Thank you thank you thank you thank you!!!! It has taken me years to find the correct explanation for using the different types of sauder. You nailed it. Thank you thank you thank you.
Thank you so much for creating this WONDERFUL library of information! I am very new at all of this and Im not sure what I'd do without your help! I am learning SO much from you and cannot say THANK YOU enough, Greg! I am so grateful for your willingness to share your amazing secrets & techniques. Love & Blessings!
Hello Coreybritsch, Thank you for your comments. You are so very welcome. I am pleased that I can help you. If you have any questions in the future, please feel free to let me know. Good Luck and Best wishes. Greg Greenwood
Hi jenl336, I am glad I can help. Good luck in your jewelry making. If you have any questions, please feel free to let me know. Thanks again. Greg Greenwood
I took college jewelry classes about 20 years ago in a fancy studio with all the tools...but have since forgotten all the terms, melting rules, etc etc. I am thrilled to have found your videos to help me prepare for a small workspace in my garage! Thank you so much for these amazing mini-lessons - exactly what I needed to re-learn this art :)
Hello T D, That is awesome that you are starting up with jewelry again. It will be a lot of fun setting up your studio in the garage. Enjoy the process. I am very glad I can help you. If you have any questions in the future, please feel free to let me know. Good Luck Greg Greenwood.
Hello Andrew, I am very happy I can help you. If you have any questions in the future, please feel free to let me know. I am here to help. Good Luck. Greg Greenwood
Hello Greg Greenwood ! Thank you very much for your response and for your good advices and great tutorials videos very helpful and informative I’m enjoying watching 😊
Hello Greg, I'm enjoying your videos and really learning a lot, and am excited to put what I've learned into practice. I have a couple of questions, 1) what about Argentium silver what is it, pros and cons, and why don't you use it? 2) could you do a video on applications of the different torches particularly in building skills? For example, starting with a small butane torch what can you make with it, appropriate solders, etc., then the next size torch, and so on. 3) If you are going to do residence workshops, I'd be interested in learning more, please do reach out to me. Thank you for all your time and knowledge sharing. I believe very much in our older generations passing on their wisdom and knowledge to the younger generations, keeping the craft and story alive. :) Thank you again. Janise Crow
Hello Janise, I am very happy that you are enjoying my videos and of course learning from them!! As for Argentium, I feel it is a great metal and should be used more. I have been working with sterling silver for over 50 years and I feel very comfortable using it. I have working more with Argentium on my list of things to do. I really am excited to do more with it. Pros: I like the way it doesn't oxidize like sterling. The fusing is interesting. Cons: Soldering temps are a little restrictive for complex soldering jobs. I have done artist in residences, but now with covid, it is very difficult to even think about planning any. Thanks for asking. Passing on knowledge is the BEST! If you have any questions or comments in the future, please feel free to let me know. Thanks you again. Greg Greenwood
Hello Kim, Welcome to the wonderful world of silversmithing. If you have any questions in the future, please feel free to let me know. I am here to help you. Good luck, Greg Greenwood
Fantastic! I am getting back into making jewelry and it's amazing how much I didn't know to begin with. I can't tell you enough how much I appreciate your instruction. YOU ARE TRUELY A GIFTED TEACHER!
Hello Greg, huge thanks, even I want to avoid soldering "at all cost", this video is great, beacause not only telling what, but also why and makes things visualy understandable... As I want to work with pure silver (I am cleaning silver trash to 99+). I decided "just in case" to try using old sterling or 875 silver as solder. Or just add zinc to sterling, or test to add bismuth if it works... Do not know yet, but looking forward to do these fun soldering experiments.
thanks very much for bring info (not involved with jewelry )but your video 3of them very useful for watchmaker and we refer to it hope you always fine sir ----thank you very much
Beautiful explanation as you have in the rest of your videos! I think we should hire you for my department at the university because I believe you lecture much better than the profs I know for years :-) Anyways, I have a question about the joint strength of the solders you used in this experiment from hard all the way to very easy. Would hard make a stronger joint than the medium, and medium stronger joint than easy etc? Thanks for your vids again!
Hello windsurfer, Thank you very much for your kind comments. And thanks for the offer!! I may be starting artist in residence workshops after covid has calmed down. As for the strength of the solders, I have found that all of them are very strong and have not had any fail. If you have a "Good Fit" you should not have any trouble. I have had some jump rings pull off using extra easy solder, but there was not a flattened fit, so I feel it was not the solder but the fit. Thanks again. Greg Greenwood
Hello Pat, I'm glad you are enjoying my videos. Thank You. Argentium silver is on my list to make a video. In the meantime. Check out Ronda Coryell. She is an expert with working with Argentium. Thanks for watching. Greg Greenwood
Hey Greg, It would be valuable to have purchase links in your TH-cam details for solder supplies and tools. Many will be more than happy to purchase from these links.
Hi Uk, I don't make my own solder. I leave that to the professional companies who do that for a living. It does not pay for me to do my own alloys. Thanks for asking. Greg Greenwood
Have you ever used cadmium bearing silver solder? I am aware of the health issues and used it before it was banned in Europe for model boiler making. I used proper air extraction and found it was great to flow and seal joints.
Can you make a video on percentage composition of each metal in each type of solder??? Like for example Hard solder : idk 50% silver 40% copper 10% zinc ????
Hello Cora, I use Handy Flux. It is a paste. I have used for 50 years and am very comfortable using it. Cones are very good but I was raised on the paste borax. Thanks for asking. Good Luck Greg Greenwood
Hello Mr Greg, first time at your channel and feel I'm at the right place. Thank you for sharing your time, knowledge, wisdom and of course your love and talent regarding Art jewelry. I'm a polymer clay artist and want to incorporate sterling silver in my creations. I've never followed any course as regards to sterling silver, so please forgive my queries which may sound silly. 🥺 1) I've got some sterling silver ring blank bezels, the blank area has got a rough texture, into which I will stick my polymer clay creation. However there is a possibility of polymer clay popping out by time, because polymer clay and sterling silver are 2 completely different mediums. So I have to think of alternative solutions. That would be to hide some metal studs under the polymer clay and then use a strong glue to attach it at the bezel. Do you think that Epoxy glue for metals would be a good idea? I've got 'Bison Epoxy glue for metals'. 2) Regarding sterling silver, what does the Flux coverage do? 3) You mentioned different kind of solders, does that mean that each one is used for different purpose? For example, for jewelry, for silver spoon, for decoration display, etc.. 4) And here comes the best (silly) question. If we melt sterling silver, doesn't this by itself perform as a 'glue' to join, for example, 2 pieces of sterling silver? Why should we use solder? Thank you so much in advance for your help.
