The history of brazing and soldering as a method of metal joining dates back more than four millennia with applications in tableware, jewelry, ornaments and ancient weapons. Today, this joining technology extends to a wide spectrum of manufacturing industries including aerospace, power generation, electronics, medical, automotive, HVAC, drilling and cutting, and general tooling. In addition to this vast range of growing industries and new applications, brazing and soldering are still very common techniques used by many modern jewelers. This presentation covers the basics of brazing and soldering including a discussion of definitions on liquid metal wetting and capillary action, design and strength considerations, and the joining of similar and dissimilar materials. Filler metal types and fluxes are also reviewed with a primary focus on the manufacture of a broad variety of gold, silver and alternative-metal jewelry.

Author: James Bush