How to solder the gold chain at home?

The gold chain is a very elegant and versatile decoration that is appropriate for many events and fits any style of clothing. A jewelry product can advantageously emphasize any outfit and image. The owners of chains are both women and men. However, quite often the owners of gold chains face the problem of product breakage. If you happen to have such a trouble, then contact the workshop, where specialists can use the latest technology and repair the product. If you do not have this opportunity, it's worth considering how to solder the gold chain at home. Today we will try to help you fix the decoration and tell you how to fix the chain at home to extend the life of the chain. We hasten to reassure you: the procedure is simple, special skills and special technical devices do not require, but accuracy and knowledge of the smelting of metals are still necessary.

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Reasons for breaking the chain

First of all, let us consider the reasons that affected the breakdown of the product. They can be several:

• Marriage. In order to confirm or deny the version of poor-quality work, it is necessary to conduct an examination. If the factory marriage is confirmed, the manufacturer must pay the cost of repair and examination or return the money spent to the buyer.
• Lightweight product. One of the common reasons that a product breaks is its light weight. Very often decorations are made from tubes. They weigh much less, the price is much lower. Having paid for the product a lower price, the owners often spend a lot of money on repairs.
• An attempt to untangle an entirely new product. Very often the chain breaks when trying to unravel it. If the product is not completely new, the links may become unstable from long use. To determine if repairs and replacement of links are necessary for new ones, carefully inspect the product through the magnifying glass. Worn-out links are better to replace immediately and do not wait until the chain is broken completely.
• Heavy pendants on the product. Always consider the weight ratio of the suspension and the thickness of the chain on which you plan to hang the pendant.
• The product is hollow. Such a chain very often breaks from the slightest mechanical impact. It can not be hung heavy crosses and pendants, as this leads to a rapid wear of the product.

Important! To understand whether a hollow ornament is or not, hold it in your hand. The size and weight of the product must comply with

. As you can see, there are not so few reasons for the breakage of the product, so it should always be remembered that jewelry is a fragile thing that can break with careless handling.

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Chained the chain - how to fix it?

To solder the gold chain at home, you will need the following tools:

• Gas torch for soldering.
• Solder for soldering gold.
• Special flux.
• Pliers.
• Sheet of refractory metal.
• A set of files( it's better if you have a drill at your fingertips).
• Silo.
• Tweezers.
• Vices.

Important! All tools must be very small. If you buy them at the "flea market" does not work, then ask for the tool in a jewelry workshop or watch repair specialists.

If you do not have special solder and you can not buy it in the workshop, you will have to purchase additional materials and tools:

• crucible.
• Gold.
• Silver.
• Brass.
• Copper.
• Capacity for casting solder.

In order to understand the process of soldering, we describe it in stages.

Soldering Manufacturer

Jewelry requires and jewelry precision, therefore:

• To make the solder in the crucible, put gold, silver and copper in the following proportion: 585: 115: 186.
• In addition, this composition will require 135 parts of brass, or 112 parts of cadmium.

Step-by-step instruction:

1. Gold, silver and copper should be smelted using a gas burner.
2. In the molten composition enter brass( cadmium).
3. Wait until the ingredients are completely mixed.
4. Pour the contents into a container.
5. Lightly cool the metal on the anvil to form a plate or a thin wire.
6. Allow material to cool.
7. Fold the solder in a convenient storage position.

Soldering order

Repairing jewelery from precious metals requires pre-preparation, so proceed as follows to gently coalesce the gold chain at home:

1. Place the entire chain part on the open link.
2. Insert a metal cylinder of the correct diameter inside the damaged link.
3. Crimp the link with a pair of pliers( tweezers).Thus, you will connect the links with the help of the damaged part and bring the chain into a normal state.
4. Strip the soldering site and treat with flux. In the process of processing a protective film is formed, which will resist the appearance of oxides and allow solder to spread over the surface of the gold evenly.

So, the chain is connected, the place of soldering is processed, now prepare a piece of solder of the appropriate size and place it in close proximity to yourself. We proceed to the final stage.