Hello Annita, Thank you for your comments. I appreciate it. Your epoxy glue should do a good job of holding the polymer clay into the bezels. If you wanted, you could solder some small studs into the bezel. This will hold onto the polymer, but I think this might be over-kill. The different grades of solder are used in a sequence of soldering joints so the prior solder joint will not re-melt. Check out my videos : "5 Secrets to Silver Soldering", "What the Heck is Sterling Silver and Silver Solder?", "How to Not Melt Silver Solder Parts 1 & 2". These will give you an introduction to silver soldering. As for your "silly" question, melting silver does not glue itself together. Solder is the medium to hold 2 or more silver pieces together. Once you see the above videos, you will understand. Thanks for your questions. Have fun. Greg Greenwood
Hello Mr Greg, happy to visit your channel again 😊 I have an additional query and I will be glad to have your advice. Placing together the sterling silver bezel and the inlay of polymer clay in the kitchen oven so that the polymer clay cures in the sterling silver bezel, will this cause any adverse effect at the sterling silver? The polymer clay cures at a low temperature of 130° or 150° Celsius degrees according to the manufacturer brand. I know that sterling silver melts at very high temperature. Thank you for your help.
if 925 already has copper in it... can i just melt down some old 925 silver jeweler, add some zinc, melt it and make solder? seems like it would work.. maybe need to add more copper as well... what do you think?
Hello Randy, Basically you are correct. If you are to make solder, make sure that you have the ratios correct for the different grades of solder. Check online to get the correct ratios. Have fun and let me know how it goes. Greg Greenwood
Hi. I love your tutorial videos,and thank you for doing this. Do you heat up your finished pieces so make silver Hurd again before polishing or tumbling, and what can you tell about tumbling finished piece with thin claws is it good idea?
Hello vjm, Thank you for your comments. I appreciate it. Heating silver does not make the pieces harder. The tumbling process will work harden the pieces slightly. It can be a problem for thin claws and tumbling. Tumble for a shorter period and keep checking the claws as you go. I hope this helps you. Keep watching. Greg Greenwood
Thank you Sir for answering ,I’ve read on Rio Grande site how makes silver harder: heat at 1000-1200 F for 30/60 minutes and Quench In water, then heat again at 572F for 30/60 minutes and I assume col down slowly, what do you think about this, thank you again.
Hello vjm, You are correct that this method of hardening silver does work. I do not use this because I have usually work hardened my pieces and I do not worry about hardening them in an oven and spending 1 to 2 hours doing so. Thank you for asking. Greg Greenwood
Hello Mr Greg! Thank you for answering. I’m a little bit confused and probably confusing you to . I’m working on some silver ring now it’s my first ring,before I was Faceting gems it’s my hobby and later I decided to make a ring with my gems, so I have done lots of soldering, heat and quench many times so I don’t know with peace is soft and with is hard so I don’t understand should I heat it up a little so I don’t mess up my soldering with I used hard medium and soft and let it cool down by itself and after start polishing or polish while it’s soft or polish as it is and forget about it, I hope I haven’t confused you more even, I don’t know how happened that my strange name on youtube I’m VJ. Maidans. Thank you sir again
Hello VJ.Maidans, I am glad you are making a ring with your gems. Congratulations. You need to stop worrying about heating up your metal to harden it. Concentrate on making the ring and learn the metalsmithing skills. The heat treating method is a very advanced method and very very few metalsmiths use this method. You will not be able to tell the difference in your ring if you do the heat treatment of not. So, just make your ring, design and make many other pieces of jewelry with your gems, and enjoy the process of making your jewelry. Have fun and learn. Greg Greenwood
When I cut silver and am left with those little pieces of sterling, can I use those little left over pieces as solder? I've been trying to learn how to make jewelry as a hobby and your channel is really helpful.
Hello Sam. Those little pieces of sterling are still sterling and cannot be used as solder. You must purchase solder in Easy, Medium, Hard, IT, or Xtra Easy. They are different alloys and melt at temps that are lower than the sterling silver. You can use the little pieces to make ( Shot, Use for castings, make ingots and roll into sheet or wire silver or save up a good amount and cash in and recycle it at most jewelry supply houses). I'm very glad that that my videos are helping you. If you have any questions in the future, please feel free to let me know. Thanks again. Greg Greenwood
Hey Greg. Hope all is well for ya lately. Was hoping you could explain what the specific needs are, that require either dead soft, half soft, half hard, or hard. I have no idea, and it is very difficult to find this info.
Hello Red Eye, All is well at this end, just very busy. Thanks for asking, I appreciate it. Dead soft etc. are all terms about the condition of the silver after it has been annealed. You can buy it at any stage, BUT, as soon as you start bending, hammering, or forging on the metal, it will become "Work Hardened". and those stages of softness are gone. If you are going to be doing any forming or hammering on the metal, I would not be too concerned about which to buy. It will all turn out the same as soon as you start working on it. Then to get it "soft" again, you would simply anneal it. Buy the least expensive and soften the metal yourself. I hope this has helped you. Keep it touch. Greg Greenwood
Hello madOscientist, If you have any other grades of solder that you know the melting temps, you can put them side by side and heat to match the melting and then you would know. If not, you could use a digital laser thermometer and check the melted solder. I have a feeling that you have a low melt temp solder. The Harris Co. produces low temp solders for pipes and stain glass. You could always get hold of Harris and ask them. Let me know how it goes. Greg Greenwood
I can't get hard silver solder to flow on the ring I'm making. I've followed all procedures outlined. I have a very tight joint, using silver flux, and a hand held torch. Perhaps I'm not getting the ring hot enough. Anyone have any ideas?
