solder with a small amount of silver. But for a more solid connection, on the contrary, it is better to use solder with a large inclusion of silver.
• Then the finishing is performed. The products must be cleaned thoroughly from the flux, and the excess solder should be removed with a nag file or nazhdachkoy. The surface of the silver product remains only covered with an acid solution for clarification and blackening.

How to solder silver with tin?

Soldering of silver jewelry is rarely carried out by soldering tin, as their repair in the future can lead to sad consequences. For example, when a jeweler does not know that the product was previously fastened with this metal, he can use the usual high-temperature solder for its soldering. These actions will lead to the fact that it will simply burn.

A few recommendations

Do not use too much solder to avoid lumps. If they are still formed, then they must be cleaned with a nail file. When spilling acid solution on clothes or skin, immediately flush these places with plenty of cold water.