How Do You Solder Copper Jewelry?
To solder means to make whole, to unite. Metals can be soldered or united together with the use of the appropriate filler metal, also called solder, and the application of heat. Soldering, brazing and welding are similar but differ in small ways. Soldering uses a lower melting point filler metal than brazing does. Welding differs from soldering in that in welding the base metals are actually melted and fused together, creating a very strong bond. Soldering copper for jewelry unites the metals without melding them together. What follows are the basic steps for soldering copper jewelry using a technique called sweat soldering. Prepare your work surface like this: heatproof tile or board on the work surface with the perforated soldering board on top. Work on top of the perforated soldering board. Prepare the metal pieces for soldering by cleaning them. Make sure the pieces lie flat. Lay both pieces onto the perforated soldering board. For the purposes of these instructions, identify which