Hello Julius, Hard solder flows at about 1,400 degrees F. So takes more heat than Easy or Medium Silver solder to flow. I like to use borax flux because it will hold up to the higher temps. Make sure you have a torch that will be hot enough too. If the torch is hot enough to anneal the metal, then it will be hot enough to melt the solder. Take a look at my video "5 Secrets to Perfect Silver Soldering" It will give you some more tips. Let me know how it goes! Greg Greenwood
Can you use a sterling silver cast iron casting mould shared between 925 silver and 22k gold ? Or must you buy seperate cast iron casting moulds? The same question for pickles. can you share 925 silver and 22k gold and put them both in the same pickle at the same time? thanks
Hello UK Guyitar Yogi, Yes, you can use the same mold for silver and gold. ..Pickle is ok too. Usually you do not have to pickle gold very much. Thanks for the questions. Greg Greenwood
Hello Giri, Here are the percentages for E,M,H. Solders: Easy= Silver 60% Copper 25% Zinc 15%....Medium= Silver 70% Copper 20% Zinc 10% Hard= Silver 76% Copper 22% Zinc 3% Use these percentages for any amount that you are making. Hope this helps you. Greg Greenwood
@@greggreenwood4628 Thank you sir, Thank you for your valuable reply. I am beginner in Soldering...from India. I manufacture silver leg chains which is of 75% and not hallmark.. usually i buy soldering from others. I don't know to prepare. I watched more videos, and ask question but none answered....If if they reply, answer will be sorry don't know. I doesn't lose my hope yet. Aim: I wanna to make 92.5 hallmark chains. I want to know best solder , whether easy or soft or medium. Is anything extra has to be added for preparing above solder. Also i don't know where to use soft, medium and hard. Awaiting for your reply sir....
Hello Giri, Making your own solder accurately is a difficult process. It can be very time consuming. As a beginner, I would suggest that you concentrate your time on learning soldering skills. Your time will be better spend doing this. Commercial solder is easy to get. And you will be happier with the quality results. There are several solder suppliers in India. Goggle them. They will be happy to send you the correct solders. To understand about solders, I would recommend watching several of my videos. 1.) "What the Heck is Sterling Silver & Solder?" 2.) "5 Secrets to Perfect Soldering Everytime" 3.) "Sweat Soldering Part 2 Wire to Wire" 4.) "Silver Soldering Hidden Details".. These will give you a good foundation and understanding about solder and soldering. Work on your soldering skills, I know you will be happy that you did. I hope this has helped you. Good Luck on your jewelry projects. Greg Greenwood
Can I make the harder silver with 88% pure silver + 12% Copper for thin making ring like gold ? I did this but Silver has lost your strength during soldering ! Do you have any other option to make harder silver like 12% copper but not it lost its melting point decreasing ? 😢😢😢😢
Hello Rashi, A good way to make the silver harder, no matter what %, is to work harden the metal. Tapping the silver with a rawhide mallet will compress the molecules and make the silver harder. I hope this helps you. Greg Greenwood
@@greggreenwood4628 Can you give me your Instagram Id to talk with you another topic. Love from India . I respect you because you are like my grandpa ! Namaste means respect you in my language.
@@greggreenwood4628 I know this but I want to learn the silver making jewellery instead of using gold matal for after learning ring like gold . after that I make the ring of the gold after learning .
@@greggreenwood4628 I want to make the gold ring like 20k gold but before making the gold ring I want to make the same thin silver ring instead of the using gold metal . Can you explain me that What I Melt the Alloy for making harder silver without reducing melting point of silver ?
Hello Rashi, I do not have an instagram account. I don't believe you can make a new alloy without reducing the melting point. The percetage of sterling silver is 92.5% silver and 7.5% copper. This will work for you to practice making the ring. Thank you for watching. Say hello to your grandpa. Greg Greenwood
Hello Greg, I tried to solder sterling silver to stainless but did not have good luck. Do I need to do something special when soldering together? I appreciate your guidance. 😊
Hello Dawn, Soldering stainless steel is a bit different that just soldering silver. You need a different solder and flux. I can't remember exactly what they are, but if you Google it, I know the answer is there. Sorry I can't remember the types. Let me know how it goes. Greg Greenwood
@@greggreenwood4628 Thank you Greg for the reply. Yes I tried soldering already and noticed it wasn't going well. Then when i put it in the pickle it bubbled like crazy. I guess stainless, sterling and pickle are not good mix. Ill google and let you know what I find. 🙂
Hey Greg, this is what I found on Google about the Sterling and stainless soldering.... You must use an acid-based soldering flux specifically designed to solder stainless steel. The acid breaks down the stainless steel finish to a point where the solder will adhere. The silver content of the solder determines the strength and the melting point, as both increase with silver content. Thank you again ...
Hello Dawn, Thanks for the information. When you put the piece in the pickle and it bubbles like that. The piece is too hot to quench. Let it cool a little more before you put in pickle. Greg Greenwood
thanks for your answer greg. another question I have is about crack marks on sterling silver after casting and rolling in a mill. They are very slight and a 1mm or 2mm deep on my thin bars after casting and hammering and rolling. I have been using a clean brand new bastard file to get them out.. and filing the silver into a crucible very carefully to not waste any.. I am wondering if I use silicon oxide sand paper or emery sandpaper and a wooden stick would this effect the purity of the grandules when casting aiming for 925? how do I get around this? as I am sure from sand paper experience that small parts of the sand paper fall off ? and potentially into the silver powder area and contaminate this? please advise as I want to keep my 925 dust pure as can be while removing the cracks in the silver casted bars that are being stretched and hammered into bangles and soon wire at one point. Many thanks!
Hello UK Guitar Yogi, 1. The cracks are caused by you hammering and rolling without annealing the silver often enough. Once you start forging and rolling in the mill, you are putting great forces on the metal. You must "relax" the molecules of the metal so they do not crack. Anneal the metal more often. 2. You are doing the filing correctly as to not contaminate the metal. Keep the filings clean and separate from any other filings. BUT, you should never use silicon oxide or emery contaminated filings for castings. This will create porosity and contaminated holes in your castings. Keep the metal clean and you will be fine. Thanks. Good Luck. I hope this helps you. Greg Greenwood
@@greggreenwood4628 thanks alot for your answer! if you did use the contaminated sandpaper type filings, if you cast them two times will the defects ever get removed sort of burnt out impurites? If you cant whats the best use for these impurity defect casts? are they too difficult and trouble to be worth removing somehow ? also if you cast fire scaled pieces of scrap will they cause defects in the cast also? thanks!!
