How to solder a jump ring onto silver metal clay

Have you ever wondered how to use silver solder paste syringe?
It's such a great product and it's one that silversmiths use to join pieces of silver together. Soldering is a technique that requires patience and like most skills, you'll be better at it with practice. Here are some helpful tips and tricks!

To begin soldering you'll need to buy silver solder paste syringe. It's available from Cooksongold here in the UK. If you're an international customer, do check with your local stockist. If you're not sure what it looks like, look up the UK stockist so you know what to buy. I also buy my sterling silver jump rings and earring posts from them too.

TOP TIP >> Don't use fine silver for the jump rings and posts. Fine silver is softer than sterling silver and these attachments need to have some base metal in them to make them stronger, otherwise they will keep bending when they're worn.

How do I add a jump ring to my silver metal clay piece?
Make sure the areas are clean before you start. Grip the jump ring in the 3rd hand. Place your piece on a soldering block and squeeze on some soldering paste. Now nudge the jump ring up so it's touching your piece. Torch fire, making sure you melt the solder so it flows to create a strong join.

Can I attach posts to make stud earrings using silver solder paste?
Yes, and once you've mastered the art of soldering, you'll realise that it's easy to add posts to earrings. Grip the sterling silver post in the 3rd hand. Place your piece with the back side facing upwards and squeeze a tiny amount of silver solder onto the centre of the piece, or wherever you want the post to be. Sometimes, the post will sit better on the end or on the edge of a piece. If it's a patterned piece, there may be an obvious place for the post to sit. That's for you to decide.

Now, line up the post so it sits in position on your piece. Torch fire, heating gently at first, especially if your piece is very small. You can line up a few pieces as long as you have more 3rd hands to hold the posts.

TOP TIP >> get yourself some magnifying spectacles and your soldering success rate will improve dramatically! Mine certainly did.

TOP TIP >> earring posts can be soft after you've soldered them because you're annealing them when you heat them. To harden them, I place the post on the edge of a steel block so the piece hangs over the side and I hammer the post gently as I roll it along the steel block. You don't need to hit the post very hard, just enough to harden the silver.

WANT MORE HELP WITH YOUR SILVER METAL CLAY SOLDERING?
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