Slipjoint #2 Complete...Critique

Here is a pic of the solder joint. The problem area is at the top of the bolster. It seems to have soldered correctly further down. Any suggestions on what might cause this? I went over it with a pencil so it would stand out more.

 
GaiusJulius said:
Beautiful knife! Considering that I have never even begun to make one myself, I'm a little loathe to criticize too harshly, but in the name of improvement....

1. Clip blade proportions are definitely a bit off, to my eye. The long pull is a bit short, the blade is too wide for such a long clip, the clip itself is too straight, and unswedged (which contrasts with the elegant double fluting) ...in short, it could all work together better.

2. Pins are all different sizes. Optimally, they'd match.

3. The edge bevels and fit and finish seem like they are not as uniform as could be. It makes it look a little "handmade" rather than fully "custom."
Click to expand...

This says exactly what I was thinking. Love the bolster and wood choice..... I'm looking toward to more from you.
 
Scorched is the most likely cause imho.
"Scraping" while soldering as i refer to it is just moving the rod under the puddle to find out any crust of scorched flux to remove it and let the solder tin those areas.
Don't worry about the solder thickness, just use spring clamps while joining so the excess goes out. Dress your clamps so they act not like a big heat sink, and provide the pressure is even all around. Add some drop of flux in the joint and a bit of fresh solder....and remember that the solder in the joint will like to go up and toward the heat so take your time and direct the flame accordingly.

600 grit will do nicely, as well as 400
Degrease very well your parts and not recontaminate the area with graphite when you use it as a fence.
 
Stezann Thanks much for the info. I'm planning on starting another soon. Now that I have a better idea I hope I can get the soldering part to come out better. Thanks again.
 
Thanks mrknife...I agree...my next clip will have some curve in it and a bit of swedge. Thanks for your feedback. Gives me some thoughts for the next one.
 
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