Heating the parts with the

torch Step-by-step instruction:

1. Adjust the gas burner to a very fine plasma flow.
2. Preheat the place of soldering. Under the influence of temperature, gold will change color. This will indicate that solder can be applied to the damage site.
3. Heat the joint and solder. After a short period of time, the solder will spread over the part.
4. Continue to follow the color of the metal and do not let the solder get too hot. It should not drip from the product and differences in color with the basic tone of the decoration should not be.
5. After cadmium burns out, and the solder is equal to gold, consider that the part of the chain is soldered.

Important! The whole process is very scrupulous, so take note of the additional recommendations:

• Work with the burner will have to lead by "sensation", since it's pointless to talk about a certain temperature at home, since it is impossible to control it. Working with soldering metals requires experience.
• If you are a novice master, then one description of the process will not be enough, so we recommend training to solder metal on small pieces of the same solder. During the training you will gain certain skills and learn how to determine the state of the metal by its color in the heated state.
• "Spent" solder should not be used again, since there is no cadmium left in it. If you need a new solder, then repeat the melting process to return to the cadmium.

Final machining of the soldering station

To give the product a marketable look, the soldering site must be machined. This can be done by a file manager. However, it must be remembered that gold is not very willing to be grinded, and it will be necessary to work with small details. But the drill from the dental office could speed up this process 10 times faster. This same machine could be used for polishing the surface. As a result of processing the drill chain, nothing will be different from the one just bought in the store.

Important! Jewelry is expensive, and you can completely ruin them by any unskillful action. Therefore, if you are not ready to solder metals and do not have certain skills, then you should not start work.

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What should I do if the silver chain is torn?

Silver is a very popular precious metal. Silver perfectly reflects the light and is suitable for any color of the skin, so jewelry is often made of this precious metal, in particular chains. They are worn as a necklace or bracelet. Silver chains are classic and charming ornaments. They come in a variety of sizes, styles and shapes, ranging from the smallest to the most massive, from traditional to modern.

Silver is a strong enough material, however, chains of this metal can be brittle and often break. Most products can easily be restored, but for this you need to master the silver soldering. This is one of the most basic techniques of jewelry business. Silver soldering is used for invisible seams and adding individual pieces of metal. Soldering is very often used to make chains.

To repair the torn silver jewelery and re-assemble the two pieces of the broken chain, proceed as follows:

1. Soak the two ends of the reconstituted chain in acidic solution for 5 minutes. Use a solution that is used to clean the silver before and after soldering.
2. Place a small piece of silver solder directly between the parts to be connected. Solder should be no more than the size of individual links.
3. Make sure that the solder is in contact with both sides.
4. Heat the solder with a small nozzle and wait for it to melt.
5. Switch off the nozzle.
6. Allow solder to cool and harden.

Important! If the silver chain is torn, then the damaged link can be replaced. To do this: gently unclench with the help of nippers a damaged ring and remove it from the chain. Then take a new ring made of silver, and put first on one end of the chain, and then - on the other. Gently press the new ring with the help of the nose pliers so that it merges.

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Practical advice to

If you have a chain of silver or gold broken, do not despair, but follow our instructions:

1. Place all the pieces of jewelry in a clean, tightly closed bag.
2. Find out where to fix the jewelry.
3. Return the product to the workshop, after having negotiated the cost of the work. The more difficult the repair, the more expensive the services of the master will cost.
4. If you decide to make repairs yourself, then in the workshop you can familiarize yourself with the soldering process and purchase a certain amount of solder. The last moment is the main one, since it is extremely difficult to make high-quality solder for gold at home. And you do not need the rest of the alloy.
5. In case of a failure of the fastener, purchase it separately. You can use a clasp of another material, the main thing is that the color should fit. You can put the fastener yourself.

There is a chance that after trying yourself as a jewelry master, you can not stop. And although, any creative work is commendable, we recall that making jewelry from precious metals is punishable by law. We did not set ourselves the goal to teach you jewelry mastery, we just wanted advice and recommendations to help fix the chain breakdown. We hope that now it will last for more than one year!