Is Your Solder Misbehaving? Here Are 5 Things to Check
Soldering can be one of those things that feels so frustrating when it’s not working… and then suddenly clicks into place ✨
Here are a few things I learnt in my Soldering Masterclass that I wanted to share…
1. Is your join gap-free?
Solder won’t fill gaps, so your pieces need to fit together really snugly.
You shouldn’t see any light between them. If you can, it’s worth going back in with a file or a bit more sanding.
For ring bands, a little trick is to slide the ends past each other a few times to build tension. If there’s still daylight when they meet, run a saw blade gently through the join to refine the fit.
2. Is your piece clean?
Solder really doesn’t like dirt.
If things aren’t flowing properly, it might just need a reset. Pop your piece in the pickle, take a little pause (tea or snack highly recommended), and come back to it fresh.
3. Are you using the right amount of solder (and placing it well)?
It’s easy to use too much… which floods everywhere and creates more cleanup. Or too little… and it won’t flow across the join.
You only need a tiny pallion, placed directly on the join.
Solder flows towards the heat, so a helpful trick is to place the pallion at the back and gently draw it towards you as you heat the front of the piece.
4. Are you heating the whole piece?
It’s not just about the join.
If part of your setup is pulling heat away (like a third hand), it can stop the solder from flowing properly.
Try to bring the whole piece up to temperature evenly first, then focus in on the join.
5. Which part of your flame are you using?
This one made a big difference for me.
I was holding my torch a bit too far away at first. You actually want to use the hottest part of the flame — the tip of the blue cone.
A strong, clean flame (you’ll hear that gentle roar) really helps.
Bonus tip: check your lighting
Make sure you can actually see what’s going on.
Turning down bright overhead lights can really help you spot how the solder is behaving.
Soldering can feel tricky, but often it’s just one small thing that needs adjusting. Once you find it, everything starts to fall into place.
Want to really build your confidence?
If you’d like a full day to properly get to grips with soldering, the Soldering Masterclass at Jewellers Academy Brighton is exactly that — a focused day where you can practise, troubleshoot, and pick up lots of helpful techniques.
You’ll cover things like:
soldering earring posts
making and soldering a chain
soldering D-rings
sweat soldering
pick soldering
working with multiple joins (and choosing the right solder)
making a cylinder (perfect for bezel cups and 3D forms)
It’s such a lovely, confidence-boosting day — especially if soldering has been feeling a bit hit and miss.
Join the Soldering Masterclass >
Wishing you lots of soldering success ✨
Sam xx
