CHOOSING A ROSE GOLD SOLDER
Working with rose gold solder is a challenge many bench jewelers are familiar with — from color matching to getting the solder to flow easily, it can take a bit of trial and error to master the flow of rose gold soldering.
Below, find which solder suits your needs, then read on for tips for successful rose gold soldering.
PLUMB SHEET
(SOLDER:98650 or SOLDER:77773)
Some jewelers prefer plumb solder because the color match is more accurate. Make sure the solder you choose has a lower flow point than your articles. Some hard solders don’t fall into this category. Our rose gold plumb solder is available in one-pennyweight sheets.
Although regulations permit a negative tolerance on soldered product, we advise using plumb solders for the karat on which you’re working.
PASTE
(SOLDER:119:P)
Our paste solder is cadmium free and has a special formula that leaves little to no carbon residue, providing a clean assembly. It works best along joints that don’t require the solder to flow. Our paste solder is packaged in a syringe containing one pennyweight of rose gold solder and flux.
Paste solder is ideal for:
• Chain repair
• Fine detail work
• Small surfaces
• Tight spaces
• Mass assembly (especially with detailed jewelry like earrings, pendants, and filigree designs)
Tip: Use a little extra solder and heat it with a neutral-to-slightly-reducing flame — never an oxidizing flame.
CHIP
(SOLDER:9919:P)
Pre-cut chip solder saves you time on clipping sheet solder and is advantageous in certain soldering applications. For example: when sizing, you’ll eliminate excesses by using solder chips as opposed to clipping larger pieces from your coupons, which may lead to wasted time and material.
Each chip is 1 x 1 mm and supplied in one-pennyweight vials.
REPAIR SHEET
(#99203)
Repair solders are lower in karat than the work for which they’re recommended. In a repair job where you want to ensure the metal you’re working with won’t flow, use an easy repair solder. It will typically flow first due to its lower karatage. We sell our repair solder in one-pennyweight sheets. They’re an economical way to perform many solder tasks.
HOW TO SOLDER ROSE GOLD
The items used in the video include:
SOLDERING A ROSE GOLD RING
PREPARE YOUR PICKLE BATH AND ULTRASONIC
Preparation is an overlooked yet vital step to successful soldering. Your pickle should be hot and pristine, and your ultrasonic should be clean and ready.
ENSURE EVERY COMPONENT IS THOROUGHLY CLEAN
If your piece and solder aren’t clean, soldering will be difficult. Clean both in the ultrasonic. Use stainless steel tweezers (#57-7505) to dip the pieces in the ultrasonic solution (#54-4452:126455:T). Your ultrasonic may leave behind slight traces of residue, so don’t skip the next step.
CREATE YOUR PICKLE SOLUTION
Create the mixture using a pickle and distilled water.
Note: always use distilled water to avoid reactions from minerals in tap water. A contaminated pickle can ruin your soldering.
PICKLE THE RING AND SOLDER
Use copper tongs (57-0691:130988:T) to avoid pickle contamination and prevent tool corrosion.
DIP THE PIECE IN BORIC ACID AND ALCOHOL
This creates a protective coating that will protect your piece from fire scale and oxidation.
PLACE THE RING ON A THIRD HAND TOOL (#54-0801)
Now you’re ready to solder. It’s a good idea to heat the ring before you apply the solder. Placing the solder on the ring before the ring is hot can burn out the alloys.
Note: if the solder begins sparkling, use another piece — otherwise it’ll start pitting.
PUT THE RING IN THE PICKLE FOR A FEW MINUTES
If the pickle is clean and hot, the boric acid solution should immediately come off. Once the ring is out the pickle, you’ll be able to tell if the solder has flowed completely.
PREP AND POLISH
If your soldering was successful, you’ll have a beautiful solder joint and a ring that’s ready for finishing.
SOLDERING A ROSE GOLD EARRING POST
CLEAN ALL COMPONENTS
The same basic rules apply to soldering earrings and posts: clean your pieces in the ultrasonic and place them and the solder in the pickle. You want to ensure there’s no oil, dirt, or traces of anything used for preparation. Basically — repeat all the cleaning steps above. Once your solder and earring components are clean, continue with the steps below.
DIP THE PIECE IN BORIC ACID
Dip all components (earring, post, and solder) in the boric acid solution to create a nice protective coating.
PICK UP THE SOLDER BALL
These can be troublesome sometimes. If they’re really small, sometimes they roll around the board. Dabbing a bit of boric on your pick can help you pick up that solder ball.
APPLY THE SOLDER
Just as before, heat the earring a bit before you apply the solder. Keep applying sporadic heat into the next step.
ATTACH THE POST
With your solder ready to receive the post, attach the post to the earring head.
PICKLE THE COMPLETED EARRING
Just like before, pickle the whole piece. This will remove the boric acid solution
INSPECT THE PIECE
Make sure the piece has no gaps, holes, or pits in the piece and the post is on straight, then clean it. If everything looks good, you’re all set to move on to polishing.
The Tools Tech Team experts are here for you. Give them a call at 800-877-7777 ext. 4300
