One of my professors, I can not remember who, told us that learning to solder is really to gain the keys to the jewelry making kingdom. You can create beautiful jewelry without ever soldering, but if you learn how to solder you will really improve the range of projects you can create.
Before you begin soldering you will need to purchase the correct equipment and then prepare your metal. These tutorials will explain
How to Prepare Metal for Jewelry Soldering and
How to Make Pickle to remove firescale caused by soldering.
You can use a number of different torches or gases to solder. When you speak with metalsmiths they are often passionate about their own choice. I have used many, many different torches and gases when taking courses and teaching at a variety of schools and workshops. For beginners, a butane soldering torch is a good low cost item. You may decide you love soldering and want to go on and purchase more expensive, "professional" equipment later; but until you decide this is for you and you love soldering, a butane torch is a piece of starter equipment. This tutorial will explain
How to Solder Using a Small Butane Torch.
If you run into problems when soldering, then it is a good idea to begin by checking the basics. This tutorial explains
How to Correct Soldering Problems when Jewelry Making.
Most butane torches are self igniting. If you purchase a torch that is not self igniting, you will need to know
How to Light a Torch.
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