Hell A Matu, Thank you very much for your kind comments. I appreciate it. It may be a while before I do an engraving video. I like to do it, but I need MUCH MORE practice!! It is funny because a couple of my ancestors were engravers. Thanks for the suggestion! Keep watching! Greg Greenwood
Hello Lao, You are so welcome. I'm glad you found me also. I am very happy to help you. If you have any questions in the future, please let me know. Greg Greenwood
So simple, so basic SOOO EXCELLENT! I keep coming to your channel to be refreshingly re-inspired. Your passion is obvious! You make "I knew that", into a new thing again!. 🌺
I just love your channel. You give me confidence to try things I’m cautious about or to try again when I feel like I fail a task. Your personality and very clear explanatioms of what exactly is going on when using any specific technique is SO helpful to be able to trouble shoot and make well informed descisions on what technique to use in any given project, and I really appreciate that. I’m ne of those peope who needs to understand intellectually the physics of what I’m doing to improve on my skills. You are such a positive and generous person listening to you wisks away my ”creative demons”. Thank you Greg. And Merry Christmas! 🌟❤️🌲🙏
Hello Gnarbel, Thank you so very much for your kind and heartfelt comments. I am so happy that I can help you gain confidence to move to new heights! Also, I too need to understand what is going on in a process. If we understand what is going on, we can improve on all levels. Thank you again, I really appreciate it. Keep watching and Merry Christmas to you. Greg Greenwood
Did you ever do voice over acting? I just love your voice and presentation. You could have your own show on PBS or something like "Greg Greenwood the Science Guy"! 🙂
Hello Lisa, No, I never have. Thank you for your kind comments. I appreciate it. You Tube is the closest I can come to PBS !! Thank you again. Have fun and enjoy the videos. Greg Greenwood
Man, I look forward to having enough experience to silversmith as flawlessly as you do. I follow all your directions to the letter, and still have spent the better part of 2 hours a day for the last 4 days, trying to finish one single bezel and ring, for an opal. It's the most captivating, addictive, enjoyable, and yet super frustrating process I've involved myself with.
Hello Red, I love your comments. You will be "flawless" soon by doing exactly what you told me. Spending hours and days working on a piece of jewelry. I wish I were flawless, and after over 45 years, I am still learning and enjoying the process. It never gets old. I am super happy you are "captivated". Let me know how your journey goes. Greg Greenwood
Just starting my first course in metalsmithing. Your instruction is clear, concise and CALMING. Took me from beating myself up in class to feeling a bit more confident and subsequent success. Thank you for sharing your gifts with us!!! Keep up the great work.
Hello Mark, I am very excited that you are starting metalsmithing. It can be a little frustrating at first, but just take it slow and it will become easier and easier!! Thank you for your kind comments. I appreciate it. Please check out my channel. I have many videos that will help explain techniques. If you know the reasons why you are doing something, it will make more sense and you will be more confident moving forward. If you have any questions as you go forward, please feel free to let me know. I am here to help. Thanks again. Greg Greenwood
My new fave soldering setup i learned on youtube - you cut a vertical notch in the side of your wooden bench pin that you can wedge crosslock tweezers into. You can work VERY FAST like this for soldering small parts. No wire, no solder blocks, no annealing pan, no pumice, not a lot of fuss. You just have to be careful where you are pointing your torch. It seems several high end pros do it this way for much of their soldering.
Hello Allan, Thanks a million for your soldering tip. Sounds great. You are correct on being careful where you point your torch. Also, remember not to touch the cross locks after you solder! Thanks Allan, I enjoy your comments. Greg Greenwood
I am 67 and have found out that building homes and my age have forced me to revert back to my original dreams of making jewelry some, 40 years ago. Love your videos, they are bringing me back to a hobby I have forgotten. When I use to make jewelry, in my 20s and 30s it was strictly with silver. Since the first of the year I’ve been buying all the old equipment that I used to have and boy is it expensive. Last time I bought an ounce of silver it was less than four dollars.
