RoyJ wrote:


IIRC, you should never, ever, use tin/lead solder on an item made from
silver because the solder becomes alloyed with the silver and forms an
alloy with all of the properties of puppy poop.

Could you be more specific?
I've been told by a few people that do silver smithing that using a lead
containing solder on silver is poison to the silver if you intend to try
to use a silver solder on it later. Having seen a small sample I assume
the lead must alloy with the silver on the surface and boils out when
later heated for silver soldering. Whatever it seems that once the
silver surface has been subjected to lead it won't silver solder
properly after.