🔥 Building Your First Soldering Set-Up on a Budget

So you’ve decided to solder your own jewellery. Soldering opens up loads of creative possibilities for you. You can solder metals together, create a setting, repair pieces, and really finish off your designs. 

However, soldering can be expensive very quickly if you are unfamiliar with the tools you need and where to start. The good news is that you do not have to spend a lot of money on a safe, usable soldering station - just know what you need and what you can upgrade later. 

Here's how to set up your first soldering station on a budget (without compromising safety or quality). 

🧰 Beginner’s Soldering Essentials 

Let’s talk about the essentials. These tools are needed - nothing extra, just the essentials. 

1. Torch 

What it does: Gives you the heat to melt solder, and therefore joins your metal. 

🔧 Budget tip: A basic torch - a butane torch - will suit you fine for small silver, brass or copper jewellery.

💡 Tip: Butane is cheap, burns clean and is easy to refill! 

2. Soldering Surface 

What it does: Protects your workbench and reflects heat back to your piece. 

🔧 Budget tip:Get a cheap soldering block (magnesia or charcoal block). You can buy one under $15 and lasts forever! 

💡 Tip: Ensure you put your soldering block on a fire brick or a steel bench, as ceramic soldering boards do heat up and will burn your bench.

3. Solder (Wire or Sheet)

What it does: The main purpose of solder is to join your pieces of metal together.

🔧 Budget tip:Start with just one type of solder, such as easy solder, which flows at a lower temperature and is great for beginners.

💡 Tip: You will need a type of solder that is suitable with the type of metal you are working with. A silver solder is a great all-in-one.

4. Flux

What it does: Flux helps solder to flow easier and limits oxidation on your metal.

🔧Budget tip: Buy a small bottle of liquid flux, or make your own paste flux (yes really).

💡 Tip: Remember to put flux on each join before it's heated. Solder won't flow if there's not flux. 

5. Pickle (and Pickle Pot)

What it does: It cleans your metal after soldering removing fire scale and oxidation. So it basically gets rid of the black on your piece after soldering.

🔧 Budget tip: You can use a  small crockpot, or slow cooker (1.5 litre is fine) with citric acid, which is our favourite pickle to use in the studio.

💡 Tip: Never use tweezers made from steel or titanium. Only ever use copper tongs to pick up your pieces out of the pickle. This way you won't contaminate your pickle.

6. Tweezers + Third Hand Tool

What they do: These handy tools help to hold your metal pieces while you solder them.

🔧 Budget tip: Get a set of standard cross-lock tweezers to start with. While a third-hand tool is really helpful, you don't need to get one straight away.

💡 Tip:You want to look for long tweezers with insulated handles, so you do not get too close to the flame.

7. Quench Bowl

What it does: will cool your metal very quickly after soldering.

🔧 Budget tip: any ceramic or glass bowl that fits in your quench area and is filled with clean water will do. We use a Pyrex jug in the studio

💡 Tip: make sure to quench after the glowing has stopped, not while it is still hot-hot!

🧼 Optional (but helpful) extras

When you feel more confident, you might want to add:

🔍 A solder pick - to help you move solder into place while soldering.
🧽 Steel wool or emery paper - to clean your metal before soldering.
🧼 Baking soda - to neutralize pickle.
🧲 Fire bricks or a honeycomb board - for more complicated projects.
🚪 A fan - for better access to airflow if you are doing this inside!

💸 A Budget Breakdown: A Basic Starter Set-up

Here is what a simple, safe soldering set-up is going to cost in Australia:

Item Approx. Cost
Butane torch $57
Soldering block $31
Easy solder (sheet or wire) $10-$15
Flux$30-40
Pickle + slow cooker $15-50
Tweezers $5-$15
Quench bowl (glass dish) Free / $5
🧮 TOTAL: About $150 - $225 AUD

You don't need to spend a fortune for a great set-up that will take you from a beginner to an advanced jeweller.

🛒 Are you ready to get started?

We have a variety of soldering tools and soldering kits - to help you get started with quality branded products that won't break the bank.

👉 Shop soldering tools at Pod Jewellery

Need some help deciding what to purchase? Message us and we can help you build a kit based on your goals, budget, and what kind of jewellery you are making.

✨ Final thoughts

Soldering doesn't have to be super expensive and it doesn't have to be scary! With the right set-up (even a budget-friendly one) you can get started soldering and learning one of the best parts of jewellery making.

Start small while you learn, and add to your tools when you need to. You can do it!