Hi UK, Unfortunately, the impurities will still be in the castings. You cannot burn out emery grit. The amount of metal that you reclaim from sanding is very little. It is not worth the time to sort out and try to use. That small amount will ruin the larger amount of good metal that you have mixed in for your castings. Keep filings but don't bother keeping sandings. The best use for impure castings is to use for "lesser" pieces of your work projects. Do not claim them to be 925. You can cast fire scaled pieces, Make sure that you use borax when you melt the silver and this will help clean the metal for casting. I hope this helps. Greg Greenwood.
@@greggreenwood4628 thanks alot man! that is so helpful. I will keep this in mind and anneal more often and check for those tiny cracks and go lighter on the rolling mill and anneal slightly earlier than before and keep inspecting.. ! I will keep the impure scrap that I is possibly contaminated with sandpaper and other bench contaminates seperate for the lesser style pieces ! many thanks and I will keep watching your videos !
Hello Ronald, Thank you for your comments. I appreciate it. Yes, you are 100% correct. That was an earlier video and since then I have tried to include both. Definitely on all new videos! Thanks again. Keep watching. Greg Greenwood
Hello Trickster, Thanks again for your observation. The word solder has an interesting background. Google it. The British pronounce the "L" but in the US the "L" is silent. It is just one of those interesting things that makes us all unique! Both ways are correct. Thanks Greg Greenwood
Hello Phil, Thank you for your observation. The word solder has an interesting background. Google it. The British pronounce the "L" but in the US the "L" is silent. It is just one of those interesting things that makes us all UNIQUE! Both ways are correct. Thanks Greg Greenwood
Hello A Aa, Thank you for your comments. The pronunciation of the word solder has been a "debate" for many years. During my reading and research on the origins of the word, I have discovered that there are many theories of the origin of the word, and has transformed into the modern spelling, "solder". As for the pronunciation, many dictionaries, including Wikipedia, state both pronunciations, with the L and without the L are correct. British with the L and US without the L. This is what makes our world wide cultures and languages so interesting. Whether we pronounce the L or not, really doesn't make any difference. We have a unique and fascinating jewelry technique that is common to all cultures for hundreds of years. We are so lucky to have this in common. Let's enjoy the process and always learn from each other. Greg Greenwood
I'm making a engagement ring for my fiancé I was going to use no coin ring like in silver wise and then I wondered could you take like an ounce of silver is that or does it have to be a different type of silver like a silver solder can I actually use just coin or is that different
Thank you thank you thank you thank you!!!! It has taken me years to find the correct explanation for using the different types of sauder. You nailed it. Thank you thank you thank you.
Hurray!!! I'm glad I was able to finally help you!. If you have any other questions, please feel free to let me know. Good Luck Greg Greenwood
I kept going back to this tutorial video to remind me of soldering rights. Your incredible teacher 😊
Hello Elisa, Thank you soooo much. I appreciate your kind comments. Greg Greenwood
Your videos are short, concise, to the point. You are great, keep on following you.
Hello Juan, I appreciate that! If you have any questions in the future, please feel free to let me know. Greg Greenwood
Thank you so much for creating this WONDERFUL library of information! I am very new at all of this and Im not sure what I'd do without your help! I am learning SO much from you and cannot say THANK YOU enough, Greg! I am so grateful for your willingness to share your amazing secrets & techniques. Love & Blessings!
Hello Coreybritsch, Thank you for your comments. You are so very welcome. I am pleased that I can help you. If you have any questions in the future, please feel free to let me know. Good Luck and Best wishes. Greg Greenwood
Thank you for explaining WHY you do what you do. I’m new to jewelry making and you’ve clarified so many things for me!! Thank you!!
Hi jenl336, I am glad I can help. Good luck in your jewelry making. If you have any questions, please feel free to let me know. Thanks again. Greg Greenwood
I took college jewelry classes about 20 years ago in a fancy studio with all the tools...but have since forgotten all the terms, melting rules, etc etc. I am thrilled to have found your videos to help me prepare for a small workspace in my garage! Thank you so much for these amazing mini-lessons - exactly what I needed to re-learn this art :)
Hello T D, That is awesome that you are starting up with jewelry again. It will be a lot of fun setting up your studio in the garage. Enjoy the process. I am very glad I can help you. If you have any questions in the future, please feel free to let me know. Good Luck Greg Greenwood.
Wow, I'm new too and this video has been so very helpful and informative for me.
Hello Andrew, I am very happy I can help you. If you have any questions in the future, please feel free to let me know. I am here to help. Good Luck. Greg Greenwood
Hello Greg Greenwood ! Thank you very much for your response and for your good advices and great tutorials videos very helpful and informative I’m enjoying watching 😊
Hello VJ.Maidans, I am very glad to help you. You are welcome. Greg Greenwood
Hello Greg, I'm enjoying your videos and really learning a lot, and am excited to put what I've learned into practice. I have a couple of questions, 1) what about Argentium silver what is it, pros and cons, and why don't you use it? 2) could you do a video on applications of the different torches particularly in building skills? For example, starting with a small butane torch what can you make with it, appropriate solders, etc., then the next size torch, and so on. 3) If you are going to do residence workshops, I'd be interested in learning more, please do reach out to me. Thank you for all your time and knowledge sharing. I believe very much in our older generations passing on their wisdom and knowledge to the younger generations, keeping the craft and story alive. :) Thank you again. Janise Crow
Hello Janise, I am very happy that you are enjoying my videos and of course learning from them!! As for Argentium, I feel it is a great metal and should be used more. I have been working with sterling silver for over 50 years and I feel very comfortable using it. I have working more with Argentium on my list of things to do. I really am excited to do more with it. Pros: I like the way it doesn't oxidize like sterling. The fusing is interesting. Cons: Soldering temps are a little restrictive for complex soldering jobs. I have done artist in residences, but now with covid, it is very difficult to even think about planning any. Thanks for asking. Passing on knowledge is the BEST! If you have any questions or comments in the future, please feel free to let me know. Thanks you again. Greg Greenwood
Thank you 🙏 the difference between hard,soft solder is very interesting and i had no idea.. the differences really makes sence now.
Hello Damian, Glad it was helpful! Yes, it is interesting. Keep watching. Greg Greenwood
I'm just starting my silversmith journey. Thank you for your great info.
