Argentium® Soldering problems...Results of flux testing

The reason for my soldering problems seems to be the flux I was using. After doing the test, I switched fluxes and have had no problems since.

After doing some research on the web, I was able to find a source for the these F flux. Unfortunately, with shipping, it was way to expensive. I then went to my local rock shop and got five different types of fluxes that they always kept in stock.

I took five pieces of Argentium Sterling® Silver all the same size and placed them on a piece of Argentium Sterling® Silver. A small piece of hard Argentium® Solder was placed by each piece of Argentium Sterling® Silver. I used a different type of flux for each piece of silver. The following is the order, best to worst, of which fluxes did the best (according to my very unscientific test). NOTE: The Ultra Flux® paste is the flux I was using when I had soldering problems.

1. Horizon Tool Co.® Paste Flux ($5.95 for 2 oz.)
2. Cupronil® liquid flux ($4.95 for 4 oz.)
3. Dandix® Paste Flux ($5.50 for 1 oz.)
4. Ultra Flux® Paste ($5.50 for 8 oz.)
5. Batterns® Self-pickling Flux ($7.75 for 16 oz.)

It is surprising what a difference the flux used can make. I know there are lots of other fluxes on the market, some of which, probably work better than the ones I've tried. These are just the ones that are easy for me to get locally. The moral of the story is to keep an open mind when working with Argentium Sterling® Silver. Things that worked alright with regular Sterling Silver, may work differently with AS.

Argentium® Soldering Problems Update

Thanks goes to Judie Raiford and Trevor F. for their comments about not using steel wool when soldering. Trevor also mentioned that he preferred to use Thessco F flux when soldering Argentium Sterling® Silver. I believe Thessco is from Europe. I’m going to try some other fluxes that I can get locally and let you know how it goes.

Heat Hardened Argentium Sterling® Silver

I am amazed at how hard Argentium Sterling® Silver turns when it is heat hardened. Last week I made a beautiful turquoise ring. The ring was made so that it could be adjustable. After hardening, I realized the ring was no longer adjustable. Just another one of those things that needs to be kept in mind when working with Argentium Sterling®. Because the properties of Argentium are so different, I have trying to treat Argentium Sterling as though it is a totally different metal, rather than comparing it with standard Sterling Silver. The two metals have very different properties. Standard Sterling conducts heat well, AS does not. Oxygen must be kept away from standard Sterling silver. Oxygen is desirable when working with AS. The melting temperatures are different. The way the metal reacts when heated is different. Working with AS is not that hard, it’s just different.

Argentium® Soldering problems

I've been having some problems using the Argentium® solders. I tried just about everything I could think of. I made sure the surfaces matched well. I made sure my silver was clean and scrubbed it down with steel wool. I tried several types of flux. My easy and medium solders worked just fine. It's taken me a couple of weeks to figure it out. I simply needed to clean the solder itself. I started with soap and water and then I scrubbed it with steel wool. Works great now.

Argentium projects update

It's been quite a while since I made the pendant and the cast ring. I am happy to say that each are wearing quite well. There has been no signs of tarnish on the ring or the pendant. We have noticed considerably few scratches on the ring and the scratches that are there are quite shallow. Good news!