Hello Stephen, Welcome back to the wonderful world of Jewelry making!! I feel your "building pains" and also the pain of higher priced silver. I started making jewelry over 50 years ago but we thought the prices were high then!!! If you have any questions in the future, please feel free to let me know. I am here to help you. Keep watching. Greg Greenwood
@@greggreenwood4628 I make silver jewelry on a old form of casting. I am making my Sons wedding ring and am having a very hard time on joining the ends for soldering. Do you have an idea how to ?
Hello Stephen, The first suggestion is to watch my video "5 Secrets to Perfect Silver Soldering" This will establish the 'ground rules" for soldering. But now the problem is getting the two ends to fit. I hope this will make sense to you. I'm not sure how thick the ring is. I am assuming it is a little thicker being a man's ring. That being said.: Take the ring and look at the circle side with the opening (solder joint) in the 3 o'clock position. Make sure the the 2 ends are clean and smooth. Casting can leave "crud" in the joint. Pull emery cloth thru the joint to clean and smooth flat. Then put the ring on a wooden surface still with joint in the 3 o'clock position. Tap the ring down at the 12 o'clock position with a rawhide mallet. This will make the ring slightly oval and the open joint will close on the inner side of the ring BUT still leaving the joint open on the outer side. This will look like a V joint. Then turn the ring so the joint is on top in the 12 o'clock position. Set it on the wood and tap straight down with the rawhide mallet on the open V joint. This will bring the ring back to a round shape and force the V joint closed snug and ready to solder. (Again, I hope this makes sense.) Please let me know how this is working for you. Thanks for your question. Greg Greenwood
thanks a lot, your work is amizing and your pasion teching is wonderfull .I am returning to this and i saw now all your videos, when i begin to work i will ask you any doubt. thanks, thanks
Hello Noemi, Thank you for your kind comments. I appreciate it. I am glad to hear your are returning to jewelry making. Please feel free to ask any questions. Looking forward to hearing from you. Greg Greenwood
Hello Cairn, Thanks for your question. I use a magnifying lamp (not expensive), magnifying visor, and magnifying safety glasses. You do not need to buy the expensive lamps. They are inexpensive on Amazon. I have bifocals for my glasses, so I use bifocal safety glasses. You may not need that, but make sure you get good safety glasses. They are a must. I hope this helps you. I am here to help. Greg Greenwood
@@greggreenwood4628 Hi Greg, I wonder if you could tell me what kind of torches do I need for silver soldering. I would like to learn. Also I would like to know how to melt silver with a torch. Do I need a special license to obtain the torches and the tanks?
Hello Osckarre, You can use butane and propane torches for general soldering. This are inexpensive and you can get them from your local hardware store or even some box stores. For melting silver, you will need a hotter torch. Acetylene and air or acetylene and oxygen are great for melting silver and casting. These are more expensive and you must get the tanks from a welding supplier. All of these torches are available at most Jewelry supply houses. Rio Grande is one company here in the US. They ship to Canada also. I hope this helps you. Thanks for your questions. Greg Greenwood
Hello Tamara, Great question. A jeweler's and metalsmith's hands are their most important tool. We must take care of them or it is all over! I am not in full production mode now, and am concentrating on the videos. So they look much better than "normal". Lots of hand creams!! Thanks for watching and commenting! Greg Greenwood
This may be a silly question... I can see that solderinng can leave soldering materials on the various soldering blocks. Can this affect your soldering if you are on one of these little messy spots from previous soldering jobs? When do you really know it's time to change out that block because of this problem; or is it?