Hello Kim, Welcome to the wonderful world of silversmithing. If you have any questions in the future, please feel free to let me know. I am here to help you. Good luck, Greg Greenwood
Fantastic! I am getting back into making jewelry and it's amazing how much I didn't know to begin with. I can't tell you enough how much I appreciate your instruction. YOU ARE TRUELY A GIFTED TEACHER!
Hello ashawnski, You are so welcome! Great to hear you are getting back into jewelry!! Way to Go! Thank you so much. Greg Greenwood
Very well put together information for the masses!! Thank you very much!!!
Hello Jeff, Thank you, you are more than welcome. Keep watching. Greg Greenwood
YOU ARJUST GREAT, I CONTINUE WATCHING YOUR TUTORIALS
Hello Juan, Thank you for watching, I appreciate it. Greg Greenwood
It's criminal this video only has 596 likes. Thanks for the tips
Hello Ghost Forged Slots, You are more than welcome. Thank you for your support. Keep watching! Greg Greenwood
Hands on is for me, but you give great tutorial.
Hello Michele, Hands on is always the best! Thank you for your compliment. I appreciate it. Greg Greenwood
Greg thank you so much, for sharing this incredible video, this will tremendously will help me to get how to make perfect joints ❤
Hello Elisa, You are more than welcome. I am very glad I can help you. Keep watching. Greg Greenwood
very interesting what's found at your reply thanks for your time sir
Hello Mohamed, You are welcome. Greg Greenwood
That was fun.
Hello Niecyb, Hope you learned something. Thanks Greg Greenwood
Hello Greg, huge thanks, even I want to avoid soldering "at all cost", this video is great, beacause not only telling what, but also why and makes things visualy understandable... As I want to work with pure silver (I am cleaning silver trash to 99+). I decided "just in case" to try using old sterling or 875 silver as solder. Or just add zinc to sterling, or test to add bismuth if it works... Do not know yet, but looking forward to do these fun soldering experiments.
Hello František LALUCH , Thanks, I am glad to help. Good luck on the solder. Greg Greenwood
thanks very much for bring info (not involved with jewelry )but your video 3of them very useful for watchmaker and we refer to it hope you always fine sir ----thank you very much
Hello Mohamed, Thank you for your great comments. I am very glad I am able to help you. Greg Greenwood
Context explained very interestingly, thanks, now I know why it's "sterling" silver and not just silver. Thumbs up and subscribed.
Thanks for subscribing. Pass it on. More videos to come.
@@greggreenwood4628 Alright!
Fantastically informative 👍
Hi Thinker, Glad you are enjoying my videos. Thanks again. Greg Greenwood
Beautiful explanation as you have in the rest of your videos! I think we should hire you for my department at the university because I believe you lecture much better than the profs I know for years :-) Anyways, I have a question about the joint strength of the solders you used in this experiment from hard all the way to very easy. Would hard make a stronger joint than the medium, and medium stronger joint than easy etc? Thanks for your vids again!
Hello windsurfer, Thank you very much for your kind comments. And thanks for the offer!! I may be starting artist in residence workshops after covid has calmed down. As for the strength of the solders, I have found that all of them are very strong and have not had any fail. If you have a "Good Fit" you should not have any trouble. I have had some jump rings pull off using extra easy solder, but there was not a flattened fit, so I feel it was not the solder but the fit. Thanks again. Greg Greenwood
I enjoy your videos and have learned a lot, could you address fusing Argentium silver with only flux and no solder?
Hello Pat, I'm glad you are enjoying my videos. Thank You. Argentium silver is on my list to make a video. In the meantime. Check out Ronda Coryell. She is an expert with working with Argentium. Thanks for watching. Greg Greenwood
Thank you for this video!
You are very welcome. Glad it will help you. Greg Greenwood
Thank you!
You're welcome! Greg Greenwood
Hey Greg,
It would be valuable to have purchase links in your TH-cam details for solder supplies and tools. Many will be more than happy to purchase from these links.
Hello jwhiz, Thanks for your suggestion. I appreciate it. I'll put it on my list. Thank you for watching. Greg Greenwood
Thank you
But how to make the solder
The amount of silver , copper and zinc for each type of solder
Hello Jeweleriva, Thank you for your question. Here are the percentages for silver solder: Easy: Silver 60% Copper 25% Zinc 15%... Medium: Silver 70% Copper 20% Zinc 10%... Hard: Silver 76% Copper 22% Zinc 3% IT: Silver 80% Copper 16% Zinc 4% I hope this helps you. Good Luck. Greg Greenwood
please can you do some detailed videos on making silver solder for sterling silver, and also gold solder of all kinds. please!!
many thanks again!
Hi Uk, I don't make my own solder. I leave that to the professional companies who do that for a living. It does not pay for me to do my own alloys. Thanks for asking. Greg Greenwood
@@greggreenwood4628 thanks!
@@greggreenwood4628 thanks
It would be amazing to have that info, where I leave you just can't find silver solder you have to make your own
Have you ever used cadmium bearing silver solder? I am aware of the health issues and used it before it was banned in Europe for model boiler making. I used proper air extraction and found it was great to flow and seal joints.
Hello Mary, Sorry, I have never used cadmium bearing solder. Please be careful if you are to use it. Thanks for your question. Greg Greenwood
Can you make a video on percentage composition of each metal in each type of solder???
Like for example
Hard solder : idk 50% silver 40% copper 10% zinc ????
Hello Sasuke, Here are the percentages for you:
Easy: 60% Silver, 25% Copper, 15% Zinc.
Medium: 70% Silver, 20% Copper, 10% Zinc
Hard: 76% Silver, 21% Copper, 3% Zinc
IT: 80% Silver, 16% Copper, 4% Zinc
I hope this helps you. Thanks for asking. Greg Greenwood
what flux do you prefer? borax cone?
Hello Cora, I use Handy Flux. It is a paste. I have used for 50 years and am very comfortable using it. Cones are very good but I was raised on the paste borax. Thanks for asking. Good Luck Greg Greenwood
Hello Mr Greg, first time at your channel and feel I'm at the right place. Thank you for sharing your time, knowledge, wisdom and of course your love and talent regarding Art jewelry.
I'm a polymer clay artist and want to incorporate sterling silver in my creations.
