Bracing Miniature Sculptures With Third Hands

Soldering tips while creating the most darling miniature rocking chair with @robin.mcgauley.metalsmithing

“I create a lot of sculptural objects in silver which means that I’m always having to figure out how to best brace my work for soldering. One tool I absolutely can’t do without when it comes to soldering is a third hand. This soldering station that I’m using in the video has two double-jointed arms with spring-loaded third hands. It includes a dense soldering surface mounted on a metal frame, but I prefer to solder on a charcoal block, so I just add that. The third hands support my work while I solder by keeping the pieces in place. In some cases, I don’t pinch the metal with the third hand but rather set-up my piece so that it rests against the third hand, simply preventing it from falling over.

You also see in the video that I placed my piece between two charcoal blocks. In this case, this provided support and a heat sink while soldering.”

Thank you Robin for allowing us to share this and telling us about your set up. It’s also inspirational to see your mini sculptures!!! 🙌🙌🙌

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