Hello Crazy, Good question. The marks that you are seeing are mostly heat related on the vermiculite blocks. Does not hurt. On the charcoal blocks , there can be some flux left over from soldering. This can be easily scraped off with a knife. Before you solder on any block, you should check for any extra solder that might have fallen onto the block. This is what can be a problem. It could melt onto your next project. Easy check, no big deal. The soldering blocks will last for years. Keep them brushed off, don't worry about it, and have fun soldering!! Greg Greenwood
Great video series! I wonder if you could do a video about the titanium clamps. I ordered some titanium strips that I was told could be formed into any of the soldering aids you showed. However, I have found them impossible to bend at all. I tried annealing them and again, no luck. Even had my husband and my son try & they couldn't budge them either. Would love to know what the secret is.
Hello Agnes, Thank you for your kind comments. The titanium strips that I show in the video are from Rio Grande Jewelry Supply. # 110795. Knew Concepts Titanium Soldering Strips. 4in x 3/16in x 1.5 mm thick. They are stiff but bendable. Use strong pliers. The metal that you are using might be thicker and possibly not annealed. If you have annealed them, then please use a stronger pair of pliers and/or a vice. The Knew Concepts come annealed. The thickness is important. 1.5mm. I hope this helps you. Let me know how it goes. Greg Greenwood
I was taught to hold the workpiece in block of plasticine so all the joints were covered with the plasticine. Then use plaster of paris to fix all the bits in place. When the plaster is set remove all the plasticine. leave to dry a while then remove any grease with solvent. Place your solder, flux and heat either with a torch or if large in a kiln. Its is time consuming but if the piece has many joints you may be able to use one grade of solder. You then break off the plaster and clean in an acid bath, not your general pickle.
Hello Chris, For my main torch, I use a Presto-Lite Acetylene and Air. This gives me a wide range of temps and tip sizes. I also use a Blazer micro torch. It is a small Butane fueled torch. I use it for very small soldering jobs. There are a wide range of torches at Rio Grande Jewelry Supply that you may check out. Thank you for your question. I appreciate it. Greg Greenwood
Hi. Thank you once again for the video! What do you mean by heat sink? Also, where did you get the titanium clamps from? Did you make them yourself? Do you have a video that explains when you should heat underneath a piece versus heat above the piece? Thank you for your time. Really appreciate you answering my questions. I am new to the metal/silversmithing world; I only have a few projects under my belt.
Hello Lori, Heat sinking means any tool or surface that is "sucking up" the heat from your project that you are trying to solder. Sometimes the tools that are heat sinking will prevent you from ever reaching the melting temp of the solder. So you must use a large enough torch or torch tip to heat the piece up to melting temps. I made the titanium clamps. I got the titanium from Rio Grande #110795. Knew Concepts Titanium Soldering Strips. Remember: practice, practice, practice. You will get better and better. Greg Greenwood
@@greggreenwood4628 Ahh.... so is that the reason why we heat the tweezer first, so it doesn't suck heat away from the solder point? In your videos, I do not see you heating up the tweezer before heating up the ring shank then to focus on the solder point. Thanks for the encouragement!
