u/natbeany

any input appreciated :)

Hi everybody!!! This is my first piece in my home studio :) I had a lot of fun cutting and grinding but I ran into a whole lot of issues soldering.

My flux and foil tape are both hobby lobby brand. My patina is novacan. None are the freshest since I bought and then I left them in my closet for about 2 years (back then I didn’t have the right space for the craft and impulsively bought material and tools)

As much flux as I used, there were spots where the solder wouldn’t stick and left noticeable holes and dents. I noticed the black adhesive leak out of the solder lines as I was washing them after soldering? I even had to re foil and patch the small clear outside piece next to the star after washing because it lifted. After that I washed gently again, with dawn soap, a melamine sponge, and a baking soda + water solution (I heard it neutralizes the flux).

My patina came out borderline copper in some areas and true black in others? Did I maybe not wash off the soap or baking soda properly? Does it have something to do with the soldering itself?

Any advice is greatly appreciated and I’m happy to provide more closeups :) thank you sooo much in advance!!!