I've never followed any course as regards to sterling silver, so please forgive my queries which may sound silly. 🥺
1) I've got some sterling silver ring blank bezels, the blank area has got a rough texture, into which I will stick my polymer clay creation. However there is a possibility of polymer clay popping out by time, because polymer clay and sterling silver are 2 completely different mediums. So I have to think of alternative solutions. That would be to hide some metal studs under the polymer clay and then use a strong glue to attach it at the bezel. Do you think that Epoxy glue for metals would be a good idea? I've got 'Bison Epoxy glue for metals'.
2) Regarding sterling silver, what does the Flux coverage do?
3) You mentioned different kind of solders, does that mean that each one is used for different purpose? For example, for jewelry, for silver spoon, for decoration display, etc..
4) And here comes the best (silly) question. If we melt sterling silver, doesn't this by itself perform as a 'glue' to join, for example, 2 pieces of sterling silver? Why should we use solder?
Thank you so much in advance for your help.
Hello Annita, Thank you for your comments. I appreciate it.
Your epoxy glue should do a good job of holding the polymer clay into the bezels. If you wanted, you could solder some small studs into the bezel. This will hold onto the polymer, but I think this might be over-kill.
The different grades of solder are used in a sequence of soldering joints so the prior solder joint will not re-melt. Check out my videos :
"5 Secrets to Silver Soldering", "What the Heck is Sterling Silver and Silver Solder?", "How to Not Melt Silver Solder Parts 1 & 2".
These will give you an introduction to silver soldering.
As for your "silly" question, melting silver does not glue itself together. Solder is the medium to hold 2 or more silver pieces together. Once you see the above videos, you will understand. Thanks for your questions. Have fun. Greg Greenwood
Hello Mr Greg, thank you for your response. I will definitely watch the videos to understand better.
Hello Annita, You are more than welcome. Greg Greenwood
Hello Mr Greg, happy to visit your channel again 😊
I have an additional query and I will be glad to have your advice.
Placing together the sterling silver bezel and the inlay of polymer clay in the kitchen oven so that the polymer clay cures in the sterling silver bezel, will this cause any adverse effect at the sterling silver?
The polymer clay cures at a low temperature of 130° or 150° Celsius degrees according to the manufacturer brand. I know that sterling silver melts at very high temperature.
Thank you for your help.
Hello Annita, You will not have any problem with the sterling silver at low temps. Go for it. Let me know how it goes. Keep watching. Greg Greenwood
if 925 already has copper in it... can i just melt down some old 925 silver jeweler, add some zinc, melt it and make solder? seems like it would work.. maybe need to add more copper as well... what do you think?
Hello Randy, Basically you are correct. If you are to make solder, make sure that you have the ratios correct for the different grades of solder. Check online to get the correct ratios. Have fun and let me know how it goes. Greg Greenwood
Sir,
Can you please tell
1. What if we avoid copper?
2. Just fine silver and zinc( 80-20%)
3. Durability? Or strength ❤❤❤❤❤❤❤
Love from 🇮🇳
Hello Vrikshk, I don't believe you will have a good solder. I have not tried this, so if you want to try it, let me know. Greg Greenwood
Hi. I love your tutorial videos,and thank you for doing this. Do you heat up your finished pieces so make silver Hurd again before polishing or tumbling, and what can you tell about tumbling finished piece with thin claws is it good idea?
Hello vjm, Thank you for your comments. I appreciate it. Heating silver does not make the pieces harder. The tumbling process will work harden the pieces slightly. It can be a problem for thin claws and tumbling. Tumble for a shorter period and keep checking the claws as you go. I hope this helps you. Keep watching. Greg Greenwood
Thank you Sir for answering ,I’ve read on Rio Grande site how makes silver harder: heat at 1000-1200 F for 30/60 minutes and Quench In water, then heat again at 572F for 30/60 minutes and I assume col down slowly, what do you think about this, thank you again.
Hello vjm, You are correct that this method of hardening silver does work. I do not use this because I have usually work hardened my pieces and I do not worry about hardening them in an oven and spending 1 to 2 hours doing so. Thank you for asking. Greg Greenwood
Hello Mr Greg! Thank you for answering. I’m a little bit confused and probably confusing you to . I’m working on some silver ring now it’s my first ring,before I was Faceting gems it’s my hobby and later I decided to make a ring with my gems, so I have done lots of soldering, heat and quench many times so I don’t know with peace is soft and with is hard so I don’t understand should I heat it up a little so I don’t mess up my soldering with I used hard medium and soft and let it cool down by itself and after start polishing or polish while it’s soft or polish as it is and forget about it, I hope I haven’t confused you more even, I don’t know how happened that my strange name on youtube I’m VJ. Maidans. Thank you sir again
Hello VJ.Maidans, I am glad you are making a ring with your gems. Congratulations. You need to stop worrying about heating up your metal to harden it. Concentrate on making the ring and learn the metalsmithing skills. The heat treating method is a very advanced method and very very few metalsmiths use this method. You will not be able to tell the difference in your ring if you do the heat treatment of not. So, just make your ring, design and make many other pieces of jewelry with your gems, and enjoy the process of making your jewelry. Have fun and learn. Greg Greenwood
When I cut silver and am left with those little pieces of sterling, can I use those little left over pieces as solder? I've been trying to learn how to make jewelry as a hobby and your channel is really helpful.
Hello Sam. Those little pieces of sterling are still sterling and cannot be used as solder. You must purchase solder in Easy, Medium, Hard, IT, or Xtra Easy. They are different alloys and melt at temps that are lower than the sterling silver. You can use the little pieces to make ( Shot, Use for castings, make ingots and roll into sheet or wire silver or save up a good amount and cash in and recycle it at most jewelry supply houses). I'm very glad that that my videos are helping you. If you have any questions in the future, please feel free to let me know. Thanks again. Greg Greenwood
Hey Greg. Hope all is well for ya lately. Was hoping you could explain what the specific needs are, that require either dead soft, half soft, half hard, or hard. I have no idea, and it is very difficult to find this info.