Hello Lori, You almost have it correct. You have the right idea, but you do not want to heat up the tweezers first. The tweezers are to hold the piece of jewelry. Keep the tweezers as far away from the solder joint as possible. You always want to heat the jewelry piece ,not the holder. Heat the ring shank and then focus on the solder joint. Please check out my PLAY LIST "Silver Soldering Techniques". There are many videos in the playlist that will help you learn about soldering. Keep watching. Greg Greenwood
hi greg i been watching all your videos and I want to thank you for sharing your experience with us its very helpful and i have question can you make some videos how to make silver cuban chain step by step thank you
Hello Elias, Thank you for your great comments. I appreciate it. I would love to help you with the cuban chain. I know how they are made, but I don't have the experience to be able to show you the fine details that it takes to do the job correctly. I have seen some good videos on the process, so I know good videos are out there. Sorry I cannot help you on this one!! Thank you for watching. Greg Greenwood
@@greggreenwood4628 thank you so much sir and no problem i appreciate you!! i been watching all the videos on UA-cam about this project but no one has accurate explaining like you thanks again
Hello Cathy, Sorry you are having trouble. Question for you before I can answer. Are you using an electric soldering gun or a flame torch? If you are using an electric soldering gun, it is not used for silver soldering. You must use a propane, butane, or acetylene gas torch. Let me know what you are using and we can go from there. Thanks and talk to you soon. Greg Greenwood
Speaking of steel pins I cannot find them anywhere. I’ve looked on Amazon. I don’t know if I’m typing in the right keywords. But can’t find them here not at our local hardware store which is Canadian tire or Kent in Canada
Pretty sure it has to do with my borax mix (not enough water mixed with borax powder) or my pickling liquid ( white vinegar and salt) or dunking the silver in the pickle while it's still hot. Any help is appreciated. Thanks
@@fosterluu following. (Quench before pickling, and if using simple home made pickle I find you sometimes have to let a piece sit in the hot pickle pot for a longer time, but I’m NO expert ;)
Hello ChopohC, Thank you for your question. I have a couple questions for you first. Is the coloration "in" the silver or "on top" of the silver? If it is in the silver, it could be you have not left the piece in the pickle long enough to get rid of the oxides or it could be fire scale. If it is on top of the silver, it could just be extra flux that has not cleaned off in the pickle. In both cases, leave in the hot pickle longer. Let me know how it goes. Greg Greenwood
Greg, you are talented teacher. Thank you so much and looking forward for the new ones. Maybe, about gravers and gravering technics?
Hell A Matu, Thank you very much for your kind comments. I appreciate it. It may be a while before I do an engraving video. I like to do it, but I need MUCH MORE practice!! It is funny because a couple of my ancestors were engravers. Thanks for the suggestion! Keep watching! Greg Greenwood
You’re such an amazing teacher your voice is so soothing, informative and detailed .😊
Hello Elisa, Thank you, I hope not too soothing to put you to sleep!! Greg Greenwood
Greg. Your a great teacher! Thanks for the video.
Hello JT, I appreciate that! I am very happy to help. The best to you! Greg Greenwood
Gosh>> I am so glad that I found you. You have all the knowledge I have been looking for. Thank you.
Hello Lao, You are so welcome. I'm glad you found me also. I am very happy to help you. If you have any questions in the future, please let me know. Greg Greenwood
You’re a wealth of knowledge! Learning a lot from your videos. Thank you!!
Hello Geri, Thank you very much. Glad you are learning. Keep watching! Greg Greenwood
Thank you very much. Knowledge is gold. This is gold.
Hello franescoquadrato, Thank you! Glad you are watching. Greg Greenwood
So simple, so basic SOOO EXCELLENT! I keep coming to your channel to be refreshingly re-inspired. Your passion is obvious! You make "I knew that", into a new thing again!.
🌺
Hello Flying Chef, Wow, thank you! I really appreciate your comments. Have a great one. Greg Greenwood
I just love your channel. You give me confidence to try things I’m cautious about or to try again when I feel like I fail a task. Your personality and very clear explanatioms of what exactly is going on when using any specific technique is SO helpful to be able to trouble shoot and make well informed descisions on what technique to use in any given project, and I really appreciate that.
I’m ne of those peope who needs to understand intellectually the physics of what I’m doing to improve on my skills. You are such a positive and generous person listening to you wisks away my ”creative demons”. Thank you Greg. And Merry Christmas!
