Soldering Birdcage Wires.
—For this job, it is better to flatten out the solder to the thinness of brown paper and with a pair of scissors or shears to cut it into very narrow strips. Take little pieces about 1⁄4 in. long, and with the fingers pinch them round the wires just above the joints to be soldered. Touch each joint with a small quantity of killed spirit, and apply the flame of a small blowlamp just underneath the joint; this will cause the solder to run in the joint in an instant (see [Fig. 44]). The flame is quite free from smoke, and does not discolour the wire in the least, as the solder will run long before the wire is red hot. Every joint may thus be neatly made. With a thin piece of copper wire secured in a handle as illustrated, the solder may be drawn any way desired to make special joints in awkward places, where the point of an ordinary soldering bit could not be used.