Linda Sandeman Jewellery

18/10/2026

Jewellery soldering: why your solder won’t flow even when you keep the flame moving.

I thought heating evenly just meant keeping the flame moving. It took me a long time to find out what experts actually watch for.

Comment BENCH and we can have a chat about your soldering.

16/10/2026

Solder follows the heat. If it’s running away from your join, that side of your piece is hotter. Move your flame to the other side and watch it come back.

That’s an invisible signal. The checklist gets you started, but noticing what the metal is telling you is what makes your joins consistent.

This is what my Invisible Signals series is all about. Catch up on my profile, and on Monday I’m showing you why there’s still a gap under your bezel.

Want me to point out the signals in your own soldering? Comment BENCH 😊

12/10/2026

Does the sharpie trick work on brass and does it also have a flare? You asked, so I tested it 🔥

The ink burns off, then watch for the orange flare just past the end of the metal. Same signals as silver and copper. Just don’t push brass too hot, the zinc doesn’t like it.

Comment ANNEAL and I’ll send you my free annealing cheat sheet.

10/10/2026

You’ve been told to anneal in a dark room. And yes, you can see the colour more clearly. But you don’t need to build a little box of soldering bricks around your piece to get there.

There’s a signal expert solderers have used for years, and you can see it with the lights on. Watch for the orange flare just past the ends of your metal. Not under the flame, that’s just the reflection. Just past the ends.

Then give it a bend. Soft, you’re done. Still stiff, go again.

Lights on or lights off, which are you? Tell me below 👇

Comment ANNEAL and I’ll send you my free bench cheat sheet, with photos of each stage in normal home lighting.

Part 3 of my annealing series.

06/10/2026

Struggling to get a perfectly flush join when you file freehand? Stop guessing your angles. 📐

If your filing angle is off by even a fraction of a millimeter, your metal ends won’t sit flat—meaning your solder won’t flow, no matter how much flux or heat you use.

Mastering a flat file stroke freehand takes years of muscle memory. But you don’t need to struggle through trial and error when there’s a bench shortcut:

🛠️ Use a miter jig.

It locks your wire or sheet at a fixed angle so every file stroke gives you a perfectly flat, square edge.

No guessing. No uneven gaps. Just ends that snap together flush so your solder takes every single time.

📌 Save this tool tip for your next bench setup!

💬 Do you use a miter jig at your bench, or do you file freehand? Let me know below!

06/10/2026

Still blasting your join with extra heat hoping the solder will finally jump? Stop! 🛑

Here’s why no amount of extra torching will fix it: it’s not a heat problem, it’s a contact problem.
Solder doesn’t flow on its own—it gets pulled through a join by capillary action.

Think of it like a paper towel touching water:

💧 The second the towel touches the water, it climbs up the fibers.

🚫 Hold that same towel even 1mm above the water?

Nothing happens. It won’t jump the gap.

Solder works the exact same way. If there’s even a tiny space between your metal ends, there’s nothing for the solder to grip onto. You’re just heating an empty gap and risking fire scale for nothing.

Next time solder won’t flow:

1. Turn off the torch.
2. Check for light leaking through the join.
3. Close the gap completely—metal must touch metal.

📌 Save this reminder for your next bench session!

06/10/2026

Filing a join over and over, but your solder still won’t flow? 🛑

Here’s the truth: you’re trusting your eyes, and your eyes are lying to you.

When you’re closing a ring shank or joining metal, solder needs zero space to flow. Even a microscopic gap will block capillary action—meaning the solder just beads up at the edge while you waste heat on empty air.

Since your naked eye can’t spot a fraction-of-a-millimeter gap yet, use this bench trick:

📸 Snap a photo on your phone and zoom all the way in.

It instantly reveals the hidden gap your eyes miss before you pick up the torch. Fix the gap first, and the heat will do the rest!

📌 Save this post for your next bench session!

04/10/2026

28/09/2026

There’s so much scaremongering about annealing that people get hung up on getting it perfect. I want to break through that myth.

67% of you told me what worries you most is not knowing if you’ve gone too far. So here’s the thing to remember. Annealing is on a spectrum. A little over is still usable. It’s melting you need to watch for.

Soft, it’s done.
Still stiff, do it again.
A little over, still usable.
Melted, that’s your scrap.

Save this for your bench. Part 3 is on Wednesday, where I’ll show you how to actually see what your metal’s doing, even at a kitchen table.

Are you already selling your jewellery, or getting ready to? Tell me below.👇

25/09/2026

Cherry red never told my students what to look for, and if I’m honest I found it hard to know too.

Most annealing advice assumes a dark room and a professional torch. If you’re at a kitchen table or in a spare room with a handheld butane torch, you need something you can actually see.

That’s where the sharpie comes in. It’s one method, and it gives you a starting point while you get to know what your metal looks like.

Save this for when you’re next at your bench.

Part two, on overheating, is coming next.