🌟❤️🌲🙏
Hello Gnarbel, Thank you so very much for your kind and heartfelt comments. I am so happy that I can help you gain confidence to move to new heights! Also, I too need to understand what is going on in a process. If we understand what is going on, we can improve on all levels. Thank you again, I really appreciate it. Keep watching and Merry Christmas to you. Greg Greenwood
Thanks! Have a most groovy and inspiring holiday! 💫🙏
Did you ever do voice over acting? I just love your voice and presentation. You could have your own show on PBS or something like "Greg Greenwood the Science Guy"! 🙂
Hello Lisa, No, I never have. Thank you for your kind comments. I appreciate it. You Tube is the closest I can come to PBS !! Thank you again. Have fun and enjoy the videos. Greg Greenwood
Man, I look forward to having enough experience to silversmith as flawlessly as you do. I follow all your directions to the letter, and still have spent the better part of 2 hours a day for the last 4 days, trying to finish one single bezel and ring, for an opal. It's the most captivating, addictive, enjoyable, and yet super frustrating process I've involved myself with.
Hello Red, I love your comments. You will be "flawless" soon by doing exactly what you told me. Spending hours and days working on a piece of jewelry. I wish I were flawless, and after over 45 years, I am still learning and enjoying the process. It never gets old. I am super happy you are "captivated". Let me know how your journey goes. Greg Greenwood
Just starting my first course in metalsmithing. Your instruction is clear, concise and CALMING. Took me from beating myself up in class to feeling a bit more confident and subsequent success. Thank you for sharing your gifts with us!!! Keep up the great work.
Hello Mark, I am very excited that you are starting metalsmithing. It can be a little frustrating at first, but just take it slow and it will become easier and easier!! Thank you for your kind comments. I appreciate it. Please check out my channel. I have many videos that will help explain techniques. If you know the reasons why you are doing something, it will make more sense and you will be more confident moving forward. If you have any questions as you go forward, please feel free to let me know. I am here to help. Thanks again. Greg Greenwood
Excellent tips, thanks Greg.
Hello Larry, Glad to help. Keep watching. I appreciate it. Greg Greenwood
thank you for sharing this.. amazing videos
Hello Elias, You are more than welcome. Thanks for watching. Greg Greenwood
Excellent video, thanks for the great tips.
Hello Nick, Thank you very much. You are more than welcome. Greg Greenwood
Thank you for some new tips to try Greg!
Hello Ted, Absolutely my pleasure. Thank you for watching. Greg Greenwood
Short and sweet. Very informative and straight to the point. Thank you.
Hello Kinx, Thank you for your nice comments. I appreciate it. Keep watching. Greg Greewood.
Well explained Greg! Good job!
Hello aristide, Thank you very much. Keep watching. Greg Greenwood
Wow! Thanks for your perfect tips!!
Hello Frances, You're so welcome! Happy to help. Greg Greenwood
My new fave soldering setup i learned on youtube - you cut a vertical notch in the side of your wooden bench pin that you can wedge crosslock tweezers into. You can work VERY FAST like this for soldering small parts. No wire, no solder blocks, no annealing pan, no pumice, not a lot of fuss. You just have to be careful where you are pointing your torch. It seems several high end pros do it this way for much of their soldering.
Hello Allan, Thanks a million for your soldering tip. Sounds great. You are correct on being careful where you point your torch. Also, remember not to touch the cross locks after you solder! Thanks Allan, I enjoy your comments. Greg Greenwood
Great ideas, thanks for sharing them. Cheers!
Hello Larry, Glad you like them! I appreciate your kind comments. Greg Greenwood
I am 67 and have found out that building homes and my age have forced me to revert back to my original dreams of making jewelry some, 40 years ago.
Love your videos, they are bringing me back to a hobby I have forgotten. When I use to make jewelry, in my 20s and 30s it was strictly with silver. Since the first of the year I’ve been buying all the old equipment that I used to have and boy is it expensive. Last time I bought an ounce of silver it was less than four dollars.
Hello Stephen, Welcome back to the wonderful world of Jewelry making!! I feel your "building pains" and also the pain of higher priced silver. I started making jewelry over 50 years ago but we thought the prices were high then!!! If you have any questions in the future, please feel free to let me know. I am here to help you. Keep watching. Greg Greenwood
@@greggreenwood4628 I make silver jewelry on a old form of casting. I am making my Sons wedding ring and am having a very hard time on joining the ends for soldering. Do you have an idea how to ?
