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for Jewellery Making

Carat Gold Solders for Jewellery

Making

by Chris Corti

Most jewellery is composed of several components that are joined and assembled by
soldering. In many countries, regulations govern the caratage of gold solders used to make
jewellery and, with few exceptions, gold solder alloys should be of the same caratage as the
jewellery. One problem with the production of solders is to ensure a good colour match
with the jewellery being assembled.

Fortunately, it is possible to make a range of carat gold solders from 8 carats up to 22 carats
in the full range of colours (including white) and these are commercially available in a
variety of forms.

In engineering terms, carat gold solders for jewellery are hard solders or brazing alloys, as
they melt above 450°C. A requirement of solders is that their melting temperature (the
liquidus temperature) is at least 20°C below the solidus temperature of the carat golds
being soldered. The parent metal does not melt during soldering.

In practice, at each caratage and colour, a range of solders can be designed with different
melting ranges to enable ‘step’ soldering. This is to avoid the danger of remelting soldered
joints made previously when doing the next soldering operation. These are normally
designated ‘hard, ‘medium’ and ‘easy’ grades, with their melting ranges reducing, so that
the easy grade has the lowest melting range. At low caratages an ‘extra-easy’ grade may be
available, which is useful for repairing broken jewellery.

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Solder Compositions
Most solders are based on the coloured gold-silver-copper alloys with additions of low
melting point metals such as zinc, cadmium, tin and indium to lower the melting range.
These additions will tend to whiten the solder alloy and so usually the copper content
needs to be increased to compensate. White gold solders are based on white gold
compositions with similar low melting alloying additions to lower the melting range.

Cadmium has traditionally been used in jewellery solders as it confers good melt fluidity as
well as lowering the melting range. Unfortunately, it is now known that there is a serious
toxicity problem with cadmium. It has a low melting point of 321°C, boils at 767°C and has a
high vapour pressure. This means that, on melting the solder, it readily boils off and forms a
vapour that reacts with air to form poisonous cadmium oxide fume. Exposure to this fume
can cause long term health problems to workers in the jewellery industry including scrap
refiners. This includes damage to lungs, kidneys and blood. Cadmium accumulates in the
body and there are regulations in many countries limiting exposure to cadmium. Although
good ventilation and exhaust systems should always be in place in a workshop, escape of
cadmium into the atmosphere causes environmental pollution and can get into the food
chain.

Some governments have banned the use of cadmium in solder alloys or placed severe
restrictions on its use in the workshop. Thus, many jewellers now use ‘cadmium-free’
solders. These may require a small adjustment to the soldering technique as they will ‘feel’
different. Some examples of solders are given in the following tables:

Typical Cadmium – Containing 9 ct Yellow

Gold Solders
Gold, Silver, Copper Zinc, Cadmium, Melting Range,
wt. % wt. % wt. % wt. % wt. % °C

extra easy 38.5 (22)* (19)* (2.5)* (18)* 620 -690

easy 38.5 (30) (19) (2.5) (11) 650 -720

medium 38.5 (37) (18) (2) (5.5) 735 – 755

hard 38.5 (29) (28) (5.5) – 755 – 795

* (X) indicates approximate amounts. Actual amounts are proprietary alloys. Melting range
of a typical 9 ct yellow casting alloy is 880 – 900 °C. Cadmium-free 9 ct gold solders are also
available.

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Cadmium – Free 10 & 14 ct Gold Solders

Gold, Silver Copper Zinc Tin Indium Melting Range
wt % wt % wt % wt % wt % wt % °C

10ct easy 41.67 27.10 20.90 5.33 2.50 2.50 680 – 730

10ct 41.67 29.40 22.18 4.25 2.50 – 743 – 763

medium

10ct hard 41.67 33.25 23.85 1.23 – – 777 – 795

14ct easy 58.33 14.42 13.0 11.75 – 2.50 685 – 728

14ct 58.33 17.50 15.67 6.0 2.50 – 757 – 774

medium

14ct hard 58.33 20.0 18.17 3.50 – – 795 – 807

Melting range of typical 10 ct casting alloy is 830 – 895 °C.

18ct Gold Solder Alloys: Cadmium-

Containing and Cadmium-Free
Gold, Silver, Copper Zinc, Tin, Indium Cadmium Melting range,
wt % wt % wt % wt % wt % wt % wt % °C

‘easy’ 75.0 5.0 9.3 6.7 – 4.0 – 726-750

‘medium’ 75.0 6.0 10.0 7.0 – 2.0 – 765-781

‘hard’ 75.0 6.0 11.0 8.0 – – – 797-804

‘medium’ 75.0 2.8 11.2 9.0 – – 2.0 747-788

‘hard’ 75.0 – 15.0 1.8 – – 8.2 793-822

Melting range of typical 18 ct yellow alloy: 855-875°C.

