Soldering two rings together

Thread Starter

droggie

Joined Oct 21, 2012
137
I have two gold rings I would like to solder together. The only problem is I don't want to directly apply solder to the gold. I was thinking I could bind them together with some wire and just solder it. Does anyone have any ideas?
 

Markd77

Joined Sep 7, 2009
2,806
Typically you would use a gold solder with the same carat as the gold you are soldering and some acid or borax flux. Maybe just stack them and use ceramic bricks to keep the alignment. You have to be careful because the melting point of the solder is not much lower than the rings themselves. Then there is just cleaning and polishing.
If you use a solder that isn't gold, it either won't work or stands a chance of spreading over the ring surface and then needing removing.
A jeweller that does repairs will probably charge less than it would cost to get the solder and equipment.
 

Thread Starter

droggie

Joined Oct 21, 2012
137
After scouting various jewellers, the lowest price I could find was about $100. All I would need is gold solder. I have the rest of the equipment. I was just wondering if I could solder a clamp to hold them together.
 

Georacer

Joined Nov 25, 2009
5,182
I think it would be better if you described your intentions and the end result a bit better. Different methods give different end products.
 

Markd77

Joined Sep 7, 2009
2,806
I used to use this place because it is fairly local, but they do international delivery:
http://www.cooksongold.com/category_select.jsp?query=gold+solder
You can probably find a more local supplier.
Solder paste contains flux so is very easy to use.
You can use iron wire to hold the pieces together:
http://www.mjsa.org/publications/tech_sheets/tips_for_soldering_set-up
A good gas torch is important so you can get the whole thing to the same temperature.
Something like this is good:
www.ebay.co.uk/itm/181039715608
 
Last edited:

Markd77

Joined Sep 7, 2009
2,806
Silver solder will work, but it will flow across the ring surface and then need very careful filing and polishing to remove it. It would be easy to make a mess of the rings doing that, especially as the silver solder is harder than the gold underneath. With the right gold solder it's not a problem because the solder is essentially the same as the rings themselves so it just needs a bit of smoothing.
 
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