Hello Red Eye, All is well at this end, just very busy. Thanks for asking, I appreciate it. Dead soft etc. are all terms about the condition of the silver after it has been annealed. You can buy it at any stage, BUT, as soon as you start bending, hammering, or forging on the metal, it will become "Work Hardened". and those stages of softness are gone. If you are going to be doing any forming or hammering on the metal, I would not be too concerned about which to buy. It will all turn out the same as soon as you start working on it. Then to get it "soft" again, you would simply anneal it. Buy the least expensive and soften the metal yourself. I hope this has helped you. Keep it touch. Greg Greenwood
@@greggreenwood4628 thanks, brother. Much appreciated
My pleasure! Greg Greenwood
FIVE STARS,,, THANK YOU :)
Hello hellorodney, Thank you very much. You are welcome!! Keep watching. Greg Greenwood
I find so much slightly broken silver jewellery and I want to be able to repair it.
Hello Leinad, Watch my playlist on Soldering. There will be some tips for you. Thanks for watching. Greg Greenwood
I have a solder strip with the marking "HARRIS 1 5" How do I find the melting temperature of it?
Hello madOscientist, If you have any other grades of solder that you know the melting temps, you can put them side by side and heat to match the melting and then you would know. If not, you could use a digital laser thermometer and check the melted solder. I have a feeling that you have a low melt temp solder. The Harris Co. produces low temp solders for pipes and stain glass. You could always get hold of Harris and ask them. Let me know how it goes. Greg Greenwood
@@greggreenwood4628 Thank you. I tried finding info on their website, but it isn't there. You gave me some good ideas about it. Thanks.
Hello madO, Happy to help. Greg Greenwood
I can't get hard silver solder to flow on the ring I'm making. I've followed all procedures outlined. I have a very tight joint, using silver flux, and a hand held torch. Perhaps I'm not getting the ring hot enough. Anyone have any ideas?
Hello Julius, Hard solder flows at about 1,400 degrees F. So takes more heat than Easy or Medium Silver solder to flow. I like to use borax flux because it will hold up to the higher temps. Make sure you have a torch that will be hot enough too. If the torch is hot enough to anneal the metal, then it will be hot enough to melt the solder. Take a look at my video "5 Secrets to Perfect Silver Soldering" It will give you some more tips. Let me know how it goes! Greg Greenwood
@@greggreenwood4628 Thank you kindly, I will give borax flux a try. I greatly appreciate your videos. Keep up the good work friend.
Can you use a sterling silver cast iron casting mould shared between 925 silver and 22k gold ? Or must you buy seperate cast iron casting moulds? The same question for pickles. can you share 925 silver and 22k gold and put them both in the same pickle at the same time? thanks
Hello UK Guyitar Yogi, Yes, you can use the same mold for silver and gold. ..Pickle is ok too. Usually you do not have to pickle gold very much. Thanks for the questions. Greg Greenwood
@@greggreenwood4628 thanks alot man!
Informative video sir, thank you.
May i know composition of silver, zinc, copper for 1kg solder, for soldering 92.5 hallmark silver ornaments
Hello Giri, Here are the percentages for E,M,H. Solders: Easy= Silver 60% Copper 25% Zinc 15%....Medium= Silver 70% Copper 20%
Zinc 10% Hard= Silver 76% Copper 22% Zinc 3% Use these percentages for any amount that you are making. Hope this helps you. Greg Greenwood
@@greggreenwood4628 Thank you sir, Thank you for your valuable reply. I am beginner in Soldering...from India.
I manufacture silver leg chains which is of 75% and not hallmark.. usually i buy soldering from others. I don't know to prepare. I watched more videos, and ask question but none answered....If if they reply, answer will be sorry don't know.
I doesn't lose my hope yet.
Aim:
I wanna to make 92.5 hallmark chains. I want to know best solder , whether easy or soft or medium. Is anything extra has to be added for preparing above solder.
Also i don't know where to use soft, medium and hard.
Awaiting for your reply sir....
Hello Giri, Making your own solder accurately is a difficult process. It can be very time consuming. As a beginner, I would suggest that you concentrate your time on learning soldering skills. Your time will be better spend doing this. Commercial solder is easy to get. And you will be happier with the quality results. There are several solder suppliers in India. Goggle them. They will be happy to send you the correct solders. To understand about solders, I would recommend watching several of my videos. 1.) "What the Heck is Sterling Silver & Solder?" 2.) "5 Secrets to Perfect Soldering Everytime" 3.) "Sweat Soldering Part 2 Wire to Wire" 4.) "Silver Soldering Hidden Details".. These will give you a good foundation and understanding about solder and soldering. Work on your soldering skills, I know you will be happy that you did. I hope this has helped you. Good Luck on your jewelry projects. Greg Greenwood
@@greggreenwood4628 Thank so much sir
You are welcome. Greg Greenwood
Can I make the harder silver with 88% pure silver + 12% Copper for thin making ring like gold ? I did this but Silver has lost your strength during soldering ! Do you have any other option to make harder silver like 12% copper but not it lost its melting point decreasing ? 😢😢😢😢
Hello Rashi, A good way to make the silver harder, no matter what %, is to work harden the metal. Tapping the silver with a rawhide mallet will compress the molecules and make the silver harder. I hope this helps you. Greg Greenwood
@@greggreenwood4628 Can you give me your Instagram Id to talk with you another topic. Love from India . I respect you because you are like my grandpa ! Namaste means respect you in my language.
@@greggreenwood4628 I know this but I want to learn the silver making jewellery instead of using gold matal for after learning ring like gold . after that I make the ring of the gold after learning .
@@greggreenwood4628 I want to make the gold ring like 20k gold but before making the gold ring I want to make the same thin silver ring instead of the using gold metal . Can you explain me that What I Melt the Alloy for making harder silver without reducing melting point of silver ?
Hello Rashi, I do not have an instagram account. I don't believe you can make a new alloy without reducing the melting point. The percetage of sterling silver is 92.5% silver and 7.5% copper. This will work for you to practice making the ring. Thank you for watching. Say hello to your grandpa. Greg Greenwood
Hello Greg, I tried to solder sterling silver to stainless but did not have good luck. Do I need to do something special when soldering together? I appreciate your guidance. 😊
Hello Dawn, Soldering stainless steel is a bit different that just soldering silver. You need a different solder and flux. I can't remember exactly what they are, but if you Google it, I know the answer is there. Sorry I can't remember the types. Let me know how it goes. Greg Greenwood
@@greggreenwood4628 Thank you Greg for the reply. Yes I tried soldering already and noticed it wasn't going well. Then when i put it in the pickle it bubbled like crazy. I guess stainless, sterling and pickle are not good mix. Ill google and let you know what I find. 🙂
Hey Greg, this is what I found on Google about the Sterling and stainless soldering....