21 Carat Solder Compositions – Cadmium-

free
Gold, Silver, Copper Zinc, Indium, Tin, Gallium Melting range,

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wt % wt % wt % wt % wt % wt % wt % °C

No 3 87.5 4.0 3.5 5.0 – – – 834-897

No 4 87.5 – 5.5 4.8 2.2 – – 751-840

No 7 87.5 – 8.5 – 4.0 – – 786-894

No 12 87.5 2.0 3.0 7.5 – – – 785-837

No 13 87.5 1.5 6.0 5.0 – – – 840-884

No 17 87.5 – 5.5 5.0 – – 2.0 677-813

Melting range of typical 21 ct yellow gold: 941-960 °C. Solder alloy data taken from paper by
D.Ott, Gold Technology, No 19, July 1996

22 Carat Solder Compositions – Cadmium-

free
Gold Silver Copper Zinc Indium Melting range
% % % % % °C

91.6 0.4 3.0 5.0 – 865 -880

91.6 – 3.0 4.4 1.0 ? low*

91.6 – 3.0 3.4 2.0 ? low*

91.6 – – 8.4 – 754 – 796

91.6 1.0 – 7.4 – (a little higher)

91.8 2.4 2.0 1.0 2.8 850 – 895+

91.8 3.0 2.6 1.0 1.6 900 – 895?+

91.8 4.2 3.0 1.0 – 940 – 960+

Melting range of typical yellow 22 ct gold: 995-1020°C. *- Adapted from 21 ct solder

compositions – melting range not yet measured. +- From Indian Standards IS 3095: 1999.

To vary the colour of coloured solders to achieve a colour match, the compositions should
be adjusted. To make a solder more red, increase copper and reduce silver. To make a paler

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yellow, reduce copper and increase silver (and/or zinc). Remember, that such changes will
alter the melting range.

There is a 22 ct yellow gold solder with a very low melting point. This has the composition
92.5 % gold – 6.0% germanium -1.5% silicon and is based on the ternary eutectic system. The
soldering temperature is 425-450°C and although the joints are initially whitish in colour
they can be heat treated for 2 hours at 285°C to give a good colour match to yellow gold. It
is not possible to solder in air using a gas torch and flux but the process is suitable for
soldering in a furnace with an inert or reducing gas atmosphere. Mechanically strong
ductile joints of excellent quality can be made. The work is reported in Gold Bulletin, 29, (1),
1996.

The following table illustrates some white gold solders, based on nickel white gold
compositions. Nickel-free compositions to meet European Directive requirements on Nickel
are based on low palladium (palladium increases melting range) and other whitening
agents such as manganese with low melting point additions such as zinc and indium.

White Gold Solders, Cadmium-free

Grade Gold Silver Copper Nickel Zinc Melting Range,
% % % % % °C

10 ct Easy 41.67 28.1 14.1 10.0 6.13 763-784

10 ct Hard 41.67 30.13 15.1 12.0 1.1 800-832

14 ct Easy 58.33 15.75 5.0 5.0 15.9 707-729

14 ct Hard 58.33 15.75 11.0 5.0 9.92 800-833

18 ct Easy 75.0 – 6.5 12.0 6.5 803-834

18 ct Hard 75.0 – 1.0 16.5 7.5 888-902

Melting ranges of typical nickel white gold: 10 ct casting alloy: 970 -1017°C; 14ct casting alloy:
940 – 977°C; 18 ct casting alloy: 915-948°C.

Forms of Solder
Typically, goldsmiths use solder in the form of wire, thin strip or coupons (‘Paillons’) cut
from strip. However, there is a growing use of solder in the form of solderpaste.

Solder pastes are homogenised mixtures of solder in the form of a very fine carat gold alloy
powder combined with an organic binder which may or may not contain a flux depending

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on whether torch heating or furnace heating with a protective atmosphere is to be used.

The paste is dispensed from plastic syringes using a hollow needle of appropriate size. An
electro-pneumatic device is used to supply compressed air for a pre-determined time
interval to deliver an exact and reproducible amount of paste to the joint. Where precise
control is not required, simpler hand operated syringes can be supplied. The solder paste
can be supplied in all caratages and colours up to and including 22 ct. They do cost more
than the conventional wire and strip forms but there are considerable benefits, some of
which are cost saving. These are

a saving in time

an exact control on the amount of solder to be used

less wastage of expensive solder alloy

reduced reject rate or complete elimination of poorly formed joints

more precise positioning of solder compared with using paillons

increased production rates and possibility of semi-automation

unskilled personnel can be easily trained to use the dispensers.

Hand dispensing of solderpaste (Courtesy of H.Hildebrand et Cie, Switzerland)

The pastes, which are supplied in their dispensers, have a long shelf life even when partially
used. (Reference: H Hilderbrand, “Gold Solder Pastes”, Gold Technology, No.9, May 1993).

Other forms of solder in use are:

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. Solder flush strip or sheet. Here a thin layer of carat gold solder is bonded to the
sheet of carat gold used for stamping parts of jewellery. The solder is located on the
internal surface and when the 2 halves of the stamping are mated together, they
can be passed through a belt furnace, where the solder melts and joins the 2
halves. The major disadvantage is that scrap strip after stamping cannot be simply
remelted and recycled as its composition and properties will be changed.

. Solder-cored wire for chain making: The wire for chain making contains a central
core of carat gold solder and is used for making the chain on a chain machine in
the usual way. It can then be passed through a belt furnace for soldering. The
central core of solder melts and gives clean soldered links.

Section of soldered carat gold chain link made with solder-cored wire

By Chris Corti – © World Gold Council

All rights reserved internationally. Copyright © World Gold Council. Users have
permission to download the information and share it as long as no money is made-no
commercial use of this information is allowed without permission in writing from
World Gold Council.

Category:
Fabrication Articles and Videos, Jewelry Design Articles and Videos, Metal Forming,
Metallurgy, Metals Articles and Videos, Soldering

 About the author

Chris Corti

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