@@greggreenwood4628 post script, my trouble is getting the two ends of the ring to perfectly match for a Seamless joint?
Hello Stephen, See the next Reply to your post script. Greg Greenwood
Hello Stephen, The first suggestion is to watch my video "5 Secrets to Perfect Silver Soldering" This will establish the 'ground rules" for soldering. But now the problem is getting the two ends to fit. I hope this will make sense to you. I'm not sure how thick the ring is. I am assuming it is a little thicker being a man's ring. That being said.: Take the ring and look at the circle side with the opening (solder joint) in the 3 o'clock position. Make sure the the 2 ends are clean and smooth. Casting can leave "crud" in the joint. Pull emery cloth thru the joint to clean and smooth flat. Then put the ring on a wooden surface still with joint in the 3 o'clock position. Tap the ring down at the 12 o'clock position with a rawhide mallet. This will make the ring slightly oval and the open joint will close on the inner side of the ring BUT still leaving the joint open on the outer side. This will look like a V joint. Then turn the ring so the joint is on top in the 12 o'clock position. Set it on the wood and tap straight down with the rawhide mallet on the open V joint. This will bring the ring back to a round shape and force the V joint closed snug and ready to solder. (Again, I hope this makes sense.) Please let me know how this is working for you. Thanks for your question. Greg Greenwood
Really enjoy your videos. Very informative and easy to follow along. Thanks for sharing.
Hello D&L, Glad you like them! Keep watching! You are very welcome. Greg Greenwood
wonderful information. Very little have I seen elsewhere. Plus your art and style is fabulous & inspiring. Thank you!
Hello John, Thank you very much for your kind comments. I appreciate it!! I am glad I can help. Keep watching! Thanks again. Greg Greenwood
thanks a lot, your work is amizing and your pasion teching is wonderfull .I am returning to this and i saw now all your videos, when i begin to work i will ask you any doubt. thanks, thanks
Hello Noemi, Thank you for your kind comments. I appreciate it. I am glad to hear your are returning to jewelry making. Please feel free to ask any questions. Looking forward to hearing from you. Greg Greenwood
Another fantastic video, thank you so much 😊 so helpful
Hello Aileach, You are so welcome! Thank you for watching. Glad I can help. Greg Greenwood
Great job, well done sir
Hello Hayder,Thank you very much. I appreciate it. Greg Greenwood
thanks for your help
Hello Man, You are very welcome. Thank you for watching. Greg Greenwood
Thank you so much for your tutorials! I love them! I was wondering if you could go over what you use for magnetifcation and your recommendations.
Hello Cairn, Thanks for your question. I use a magnifying lamp (not expensive), magnifying visor, and magnifying safety glasses. You do not need to buy the expensive lamps. They are inexpensive on Amazon. I have bifocals for my glasses, so I use bifocal safety glasses. You may not need that, but make sure you get good safety glasses. They are a must. I hope this helps you. I am here to help. Greg Greenwood
@@greggreenwood4628 Thank you so much!
Thank you so much!
Hello Paula, You're more than welcome! Thanks Greg Greenwood
Thanks Greg
Hello Crazy Jays, You are more than welcome. Greg Greenwood
Really nice job on the videos Greg! Loving all the great information too.
Hello Osckarre, Glad you like them! I appreciate your comments. Greg Greenwood
@@greggreenwood4628 Hi Greg, I wonder if you could tell me what kind of torches do I need for silver soldering. I would like to learn. Also I would like to know how to melt silver with a torch. Do I need a special license to obtain the torches and the tanks?
