I have larger pieces (approx 40mm round, some larger) of 24 gauge brass sheet that I have tried numerous times to solder a brass bezel on with no luck, using past solder. I tried brass paste solder (grainier than silver paste) from Rio and easy silver paste- neither work-just doesn't flow or I have over heated it to a cement! Would additional flux help while using paste or would chip solder work better on larger pieces? I don't care if I use silver or brass solder. The paste worked fine on the bezel, but I can't seem to join it to the larger back plate.  Knowing my problem is joining two metals of different thickness and size,  I hope someone with more experience can help. Practice, practice, practice? Yes, clean, slowly heated the back plate... maybe not hot enough? Is the size the real issue? My torch- larger than Micro torch- still butane but can get a nice soft flame. Time to invest in Little Smith?   I would love to finish my pieces! Thanks... anyone's opinion would greatly be appreciated! Kat

 Hello Kat,

if you clean the soldering area well as you wrote and the solder don’t flow yet, the problem is, that your flame or torch is to small and you get not enough heat. Thereby it is regardless wheter you use silver or brass-solder with flux or whether you use a soldering paste which include the flux. Have a look to this page:

http://cs.artjewelrymag.com/artcs/forums/p/14828/60651.aspx#60651

Here you find some more informations.

Edmund

The biggest problem I have had with brass is uniform heat. I have an old Prest-O-Lite torch and I have found that to do a very large piece that I need to put on a larger tip and get everything uniformly hot for the solder to flow.

 Thank you for directing me to that page. I have a better understanding of why my piece isn't heating properly. Because of safety issues, at the moment I'm not able to bring a propane tank into my home.  But I will try adjusting the flame with the larger butane torch I have. Here's a pic of the torch I use.

http://ny-image0.etsy.com//il_155x125.98015076.jpg

I'm going to give this a shot, hopefully I can get this torch to heat the piece properly.

Thanks again.

 Yes... I believe this is my culprit. Although I'm not able to set up in my home with a larger torch at this time, the butane torch does put out a large flame. What kind of flame would heat it most evenly? Maybe adjusting the flame to softer bushy flame vs a pointy flame?  If my torch doesn't produce the heat needed, I'll have to work on setting up my office for a tank inside. And scale down my work until then:( Thanks for your input, greatly appreciate it.

Butane torches are just not big enough for brass, I suggest at the very least an Acetylene/Air torch like a Smith or Prest-O-Lite. Propane/Oxygen torches are excellent are are Oxygen/Acetylene but O?A tend to produce a fair amount of soot until you get used to the controls.

 That looks like a type of torch that plumbers use. If so, that is easily obtainable. Based on the amount of gas- 300ml (a little more than a Cup) that should be safe in a home. I'm going to look into this kind of torch and what kind of gas can be used with it and if a flash back connector can be used with it. . I SO appreciate this forum! You see, I had a fire in my home about a year ago- NOT related to what I do, so safety is a priority.

I do want to mention another option that I have found in my search for a safe torch is the G Tech connector approved for use throughout the US. Their website is http://www.safe-t-gas.com.  Although this is a pricey piece of equipment, it seems to be the safest way to work out of your home. It can be purchased through Rio.  It is installed by a licensed plumber and attached to your natural gas line with a flash back connector. The purpose of the GTech is to boost the gas pressure- but- it also eliminates the need of having ANY tank inside the home.

Maybe an over kill for a home jeweler like myself, but honestly?  What price can you put on safety not to mention home owners insurance. I would love to hear from anyone who uses the GTech.

Setting up properly and choosing the right torch is a major  $$$  purchase. Edmund, you have been wonderful with your help!

Kat