You must use an acid-based soldering flux specifically designed to solder stainless steel. The acid breaks down the stainless steel finish to a point where the solder will adhere. The silver content of the solder determines the strength and the melting point, as both increase with silver content.
Thank you again ...
Hello Dawn, Thanks for the information. When you put the piece in the pickle and it bubbles like that. The piece is too hot to quench. Let it cool a little more before you put in pickle. Greg Greenwood
Hello Dawn, Oh yes, that is correct. Thank you for sharing that with me. The best to you. Keep in touch. Greg Greenwood
thanks for your answer greg.
another question I have is about crack marks on sterling silver after casting and rolling in a mill. They are very slight and a 1mm or 2mm deep on my thin bars after casting and hammering and rolling. I have been using a clean brand new bastard file to get them out.. and filing the silver into a crucible very carefully to not waste any..
I am wondering if I use silicon oxide sand paper or emery sandpaper and a wooden stick would this effect the purity of the grandules when casting aiming for 925? how do I get around this? as I am sure from sand paper experience that small parts of the sand paper fall off ? and potentially into the silver powder area and contaminate this?
please advise as I want to keep my 925 dust pure as can be while removing the cracks in the silver casted bars that are being stretched and hammered into bangles and soon wire at one point.
Many thanks!
Hello UK Guitar Yogi, 1. The cracks are caused by you hammering and rolling without annealing the silver often enough. Once you start forging and rolling in the mill, you are putting great forces on the metal. You must "relax" the molecules of the metal so they do not crack. Anneal the metal more often. 2. You are doing the filing correctly as to not contaminate the metal. Keep the filings clean and separate from any other filings. BUT, you should never use silicon oxide or emery contaminated filings for castings. This will create porosity and contaminated holes in your castings. Keep the metal clean and you will be fine. Thanks. Good Luck. I hope this helps you. Greg Greenwood
@@greggreenwood4628 thanks alot for your answer! if you did use the contaminated sandpaper type filings, if you cast them two times will the defects ever get removed sort of burnt out impurites?
If you cant whats the best use for these impurity defect casts? are they too difficult and trouble to be worth removing somehow ?
also if you cast fire scaled pieces of scrap will they cause defects in the cast also?
thanks!!
Hi UK, Unfortunately, the impurities will still be in the castings. You cannot burn out emery grit. The amount of metal that you reclaim from sanding is very little. It is not worth the time to sort out and try to use. That small amount will ruin the larger amount of good metal that you have mixed in for your castings. Keep filings but don't bother keeping sandings. The best use for impure castings is to use for "lesser" pieces of your work projects. Do not claim them to be 925. You can cast fire scaled pieces, Make sure that you use borax when you melt the silver and this will help clean the metal for casting. I hope this helps. Greg Greenwood.
@@greggreenwood4628 thanks alot man! that is so helpful. I will keep this in mind and anneal more often and check for those tiny cracks and go lighter on the rolling mill and anneal slightly earlier than before and keep inspecting.. !
I will keep the impure scrap that I is possibly contaminated with sandpaper and other bench contaminates seperate for the lesser style pieces !
many thanks and I will keep watching your videos !
Sounds great. Keep it up. Good Luck Greg Greenwood
Is sterling or fine silver used to make silver solder?????
Hello Angel, Fine silver is used for making solder. Thanks for watching. Greg Greenwood
@@greggreenwood4628 I appreciate your answer keep up the good work!👍👍👍
You are welcome. Greg Greenwood
😂Sound Test for Speaker Hook up Jumber wire Video Have too!😊
ok
Please, also in Celsius. The bigger part of the world does not use Fahrenheit.
Hello Ronald, Thank you for your comments. I appreciate it. Yes, you are 100% correct. That was an earlier video and since then I have tried to include both. Definitely on all new videos! Thanks again. Keep watching. Greg Greenwood
@@greggreenwood4628 Great video’s, learning a lot. Thnxs!!
Hello Ronald, Glad you are learning. That is what it is all about. Greg Greenwood
Traducere in limba română??
Pot să utilizez Google Translate. Dacă aveți o întrebare, vă pot ajuta. Mulțumesc. Greg Greenwood
Do you say SODER or SOLDER?
Hello Trickster, Thanks again for your observation. The word solder has an interesting background. Google it. The British pronounce the "L" but in the US the "L" is silent. It is just one of those interesting things that makes us all unique! Both ways are correct. Thanks Greg Greenwood
Oops 😬 typo solder
No problem!!
What does silver soldered mean when it comes to old Gotham butter pats
Hello Jeff, I think you may be referring to the butter dishes having soldered handles? Greg Greenwood
Why do you guys across the pond MISS OUT THE LETTER L - when pronouncing solder. You always say SODER - but the realy word in S O L D E R, not soder!
Hello Phil, Thank you for your observation. The word solder has an interesting background. Google it. The British pronounce the "L" but in the US the "L" is silent. It is just one of those interesting things that makes us all UNIQUE! Both ways are correct. Thanks Greg Greenwood
CAN YOU READ ?!?!?! THERE'S A BLOODY L IN SOLDER....
ALWAYS HAS BEEN.. ALWAYS WILL BE 😠😠😠😠
Hello A Aa, Thank you for your comments. The pronunciation of the word solder has been a "debate" for many years. During my reading and research on the origins of the word, I have discovered that there are many theories of the origin of the word, and has transformed into the modern spelling, "solder". As for the pronunciation, many dictionaries, including Wikipedia, state both pronunciations, with the L and without the L are correct. British with the L and US without the L. This is what makes our world wide cultures and languages so interesting. Whether we pronounce the L or not, really doesn't make any difference. We have a unique and fascinating jewelry technique that is common to all cultures for hundreds of years. We are so lucky to have this in common. Let's enjoy the process and always learn from each other. Greg Greenwood
I'm making a engagement ring for my fiancé I was going to use no coin ring like in silver wise and then I wondered could you take like an ounce of silver is that or does it have to be a different type of silver like a silver solder can I actually use just coin or is that different
Hello highthoughts. You can use coin silver if you wish. Greg Greenwood