Hello Osckarre, You can use butane and propane torches for general soldering. This are inexpensive and you can get them from your local hardware store or even some box stores. For melting silver, you will need a hotter torch. Acetylene and air or acetylene and oxygen are great for melting silver and casting. These are more expensive and you must get the tanks from a welding supplier. All of these torches are available at most Jewelry supply houses. Rio Grande is one company here in the US. They ship to Canada also. I hope this helps you. Thanks for your questions. Greg Greenwood
@@greggreenwood4628 Thank you, it sure helps. I'm shopping now! :)
How do you keep your hands so nice? Most silversmith hands are spent.
Hello Tamara, Great question. A jeweler's and metalsmith's hands are their most important tool. We must take care of them or it is all over! I am not in full production mode now, and am concentrating on the videos. So they look much better than "normal". Lots of hand creams!! Thanks for watching and commenting! Greg Greenwood
This may be a silly question... I can see that solderinng can leave soldering materials on the various soldering blocks. Can this affect your soldering if you are on one of these little messy spots from previous soldering jobs? When do you really know it's time to change out that block because of this problem; or is it?
Hello Crazy, Good question. The marks that you are seeing are mostly heat related on the vermiculite blocks. Does not hurt. On the charcoal blocks , there can be some flux left over from soldering. This can be easily scraped off with a knife. Before you solder on any block, you should check for any extra solder that might have fallen onto the block. This is what can be a problem. It could melt onto your next project. Easy check, no big deal. The soldering blocks will last for years. Keep them brushed off, don't worry about it, and have fun soldering!! Greg Greenwood
@@greggreenwood4628 Thank you so much. 😁
Anytime! Greg Greenwood
Great video series! I wonder if you could do a video about the titanium clamps. I ordered some titanium strips that I was told could be formed into any of the soldering aids you showed. However, I have found them impossible to bend at all. I tried annealing them and again, no luck. Even had my husband and my son try & they couldn't budge them either. Would love to know what the secret is.
Hello Agnes, Thank you for your kind comments. The titanium strips that I show in the video are from Rio Grande Jewelry Supply. # 110795. Knew Concepts Titanium Soldering Strips. 4in x 3/16in x 1.5 mm thick. They are stiff but bendable. Use strong pliers. The metal that you are using might be thicker and possibly not annealed. If you have annealed them, then please use a stronger pair of pliers and/or a vice. The Knew Concepts come annealed. The thickness is important. 1.5mm. I hope this helps you. Let me know how it goes. Greg Greenwood
I was taught to hold the workpiece in block of plasticine so all the joints were covered with the plasticine. Then use plaster of paris to fix all the bits in place. When the plaster is set remove all the plasticine. leave to dry a while then remove any grease with solvent. Place your solder, flux and heat either with a torch or if large in a kiln. Its is time consuming but if the piece has many joints you may be able to use one grade of solder. You then break off the plaster and clean in an acid bath, not your general pickle.
Hello Ken, Thank you for sharing. I have heard of this method, but I have never used it. I will keep it in mind. Thanks for watching. Greg Greenwood
What torch do you use? Great video
Hello Chris, For my main torch, I use a Presto-Lite Acetylene and Air. This gives me a wide range of temps and tip sizes. I also use a Blazer micro torch. It is a small Butane fueled torch. I use it for very small soldering jobs. There are a wide range of torches at Rio Grande Jewelry Supply that you may check out. Thank you for your question. I appreciate it. Greg Greenwood
Hi. Thank you once again for the video! What do you mean by heat sink? Also, where did you get the titanium clamps from? Did you make them yourself? Do you have a video that explains when you should heat underneath a piece versus heat above the piece? Thank you for your time. Really appreciate you answering my questions. I am new to the metal/silversmithing world; I only have a few projects under my belt.
