Welded soldering stand

mistyannemarold - Tuesday, November 27, 2007 - 9:29pm

My husband recently welded me a 4-legged soldering stand for use in jewelry making from standard steel bar. My challenge is that all the "hardware" cloth I've found to place over the frame-work either melts when heated from a propane torch or it coated in paint that makes terrible fumes. It also occasionally catches on fire (oh such wonderful fun in our basement workshop). So, what kind of mesh should I use that can withstand direct and prolonged heat from a propane torch?

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First, welcome to ArtMetal!

Rich Waugh - Wednesday, November 28, 2007 - 12:12am

First, welcome to ArtMetal!

On your soldering stand, I've found that stainless steel wire mesh works well. I get used stainless steel heavy mesh from the local gravel crusher when they replace their mesh screens. The stuff is about 10 gauge wire on 1/4" centers and never wears out or burns up. You can get a wide variety of different stainless wire meshes from MSC Industrial Supply. You can find them online at www.mscdirect.com.

My personal preference for soldering jewelry is to use scrap pieces of broken kiln shelf that I get from a potter friend. Soft firebrick also work, and reflect heat back to your work, making your torch more efficient.

Rich

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pictures please

B.J. Severtson - Wednesday, November 28, 2007 - 12:29pm

Misty,
Could you sent us some pictures of your set up and the torch you are using, please? My first soldering station was a garbage can lid filled with pumice stone on top of a lazy susan turntable. Combined with several cross locks a few third hands and a couple of fire brick served me well for several years. Brad

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torch & soldering stand

mistyannemarold - Wednesday, November 28, 2007 - 9:34pm

I've posted a few photos of the burnt coating on the metal: burnt 1:

burnt2:

Soldering Stand:

I share the space with my hubby who does wood-working, welding and such. There is another 10' workbench on the other side of the basement. So, we can both be making toxic fumes and noise at the same time :)

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You are working with

Gene Olson - Wednesday, November 28, 2007 - 11:03pm

You are working with galvanized wire cloth.

That is steel that has been fluxed and dipped in molten zinc.

Zinc melts and 780 and burns with a bright white flame, releasing poisonous oxide smoke. Breathing that can give you metal fume fever. Chills, aches, nausea, and worse if you get a bad dose.
The good news is that zinc is used by the body as a nutrient and will be cleared from your system. That does not mean that an overdose won't kill you, only that if you live, you will probably get better.

Get some stainless mesh or even uncoated steel.
the stainless will get a black oxide on it from the heat and shouldn't stick to what you are soldering.

(note, once the zinc has been burnt off, those grates may work, just don't burn it off inside or stand upwind of it)

Gene Olson
Sculptor
Elk River, MN

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zinc fumes

visitor - Saturday, December 1, 2007 - 9:46pm

Gene.

Ugh...that sounds pretty awful to be breathing. We'll get a hold of steel mesh ASAP and leave the hardware cloth to other uses. Thanks so much for the input. Mistyanne

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