While researching for this article on silver jewelry solder, I was surprised by how much I learned. I did not know much about the science behind soldering and it was fascinating to learn about the process in more depth.
Soldering joins two or more metal surfaces by using a compatible alloy that flows at a lower melting point and creates a permanent bond. It’s important that the solder flows at a lower temperature so your metal surfaces will remain solid and hold their form. As you heat the material, the atoms that form the metal start to separate. This separation allows the solder, when it flows, to enter those spaces and bond to the original material. The solder has now created a tight fit with the material and the pieces are bonded.
Having now learned the science behind soldering and how the metals intermingle, I, Разбира се, had other questions. What are the metal alloys in solder? Why are those metal alloys chosen? What makes the solder flow faster than the material it’s bonding to? So after hours of researching my questions, let’s see if I can answer them here.