How to weld a thin chain?

Have you just broken your favorite 925 sterling silver chain? Don't put it away in a drawer! You have two options: either cut it into small pieces to make other DIY jewelry, or repair it!

In this video, Lucie shares her tips and tricks for learning how to repair the links of a small chain using the brazing technique.
What is jewelry brazing? It's the process of soldering together two metal parts, or two parts of the same metal part.

Before you start, it's essential to remember three valuable tips:

• Never heat the clasp. If the clasp is heated, it will no longer work. If you have to weld close to the clasp, it's best to remove it. You'll have more peace of mind to work with!
• The flashlight flame should be very small and blue.
• Tie back your hair, wear protective gloves, a mask, protective clothing and eye protection. It's best to work in a well-ventilated area.

Techniques and tips for welding thin chain

There are two ways to weld the link of a very thin chain so that it can be repaired:

1. Soldering with paste silver solder

In this video, Lucie usessilver solder to repair her fine chain.

1. Using an old pair of tweezers, remove a small amount of silver solder from the link. If there's too much paste, the links may weld together, which is not the desired effect.
The advantage of solder is that you don't need to add borax. Paste solder already contains flux.

2. Place the silver brazing alloy on the link.

3. Using another tweezer, tighten the link to make it easier.

4. Heat up quickly with a blowtorch. As soon as the solder has melted, remove the flame. Be careful, it's very quick.

5. Put on the déroché.What is a deroche? It's a solution of sulfuric acid and water, in which we soak newly welded parts to remove traces of oxidation and borax. To find out more about de-soldering, consult our technical data sheet, which explains this essential step in jewelry manufacturing.

2. Soldering with a small straw

This other method, mentioned by Lucie in this video, is just as effective. It involves using borax and a small soldering straw.

1. Cut a small straw from a silver soldering plate using jeweller's shears. Be careful, it must be very small. If it's too big, you'll solder the links together. As a reminder, in a previous video, Lucie showed how to cut straw.
Ideally, you should always have straw of different sizes in your workshop. That way, you'll always have the right one on hand.

2. Apply a small amount of borax and position the small straw on the link where you want to solder.

3. Heat with the flashlight until the straw melts. No more!

4. Place the chain in a derusting bath.

Finally, for an attractive finish, don't forget to polish the chain. The weld will be invisible.

After this video, get started on repairing all those fine chains lying around in your drawers or workshop!