Silver Soldering with Pallions - by John Pesch

Three types of solder can be used when working with silver;
(1) Paste, 
(2) Wire, and
(3) Pallions or chips.

 Each requires a different  soldering procedure.

Make Your Own Pallions
Instead of buying expensive, pre-made, pallions make your own from wire solder. Just hammer it flat and cut 2mm chips.
These are just some of the soldering basics, tips and reminders from our recent class about silver soldering with pallions (chips).

Basic Steps
1.Prepare the joint: File or sand the area to be joined and make sure it is as tight as possible. Check for gaps by holding up to a light source. Remember, solder is not good at filling gaps.

2.Clean your metal: Usually preparation of the join (filing, sanding, steel wool, etc...) is sufficient. Dirt, oil, tarnish, etc., can prevent the solder from flowing.

3.Apply a coat of flux: Apply a thin coat to both the metal to be joined, and the solder (this step is not necessary when using paste solder).This helps keep the join clean during heating, minimizes oxidation and helps the solder flow.

4.Apply the Solder: Place solder so it touches both sides of the join (a little goes a long way). Heat slowly and adjust solder position, if necessary, when flux boils. You can also apply the solder after warming the flux.

5.Heat the piece: Heat the piece evenly.The idea is to get the metal hot enough to melt the solder. The flux will turn white and then clear as it approaches soldering temperature.

6.Watch for flow: Remove the heat when you see the solder “flash” or flow.

7.Q, P, and R: Quench the hot piece in water, place in pickle solution until tarnish is removed, and rinse in water after removing from pickle.

8.Inspect: Inspect the piece to make sure all intended areas are soldered.

Reminders & Tips
  • Always wear eye protection, clothing protection and have adequate ventilation when soldering.
  • Main reasons that solder will not flow: 1) The join is not tight; 2) The join is dirty; 3) Heating too slowly may be degrading the flux and allowing solder or metal to oxidize (see reason 1); 4) You may have mixed up your solder and your sterling silver.
  • Always have something in your free hand (tweezers, solder pick, etc…) to adjust the piece if needed.  This also keeps you from touching the hot piece accidentally.
  • Try to bring both pieces being soldered up to temperature simultaneously.  This may mean heating a bigger, thicker section more (i.e. bezel cup back) and allowing it to transfer heat to a smaller piece (i.e. the thin bezel wire).
  • Heat the metal, not the solder.  Try to allow the heated metal to melt the solder.  You may need to heat directly on the join after bringing everything else up to temperature in order to get the solder to flow.
  • Solder will follow the heat. You can actually draw solder along a seam, or into areas missed, by manipulating the heat.
  • Always use copper tongs when placing objects in, or removing from, the pickle bath.