Solder Picks
When I have used a tool for a long time it is difficult to let it go. Not so in this case. My steel, red-handled solder pick has been by my side in many a soldering challenge. It did the job (in most cases – can I really blame it for the mishaps?) and it has that time-tested familiarity I really like in assembling a piece of jewelry. Not to be ungrateful, but it did have its shortcomings. When soldering a large piece, like a cuff, I often had 2-3 picks lined up because they heated up with the intense fire power needed to keep the metal hot. The tip also got gunked up with solder and flux over time. I was willing to accept these shortcomings – after all nothing is perfect in this world, right? Wrong.
Enter titanium solder pick. First check jewelry catalogs and you will find titanium picks that are needle like instruments protruding from colored handles. I have one of these puppies that lasted a matter of seconds before it wilted before my eyes. I was pretty disappointed, but, In retrospect I realize that these skinny picks are made for very precise, dainty work. Clearly a poor match for me. I was reluctant to try titanium again until I received one meant for the scale of work I do. Move over red handle! Here is what it will do:
- Resist heat – in other words, it will not get nearly as hot as a steel solder pick.
- Solder does not stick to the pick (thus avoiding transferring solder from a previous job to a new piece).
- You can clean it in the pickle without affecting other metals.
These three features make this pick my new best friend at the solder bench. Please email me if you are interested in these solder picks and I will try to get a supply for my online store.
Idyllwild Metals Week – A Few Spots Still Available
Registration opened the beginning of February to a resounding response. What an incredible line up of instructors – I had a very difficult time choosing this year and at the eleventh hour went with Joanna Gollberg’s class on rings. The last I heard there are a few spots left in all the classes except Pauline Warg’s class on stone setting. If you have any questions about the “Idyllwild Experience” please feel free to email me. Here is a link to check out the classes being held June 26 – 30th, 2011.
http://www.idyllwildarts.org/workshop-q10465-c10325-Jewelry__Metals.aspx
~Connie
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