ArtMetal

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