This piece was soldered using a Smith "Handi Heat" Acetylene/Air Torch, which Don recommends for large sterling silver pieces.
Photo will be coming soon!
Hard Solder
This piece was soldered together with only hard solder, including the post that the bottom piece hangs from.
Difficulties
Hollow box out side frame
Over 100 pieces
Long solder lines that are invisable
Copper and Brass soldered to silver
Fairly large and thick
Side walls of bottom piece is also of different hiegths
The out side frame was made as a hollow box therefor the small holes in the back of the piece. After the outside hollow box frame was made then tubes were solder in place. One of the most difficult soldering problems was to solder the tubes down inside the inner box with out filling in the tubes or between the tubes.
Because nothing but hard solder was used this piece that has not been polished in over 25 years, yet laying around the shop, still show no signs of solder joints. Hard solder will polish just like sterling and stay that way for decades even in a harsh inviroment. This piece will now be repolished and rephotographed for this site.
