In detail: DIY repair of silver chains from a real master for the site my.housecope.com.
If there is a nuisance in the form of a broken silver chain, do not despair and rush to get rid of the product. The jeweler will help to correct the situation. However, it is not always possible to turn to him for help.
In addition, such a service will not be cheap and will amount to almost half the price for the item itself. You can try to solve the problem yourself and solder the silver chain at home using available tools.
Before deciding to solder parts of a silver product yourself, you need to understand the physical and chemical properties of a noble metal. The melting point of silver is 960 degrees. This is the average for the various metals from which jewelry is made.
The melting point depends on how much pure silver is contained in the alloy. To get a high-quality ration, you need to thoroughly approach the choice of silver solder.
It is a strong soldered joint and is used for brazing both non-ferrous and ferrous metals, as well as various alloys. For ease of use, all solders are subject to marking, including an alphanumeric set. The digital indicator determines the amount of silver in the solder as a percentage.
Any seam welded with solder is resistant to corrosion, does not deform, and is durable. The most important factor from the above is anti-corrosion. In order for this moment to be observed, solders should be chosen in which the content of pure silver is increased.
If it is impossible to purchase solder in special outlets, you can make it yourself. The most common and high-quality composition, which includes:
Silver - 45%;
Copper - 25%;
Zinc - 30%.
Video (click to play).
All components are melted in a muffle furnace. After melting, the mixture is poured onto a substrate and passed through a machine to obtain sheets of the desired thickness. For soldering, sheets of 1-3 mm are used. Strips of the required length are cut from them.
In order for the welded seam to be strong, the following materials and tools must be prepared:
Base for the main work (asbestos board or bricks), resistant to high temperatures;
Solder from silver;
Flux;
Acid pickling solution;
Sulfuric liver;
A small brush;
Tweezers or tweezers;
Nippers;
Gas burner;
Copper tongs;
A clean piece of light-colored cloth.
At home, you can use one of two soldering options for silver:
1. Gas burner. This method is not only simple but also cost effective. You need to act as follows:
Clean the entire surface of the parts to be soldered from visible dirt and blackness;
Apply a thin layer of flux to the elements. You can cook it yourself. To do this, the borax is poured with water and heated in a water bath. The mixture is cooled, and the resulting crystals are ground in a mortar.
Put a pre-prepared necessary piece of solder in the place of soldering. It can be cut with pliers;
Use a gas torch to warm up the product from its side, paying attention to the position of the solder. It should not be blown away by the flame;
As the flux melts, the flame should be increased until the moment when the solder forms a seam. If there are not enough materials, they can be added in the course of work;
After the soldering is completed, allow the product to cool down and wipe all parts of the soldered object in the place of their connection with sandpaper to remove traces of flux. It will also remove excess solder.
2. A soldering iron. To solder parts of the product with a soldering iron, you should choose a device with a thin tip. Solder for such work is better to buy POS-60. It starts to melt at 180 degrees.
This solder is slightly different from the usual types. It is made in the form of a tube, the inside of which is filled with resin. It is she who is an alternative to borax flux and performs the function of protecting the alloy from possible oxidation. The procedure will be as follows:
The surface of the product is cleaned from oxides and other contaminants;
The joints are heated to such a temperature that it becomes higher than the melting point;
At the place of melting, the solder is laid, with the flux embedded in it;
The soldering iron heats up the surface of the product. Under the influence of high temperature, the solder begins to melt and evenly distribute over the surface;
The product is allowed to cool and the joints are cleaned with sandpaper.
When working with a torch and a soldering iron, precautions must be taken, as both devices can cause a fire.
It is important to understand that any poor quality work can ruin the product. Therefore, if possible, it is better to entrust a torn chain or other silver jewelry to professionals.
From time to time, silver items require repair, and the question arises: how to solder silver at home? Indeed, for several centuries, mankind has been using silver products. Spoons, forks, bracelets, chains, caskets and rings decorate our lives and emphasize the individuality of the owner.
Tools and materials for soldering: a - ordinary soldering irons, b - electric soldering iron, c, d - irregular shape of the soldering iron, e - casting solder into a form convenient for work.
You can entrust the repair of your favorite little thing to a professional or perform the necessary actions yourself, with your own hands. For the latter option, you will need to master the technological methods, the procedure and apply in practice the information on materials science and other necessary information.
Soldering any metal requires knowledge of the physical and chemical properties of the material. Silver melts at 960 ° C, which is the average value for metals used in jewelry making. For example, the temperature required to reach the melting point of copper is 1083 ° C, and for gold it is 1063 ° C.
