Everything has its limit - iron ore cannot be educated into gold
I first learned of this technque from Robert Jackson in an article he wrote for the Penland Book of Jewelry* (sic). As the previous section on materials points out, all received wisdom on this is that it can't be done, but, with a little patience and allowing for each solder to take much longer than a precious metal-precious metal solder, it can be done reliably. I have even managed to use silver solder to join steel to steel.
Here is the way I do it.
In this example, I'll solder a piece of silver tube to the top of a key, allowing me to set a stone into the end of the key as part of a chain:
1) Prepare the metal.
This is done by sandblasting the key to remove rust. I have also used electrolytic stripping to clean heavily rusted steel. You can see the sandblasted steel in the pictures above.
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2) Borax and solder.
Apply a thick layer of borax paste - standard jeweller's borax - and arrange for soldering. In the following pictures, you can see that I use Tipp-Ex correction fluid as a solder inhibitor to prevent the solder from creeping down the key, which it has a tendancy to do, given the high-temperatures required to bond the solder to the steel.
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3) Melt and spread solder.
This is done at high temperature. I use a solder-pick to move the solder about and to disrupt any areas of oxidation, allowing an even coverage of the surface.
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4) Cool, pickle and post-pickle.
Do not quench the steel. Allow it to air cool, or else it will harden to an unworkable degree. As steel doesn't pickle like silver or gold, it is essential that items bonding steel to precious metals be pickled seperately from "normal" precious metal items. After pickling in standard jeweller's safety pickle, clean any copper deposits off the surface with a mildly acidic solution of Hydrogen Peroxide. I acidify 12% Hydrogen peroxide solution with about 2% white vinegar.
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5) Clean.
Using a sandblaster or steel brush in a flexi-shaft.
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6) Attach silver component.
Re-borax - using solder inhibitor if required - and prepare the silver component for soldering. Heat the steel component until the solder melts, keeping the silver component near the flame to heat up. At the very last moment, bring the silver component into the solder, allow to bond for a fraction of a second and remove the heat.
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7)
Allow to cool, pickle, post-pickle and clean as described above.
the chain link ready and in context
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This technique has become the mainstay of my recent work.
*The Penland Book of Jewelry: Master Classes in Jewelry Techniques, ed. Marthe le Van, Pub. Lark Books, 2005. ISBN: 1579906982.
Fabulous Jewelry from Found Objects: Creative Projects, Simple Techniques, ed. Marthe le Van, Pub. Lark Books, 2005. ISBN: 1579905625.
