While waiting on our new little bundle to arrive …we’re anxiously hoping it’s any day now… I spent this last weekend teaching myself how to solder!
(Soldering is fusing metals together using various alloys applied to the joint between the metal objects to unite them without heating the objects to the melting point.)
While that seems like one of the first skills a jewelry artist should pick up, I’m a little behind the times I suppose, but I think I’m finally getting the swing of it!
(You can find some great soldering tips on YouTube! I’ve found YoutTube users, “CoolToolsVideos” and “artjewelrymag” to be extremely helpful.)
I spent most of this last Saturday and Sunday with my new little pencil torch in hand (thank you Walmart, $18) and went through a lot of sterling silver wire experimenting on what I can and can’t do.
I have to say, I think soldering is now my new obsession! I’ve discovered many new techniques that I just wasn’t able to accomplish without a torch. Below are some pics of what came out of my torch-crazy weekend…
Though they each took me quite a bit of time to get to looking wearable, I’m hoping now that I’ve learned some new tricks, I’ll be able to create them a lot faster the next go around.
I even had some dreams last night about soldering some new pieces, so I can tell it’s definitely becoming a new craze with me!
I’m even posting a sneak peek into my sketch book from this weekend, which I normally don’t share with anyone!
Hope you’re all having a beautiful day! And good luck soldering if you’re getting ready to dive into it! It’s a whole lot of fun and will definitely be worth your time!
~Laura