Alloys containing silver have different melting points. The exact values are indicated in specialized reference books. In particular, PSr-25, PSr-10, PSr-12. Silver solders are marked with a sequence of letters and numbers. The numerical values correspond to the percentage of silver in the solder.
Preparing the soldering iron for work and cleaning the surface: a - heating the soldering iron with a blowtorch, b - methods of attaching the soldering iron to a blowtorch, c - a stand for a soldering iron, d - servicing a soldering iron on a brick.
In modern production, solders containing silver are an important, integral component of the technological process, since welded seams, brazed with silver solder, guarantee strength, high density and resistance to corrosion. Corrosion resistance should be recognized as the most significant quality. With increased requirements for strength and corrosion resistance, it is necessary to use brazing alloys with a high silver content. In some cases, soldering with 70% silver solder is used.
Solder for silver is purchased from specialized stores. It is preferable to use high-melting solder (melting temperature above 240 ° C), use an alloy marked PSR2 and PSR-2.5, or use a specialized soldering paste.
You can also make your own solder.Silver-copper-zinc and silver-copper-cadmium-zinc solders are used. The most optimal composition is 45% silver, 25% copper, 30% zinc. The components are melted in a submerged-arc muffle furnace. The finished mixture is poured onto a substrate, after cooling, the alloy is passed through a rolling machine until leaflets with a thickness of about 0.5 mm are obtained. When soldering, strips 1-3 mm wide are used, from which pieces of the required length are cut.
It is not recommended to use formulations containing cadmium at home, as cadmium fumes will cause health problems. During the soldering process, the joint is exposed to atmospheric air. To prevent oxidation and other negative reactions, a flux (colophonium) is used. As the solder melts, the flux is evenly distributed over the metal surface and insulates the weld area.
Soldering techniques: a - soldering an open seam with a hammer soldering iron, b - heating the surfaces to be soldered with an electric iron, c - soldering sheet metal, d - soldering wires, e - soldering pipes with a butt-end soldering iron, e - a method of sealing holes in pipes, g - tinning the ends of the wire ...
At home, you can use a simple flux for soldering silver alloys - a mixture of equal proportions of borax (sodium tetraborate) and potash. Potash can be replaced with baking soda or technical soda. Sometimes 1/10 of table salt is added. Borax is an aqueous solution and needs to be dried. It is dried on the stove burner in a vessel such as a porcelain chemical container or an evaporation cup. Dried over low heat.
Hot borax forms bubbles, which are pierced by a metal rod to break, the mass must remain in the container. After the end of the evaporation process, the borax is immediately removed from the heat to prevent melting. After cooling, the crystals obtained are ground in a mortar and mixed with potash.
After the end of soldering, the flux is removed from the surface of the repaired product using a heated weak acid solution. A hot solution of sulfuric liver is used for blackening. Sulfuric liver is a mixture of sodium or potassium polysulfides, made by fusing potash or soda (two measures) with sulfur (one measure). The finished sulfuric liver must be stored in an airtight dry container; a solution is prepared immediately before use, since it retains its properties for 24 hours. The saturation of the solution depends on the desired result and is selected individually.
A gas burner is used to connect small jewelry pieces. Such certainty when choosing the main tool is associated, first of all, with convenience: to work with a gas burner, you only need an ordinary gas canister, and the quality of the work performed will please.
Solders for jewelry.
insulating refractory base (brick or asbestos board);
silver solder;
flux;
pickling acid solution;
sulfuric liver;
small brush;
nippers;
tweezers;
gas-burner;
copper tongs;
clean cloth.
The parts to be brazed are placed on the refractory base. All elements must be rigidly fixed relative to each other. Clamps of different designs and refractory wire (nichrome) are used. Please note: the smaller the gaps in the welding area, the more beautiful and high-quality the connection will be.
The working surface of the parts to be soldered is thoroughly cleaned, oxide films formed over a long time are removed. Pay attention to the complete absence of contaminating components - this is the only way to achieve a high-quality internal connection. Degreased elements are coated with a thin layer of flux. The gumboil can be simply poured in, or just before brazing, prepare the required amount of gruel with water. The gruel is applied with a brush.
Soldering.A piece of solder is placed in the place of welding. The amount of solder is determined locally, it is convenient to use pieces of 2x2 or 2x1 mm in size. A strip of solder with a thickness of approximately 0.5 mm is divided into pieces of the required size. Nippers or side cutters are used.