Hello Lori, Heat sinking means any tool or surface that is "sucking up" the heat from your project that you are trying to solder. Sometimes the tools that are heat sinking will prevent you from ever reaching the melting temp of the solder. So you must use a large enough torch or torch tip to heat the piece up to melting temps. I made the titanium clamps. I got the titanium from Rio Grande #110795. Knew Concepts Titanium Soldering Strips. Remember: practice, practice, practice. You will get better and better. Greg Greenwood
@@greggreenwood4628 Ahh.... so is that the reason why we heat the tweezer first, so it doesn't suck heat away from the solder point? In your videos, I do not see you heating up the tweezer before heating up the ring shank then to focus on the solder point. Thanks for the encouragement!
Hello Lori, You almost have it correct. You have the right idea, but you do not want to heat up the tweezers first. The tweezers are to hold the piece of jewelry. Keep the tweezers as far away from the solder joint as possible. You always want to heat the jewelry piece ,not the holder. Heat the ring shank and then focus on the solder joint. Please check out my PLAY LIST "Silver Soldering Techniques". There are many videos in the playlist that will help you learn about soldering. Keep watching. Greg Greenwood
hi greg i been watching all your videos and I want to thank you for sharing your experience with us its very helpful and i have question can you make some videos how to make silver cuban chain step by step thank you
Hello Elias, Thank you for your great comments. I appreciate it. I would love to help you with the cuban chain. I know how they are made, but I don't have the experience to be able to show you the fine details that it takes to do the job correctly. I have seen some good videos on the process, so I know good videos are out there. Sorry I cannot help you on this one!! Thank you for watching. Greg Greenwood
@@greggreenwood4628 thank you so much sir and no problem i appreciate you!!
i been watching all the videos on UA-cam about this project but no one has accurate explaining like you thanks again
waiting for your next video
Thank you Elias, That means a lot to me! Greg Greenwood
Thanks again. Glad you are watching. Greg Greenwood
Hi Greg, I'm having an issue with the general solder gun not heating up enough to melt the soler. What type of soldering gun do you recommend?
Hello Cathy, Sorry you are having trouble. Question for you before I can answer. Are you using an electric soldering gun or a flame torch? If you are using an electric soldering gun, it is not used for silver soldering. You must use a propane, butane, or acetylene gas torch. Let me know what you are using and we can go from there. Thanks and talk to you soon. Greg Greenwood
Amazon has titanium wire, I haven't tried it but it seems like a good idea.
Hello John, Titanium wire will work also. Greg Greenwood
Speaking of steel pins I cannot find them anywhere. I’ve looked on Amazon. I don’t know if I’m typing in the right keywords. But can’t find them here not at our local hardware store which is Canadian tire or Kent in Canada
Hello Catherine, Type in "T steel pins" . You will find many. Thanks for sharing. Thanks again for watching. Greg Greenwood
Hi Greg, I've got some green and blue marks after soldering that doesnt sand off. Any idea what caused it, and how to fix it?
Pretty sure it has to do with my borax mix (not enough water mixed with borax powder) or my pickling liquid ( white vinegar and salt) or dunking the silver in the pickle while it's still hot. Any help is appreciated. Thanks
@@fosterluu following.
(Quench before pickling, and if using simple home made pickle I find you sometimes have to let a piece sit in the hot pickle pot for a longer time, but I’m NO expert ;)
Hello ChopohC, Thank you for your question. I have a couple questions for you first. Is the coloration "in" the silver or "on top" of the silver? If it is in the silver, it could be you have not left the piece in the pickle long enough to get rid of the oxides or it could be fire scale. If it is on top of the silver, it could just be extra flux that has not cleaned off in the pickle. In both cases, leave in the hot pickle longer. Let me know how it goes. Greg Greenwood
Hello ChopohC, Check out my reply in previous comment. Let me know. Thanks Greg Greenwood
Hello Gnarbel, I agree with you. Thank you for your comments. It is great to help each other!! Greg Greenwood
You’re a wealth of knowledge! Learning a lot from your videos. Thank you!!
Hello Geri, Thank you very much. I appreciate it. Glad you are learning. Keep watching! Greg Greenwood