Thursday, August 2, 2012

Soldering

SO MUCH fun! I have been ordering the materials and tools I feel I need to create what is in my mind. I had ordered copper bezel and solder from an Etsy shop and I tried it out today. Of course, after my success of pickling in household vinager, I thought I'd save $7 and make my own flux out of Borax and Salt.

The homemade flux was a failure. The solder beaded up and didn't flow at all. Luckily, I had bought a liquid bottle of pickling flux, and it worked beautifully. So of the 4 I had measured and cut, those 3 worked out well!
Bezel rings
Top is a commerical ammorite, the bottom is dino bone, and the green is malachite

However, I lack a jeweler's saw, so my bezels have no bottoms. Yet. I also lack the tripod on which to solder it together, but soon.

And of course, I'm slabbing! Here are some recent cuts:
Hell's Canyon Petrified Wood, See the heart?

Labradorite. What a bear to cut at the right angle for shimmer!!

Tiffany Stone. Can be very difficult to cab. We'll see.


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