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Old 05-04-2010, 09:55 PM
Mark M Mark M is offline
Steel
 
Join Date: Apr 2006
Location: Florida
Posts: 66
Default Re: Looking for help from Jewelers. Repair gone bad!!

A propane torch is no where near hot enough to solder silver with a stone in place. You need oxygen and gas and a hissing oxidizing flame to get in and out fast. Putting the stone in a tin of water with wet paper towel tweezered around it might have helped. Of course a laser welder is the way to go! I would jhave charged a lot to repair that job. You might get by with mixing some powdered cheer laundry soap in some water clear epoxy and trying to blend the burned out section. Also when you torch solder silver use the white paste flux sold at welding supply stores instead of the green liquid flux. It keeps the joint clean and makes the solder flow like water. It is easty to shape the soft turquoise with a heatless wheel in a handpiece.

Mark
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