Soldering Made Simple

Author Joe Silvera takes the mystery out of soldering, so that amateur jewelry makers feel empowered and confident – even those who have never held a butane torch. Features 12 charming finished projects with clear instructions.

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Author: Joe Silvera
Softcover; 8 1/4 x 10 3/4; 112 pages; 400 color photos; ISBN: 9780871164063

Click here to see an interview with Joe Silvera.

Joe Silvera has more than 20 years of experience in metalworking as a goldsmith, wax model-maker, and jewelry designer. He now devotes all of his time to teaching, passing on the traditions and techniques of his craft and sharing the joy with his students. He is the author of Soldering Made Simple (Kalmbach Books, 2010) and is featured on the companion DVD of the same name. His website is silverajewelry.com.

Introduction

Part One: Soldering Basics
What is Soldering?
Soldering Tools
Materials
Soldering Techniques
Metalworking Techniques
Tool & Equipment Sets

Part Two: Projects
Custom Ear Wires
Lily Pad Post Earrings
Jump Ring Flower Earrings
Soldering Clasps, Charms, and Beaded Rings
Soldered Charms
Mixed-Metals Pendant
Textured Ring with Borders
Squashed Beads
Box Clasp
Koi Fish Pin
Bezel-set Stone Ring
Butterfly Pendant

Appendix
Sizing Rings
Glossary
Sources
About the Author

Soldering Made Simple: Easy Techniques for the Kitchen-Table Jeweler tells how to make professional-quality jewelry at home, teaching all the basics for understanding soldering techniques, from fueling to soldering skills and related metalworking techniques. Reinforcing these basics are 12 jewelry projects that use the instruction to apply to real-world projects. A top pick, this belongs in any crafter's collection.
-The Midwest Book Review

Soldering Made Simple: easy techniques for the kitchen-table jeweler. I’m not so sure I like being referred to as a “kitchen table jeweler”. I prefer artist or artisan…what’s the difference between those two terms?? That's a topic for another day. But I guess when it comes to soldering that is exactly what I am as I have neither the set up nor the tools to do it.
This is a great book. It is very thorough. It covers the tools you need and how to work with them safely. Joe goes over torches – how to fill them and how to light them. There are some great pictures that show the difference between an oxidizing, neutral, and reducing flame and when to use them. He covers various soldering surfaces and what they can be used for. Joe covers the different solders and when to use them, flux, pickle, and how to deal with fire scale.
Joe also shows you how to set up your workstation with safety in mind. He includes diagrams that show the various heating patterns used to soldering different configurations of metal. These help increase your understanding of how heat flows and where to direct it to successfully solder.
Besides soldering, Joe covers annealing metal, hammer, filing, drilling, sawing, making jump rings, polishing and patinas. I really like the polishing sections because he shows you various attachments for the flex shaft and gives an explanation of how they can be used.
There are 12 projects ranging from simple earrings to charms, pendants, rings, bezel setting stones, making beads and creating a box clasp. I really like the ring projects but then I’m into the idea of making rings right now. One is a great textured ring with borders and the other is a bezel set turquoise featured on the cover.
Also included in the book is a section on how to choose bezel wire, sizing a ring and a great chart which tells you how long to cut your ring blank based on ring size and metal gauge. I could have used this last fall. I made a ring in a class held locally and cut it too small. It’s now a pinky ring…a tight one.
Joe also has a DVD that is a great addition to the book. Reading and pictures only go so far. Watching the process adds another dimension to understanding the soldering process. The DVD follows the book as far as tool explanation, safety and work station set up. Joe walks you through the creating of a necklace and pendant starting with simple jump ring soldering, to melting silver to make a ball, sweat soldering, forging, and soldering near beads with step by step explanations.
I’m glad I got both of these. There are a great addition to my library.
-Gail's Tales