The gas burner is connected to the product from the side. The weld spot is carefully warmed up. Make sure that the flow of hot gas does not blow away the solder and flux, and also control the uniformity of heating. After the flux melts, the flame gradually increases until the solder forms a solder joint. If there is not enough solder, carefully add solder and flux.
If a crack is to be filled, a "light", low silver silver solder can be used as it melts at a lower temperature. To join the two pieces together, respectively, use "medium" or "hard" silver solder with a high silver content to create a stronger connection.
Final processing. The product is cleaned of flux. Excess solder is removed with sandpaper or a file. The surface is exposed to blackening or lightening with an acid solution.
In some cases, they try to solder silver with tin-lead solder. This method can be applied only once in a critical situation; with repeated repairs, the elegance of the thing may be lost: under such circumstances, the product will simply burn out, and the master will not be to blame for this.
Be sure to warn the jeweler about the use of silver-free solders for repairs.
You need to know that soldering electronic printed circuit boards with your own hands is fundamentally different from repairing jewelry. A soldering iron with a thin tip is used for soldering. The work in this case is performed with POS-60 solder melting at a temperature of 180 ° C. Thus, you must first take care of the availability of solder for soldering electronic boards. A similar tinol is produced in the form of thin tubes filled with resin. The resin in the solder, in turn, acts as a flux, protecting the metal surface from oxidation.
When working from home, observe safety rules. An open flame from the burner can cause a fire. When solder and flux are heated, toxic substances are released; your home must be equipped with a ventilation system. The acidic solution causes a chemical burn to the skin and respiratory tract. Be careful.
For a long time, silver was considered an almost useless metal that does not affect the development of progress and technical improvement. However, even in antiquity, silver was actively used for soldering. Soldering silver is a relevant procedure in our time, since many of us have certain jewelry made of useful precious metal: a ring, chain, ring, earrings, etc.
The temperature at which silver begins to melt is 960 grams. C, is not high enough for the melting point of the metal... For example, the temperature upon reaching which copper and gold begins to melt is 1083 grams. C and 1063 gr. C respectively. Of course, drawing parallels, comparing with other metals - this makes no sense, since the range of metals in such ancient times was quite small.
Many of us studied materials science while studying in technical schools. Having opened a modern reference book on materials science, we can personally make sure that it contains several silver solders: PSr-25, PSr-10, PSr-12. Solder markings contain letters and numbers, where the latter indicate the percentage of silver in the solder.
Silver solders have a special place in the technique, as silver soldered seams come out incredibly strong, dense, and resistant to corrosion. The last quality is the most important.Of course, no one even thinks of soldering household items (buckets, dishes) with silver solder, however, some household items, which are very difficult to do without today, simply need the presence of such solders. Let us consider separately the PSr-12 alloy used for soldering nozzles, collectors, fittings, as well as other equipment with a copper content of more than 58%.
The higher the requirements for strength, corrosion resistance, the more significant the content of silver in the solder. It should be noted that in some cases brazing with 70% silver solder is required. It is interesting to know that brazing a material such as titanium forces you to use the purest silver, without any zinc impurities.
Soft zinc-silver solder is used as an alternative to tin solder. For many, this is ridiculous, since the solder is being replaced by a currency metal. But there is essentially nothing to be surprised at, since this issue is purely monetary.
Nowadays, the most popular POS-40 solder remains, which contains 40% tin and 60% lead. Solder is used almost everywhere where soldering is required. For comparison, let's say that the POS-40 substitute contains only 2.5% silver, while the remaining portion is lead.
The importance of silver as a material for soldering is now steadily growing, mostly in the technical field, as evidenced by published data, according to which, in the United States alone, up to 840 tons of silver are spent annually for these purposes (soldering).
Soldering the metal in question in your everyday life is a useful experience that may come in handy in the future. Soldering is the creation of an integral connection of metal elements made of silver using a low-melting material (the melting point of the latter is significantly lower than that of the base material).
The technological part of the procedure may differ depending on the type of metal, soldering conditions, as well as many other factors, which are not fully enumerated. As such, DIY soldering electronic PCBs and jewelry repair can be very different.
You can entrust the decoration either to a professional or to take on the work yourself, with your own hands. However, this will require harnessing some useful information, as well as being informed of the established procedure if you are seriously interested in soldering.
Base for the main work (asbestos board or bricks), resistant to high temperatures;
Base for the main work (asbestos board or bricks), resistant to high temperatures;
