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Soldering Solutions

Soldering can be one of the most challenging skills when fabricating jewelry. A confident approach to soldering will free up the maker to create their ideas in an efficient, professional manner. By tackling a series of exercises of increasing complexity, students will gain experience in planning, executing, and troubleshooting soldering strategies. Our energy will be devoted to making gorgeous solder joints that require little cleanup, no stress, and no apologies!

Students will work in base metals and silver. Both single and double fuel torches will be used and extensive information on different torch systems will be provided. An introduction and demonstration of soldering gold will be presented. Students will have the option to practice and solder gold to silver at an additional cost for the amount of gold used.

Students must have basic sawing and filing skills and have had some soldering experiences. This class should not be taken as a replacement for Jewelry I but rather to expand on the basics and develop this important skill.

Students will generate samples as well as design and complete finished pieces of their choice based on their skill level and soldering progress.

This class is 10 sessions long. Each session is 3 hours. If a make-up class is necessary, it will be held on March 27 and/or April 3, 2012

Meet the instructor

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Leslie Hartwell graduated from the full time Jewelry-making and Repair program at the North Bennet Street School. She has been teaching at Metalwerx in Waltham, MA for many years and in the North Bennet Street School Continuing Education program. She has also taught at the Lexington Society for Arts, the Brookfield Crafts Center and the Peters Valley Craft Center. Leslie is committed to teaching strong fundamental skills along with the spirit of exploration and problem-solving as a means to becoming an independent craftsperson..

 

Materials & Tools

The materials kit of $95 (payable when signing up) includes wire and sheet in copper, nickel, red brass, sterling silver, fine silver, assorted tubing, findings, and the soldering kit items listed below:

SOLDERING KIT
  • Solderite Pad 6 x 6
  • Stainless Steel Tweezers
  • Crosslock Curved Tweezers
  • Soldering pick
  • Sable Brush #2
  • large flux brush
  • Hard, Medium and Easy Silver Solder
Students should bring

Students Should Bring:

  • Notebook
  • Wire snips and shears to cut thin metal
  • Hand Towel
  • Fine tip Sharpie marker
  • Small glass jar with a cover (baby food container will work fine)
  • Basic hand tools such as:
  • Saw frame and blades
  • Files
  • Sanding sticks
  • Dividers
  • Millimeter ruler
  • Assorted pliers
 

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