Love doing Russian filigree? Hate filing the solder? I've only been searching since the early 90's for a better way to create the ancient solder recipe, and now at last, I have one. This new solder is the same recipe but already in powdered form and with the flux mixed in. All you have to do is lightly paint the piece with water, then dip the damp brush in the powdered solder to pick up a tiny dab, and gently brush it onto the points to be soldered together. Voila!
It slices, it dices, it julinennes... Ok, while I normally despise sounding like an infomercial or a used car salesman, I'm more than a little excited about this stuff. I'm thrilled to be making it available to others, who pursue the beauty of Russian filigree, but I'm ecstatic about never again having to file the stuff for my own work!!!
Because the solder is of a finer mesh than what anyone (read any sane person) can file, it flows into the joints more effectively, meaning far better results from "the dreaded thumb test" to see if the filler wires were all soldered correctly. I've used it on several pieces that curve dramatically, and not had any of the filler wire joints break, which is amazing. Also, because it is based on the same ancient recipe as I teach how to make in the DVD, it flows like an easy but then behaves like a medium silver solder, making it possible to re-flow but not easily re-flowed by accident.
The solder comes in a small jar with instructions and is .75 troy oz for $29.95. At last the kits with solder and milled frame and filler wire are now available as well. One jar should last for months, possibly years of making Russian filigree pieces.
No comments:
Post a Comment